TexeCuter

The application process is fairly straightforward, no GRE scores or references are required. I will assume UTEP is at least as competitive as the other nurse practitioner programs at tier 2 universities (I am not an insider and have no way to measure the candidate pool). Since several programs appear to be diminishing their MSN NP programs in favor of DNP programs, UTEP's offering of the MSN option may make them more desirable to students for many reasons. Apply! Good Luck!

Congratulations! Wishing you much success!

Good advice from all the others above... It's a blessing in disguise right now. Trust us. You are better off somewhere more supportive. :hug: Good luck to you, and don't be discouraged.

Thanks for the laugh, nursefrances! :rotfl:

Here's the link to the thread for Parkland's Programs. https://allnurses.com/texas-nurses/parkland-critical-care-160756.html Even though they are geared to new RN's, you might have some luck working something out with them.

Great response to Nurescass, The Commuter. SInce you are an ICU/ER nurse, you may also consider either John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth (a county-run level 1 Trauma Hospital), or Parkland in Dallas (also county Level 1 Trauma, but handles all the burns in the area, as well). Methodist, Baylor, THR are all private for-profit hospitals, and have their advantages. The county hospitals have challenges, but the patient acuity level is much higher, generally, and they tend to the underinsured population, also. I have had walkie-talkie patients in the ICU at Baylor, but once they can hit the call button at JPS, that's discharge time. The step down units at JPS handle patients that are ICU patients elsewhere (and they have 4 of them). I didn't work at Parkland, but JPS has always had great state of the art equipment for us to use, as well as software. They are undergoing an EPIC conversion this Spring. Parkland gives graduate credit for some of their residency programs. Awesome if you want to go for a Master's degree. In my humble opinion, I prefer living in Fort Worth to Dallas. FW is less congested traffic-wise, more laid back, and generally easy going folks. Dallas has its awesome points, too. Welcome to DFW soo, I hope, Nursecass! :hug: We can always use another caring nurse!

Unless, of course, you are interested in providing both pediatric and adult acute care. Then, you will need to complete the core requirements for the entire age continuum! That's why most choose either pedi or adult in critical care. That's an awful lot of responsibility to be proficient in both!

If your ultimate goal is to work in the hospital, then ACNP is the way to go. FNP is intended for primary care APNs. However, if you are interested in FNP and prefer to work in the hospital, you may also take a post-masters' certificate in ED. There is no need to take the complete Masters' degree twice. Post masters' certificates supply the APN with the elective portion of other specialties. The core requirements remain the same. Most schools are requiring that you have 1-2 years RN experience in critical care or in ED experience before applying to the programs. Hope that helps you! Good Luck in your studies!

George Washington Univ. has an excellent sounding Masters in Clinical Research Administration for Nurses, however they have the most redundant and wasteful admissions process. It is just plain ridiculous. 2 friends and I were interested in attending GWU. I have a BSN from an accredited Top-Tiered University, but GWU insists on going through 'Nursing CAS' as well as their online application. It makes me think they are not student-centered, and there mu$t be $omething in it for them. GWU and 9 other graduate schools are losing talented scholars because of their CAS vain implementation. Maybe the MPH route would be better? Already have the RN. Then, I can present from 2 different perspectives. Ideas??

Nursing CAS requires people who have Bachelor's Degrees (in Nursing), even from Top Tiered Accredited Universities to pay $65 (minimum), and enter many, many intricate details about each and every course ever attempted at a university. That is a lot of minutia. We are busy professionals. Yet, WE are paying THEM to evaluate the transcript. Additionally, applicants also send all transcripts to both this 'Service' and the university. We don't need to settle for Busy Work U. Why add a middleman in there that assigns busy work and charges for it? Approximately 9 graduate schools, duped by this racket, are losing talented scholars because of this obviously vain implementation. Get wise. We can read, think critically, and add. Then we vote with our dollars and attend somewhere el$e.

Harris FW has a gorgeous new CVICU and was hiring recently. Good rep, too, and part of a 13 hospital network. I think they staff about 23-25 CVICU beds. Harris and Plaza (an HCA facility) probably do the majority of cardiac surgeries, with Baylor close behind. That's about all I know. Sorry it isn't more detailed. Not exactly my area... Good luck RNDoc.:wink2:

One time (thank God), with 75 questions. The Hurst Review was an excellent prep!

insurance adjuster - writes other people checks - Former police officer

I'm not a cadet, but the ROTC program has some very lucrative programs for nursing students. Bonuses are given for higher GPA's, they pay your tuition for undergrad and grad school plus a living stipend, and there are tax free benefits, as well. The majors earn over $70k with incentives. Depends on how hard you are willing to work, and how well you can perform. The nurse representative for Army ROTC certainly was positive and professional when he spoke to our class. If I were a young person, like you, I believe it would be something I would consider strongly. Now, I am too tired to do a sit up. Sigh.

Thanks for the clarification, gitane. Glad you have a little time to breathe. I've been covered up, as well.

Where is the new hospital district, exactly? Near the new Pier 1, or where the HUD housing used to be, or is it over by the osteopathic hosp? Haven't been over there in a while.

Oooohhh - you are talking about TWU HOUSTON. Ah. I thought you were referencing the Dallas campus - all this time. Guess it would be pretty hard to pick up a patho or pharm at UTA, then. My bad. Thanks for the tips, Al. You sound like an excellent student. The chiquitas should be more than happy to select you as a study partner. I am already done with prereq's and am in a BSN program at another school. The struggles/joys of the accelerated programs fascinate me. Quite intriguing, and may have been the path I should have taken. I work best under pressure. I almost made the mistake of going the PA route for just that reason - the pressure/adrenaline rush. Nursing seems a better option for me, at this time. Wishing you all the best with whatever program you are in, and will encourage you during pitfalls and cheer for you in triumphs!

The attrition rate for UTA (my friend's class) the first semester was 20%. They have attempted to fix the problem a number of ways, one of which being patho and pharm as prereq's.

Prewrecks - :chuckle - LOVE it. Appropriate. I know people who applied to one school that have multiple degrees, and did not get in until after several tries, with very high GPA's. Others who had not finished their 'prewrecks' were admitted before them! One smart cookie, with a masters' degree contacted the alumni director and informed him about the difficulties that were encountered by false information being dispersed by the advisors at the SON. Classes mysteriously closed, then opened, then closed... No rhyme nor reason. No logic and no fairness. The student (a very deserving one) finally got in. So did some of the other multi-degreed students. Hang in there, be persistent, talk to all the right people, get in front of them, and do not be afraid to sit on their desks if you have to. That's my 2 cents' worth. Free advice is always worth what you pay for it.

Stop. You are turning me on! :imbar

Chip, have you tried googling apartments, Fort Worth? I found a lot of great properties, and even a few very nice ones that accept dogs! Some are pretty pricey, but may be worth the extra $ for security - like the ones near the Amon Carter Museum. Good Luck - I hope you find just what you are looking for!

Okay, it is almost too late to swing this - but your fall schedule looks pretty light. Have you thought of going to UTA and picking up either Pharm or Patho with the Hist 2, Stats, and Micro? That would certainly lighten your load in the spring! Also- there are a few correspondence pharm classes available that count at TWU. Check with an advisor before registering for those, though. Good luck on getting in - I know it is stressful. TWU is all about the GPA. They have a consistently high NCLEX pass rate, too.

The Dell Handhelds also run epocrates. A nice tool for the classroom, because you can share notes with your study partners via infrared transmission.