halletkl

hmm.. still having difficulty on my end. Is the group a "closed" or "secret" group? If it's closed, it should be searchable by the public (but non-members will not be allowed to see posts). I created last year's fb group and its worked out well like that.

Hey! I'm still unable to search the fb group- let me know when it's made public! Congrats to all those admitted!

stacyk- i assume you were responding to me? hopefully? :) i'd love to chat with you about the program and hear what swayed your decision! i have never sent a private message on here before but i will attempt to do that and give you my phone number. just let me know whenever you have time in the next few days and maybe we can talk for a short bit. otherwise, you can also message me on facebook. thanks!

I'm curious about that too. And what day does it start? Also, for the online BYU course, how are the tests proctored if it's online.... do we have to go to testing centers? And when does that one start/finish?

When is the deadline to sign up for the BYU class? I am coming from out of state to visit UCLA on the 21st of this month and won't know for sure if I will choose UCLA or another program until then. Also, are there any tours of the nursing facilities or do any of you know how to set that up? Maybe it just makes more sense for me to wander around and see things myself... I would really love to talk to someone- or multiple people- currently in the program as well as meet any available faculty. I am so confused about what to do right now and am hoping that my visit will clear everything up! For those in the program (or those of you who feel like you have a good grasp on this) what does it really mean to have a CNL degree? Is it more administrative and less directed at hands on patient care? From some of the descriptions I have read, I get the feeling that it is more about learning how to manage nurse teams and not learning how to be an RN in the traditional sense.... I am fairly certain I want to go into maternity care and I just want to make sure that this degree is still appropriate for that. Any input is much appreciated :)

has anyone checked if this course: hlth 345 principles of epidemiology - byu independent study - online courses definitely meets the requirement? also, i would love to hear more from current students about their experiences this year: how they would rate the professors, courses, & scheduling? i saw that nadianana posted their schedule and it was mon 9am-11am, tues 9am-8pm, th 9am-5pm, & fri 8am-11:50am. i was wondering if this schedule is pretty standard for ucla mecn first years... and does that mean you have wednesday off then? that would be nice... that is quite a long tuesday though! i assume there is a break in there somewhere... i have a dog and i would need to go home and let him out at some point! thanks so much to anyone that can provide information!!

Hi all! Congrats to those of you who have been accepted. I just received my acceptance letter today and am ecstatic over the news.... but also really stressed about making my decision between schools. A large portion of my dilemma lies in my understanding (or lack thereof) of the CNL role... I was wondering what each of you have heard about the CNL position and what kinds of opportunities are available to UCLA MECN graduates. I assume that, because UCLA is such a highly regarded school, there will be many positions available for graduates in the area... (which works well for me because I plan on working/living in southern California). Are most students in this program looking to get an advanced (NP or CNS) degree, beginning working up the chain as an RN in a hospital, or looking to take on a more administrative role amongst nurses? From reading up on the CNL, I get the feeling that it is more directed towards management over hands-on patient care? I am hoping that because it is an "advanced nurse generalist," we are encouraged to work in any area we might wish to try... But is working in smaller clinics out of the question (or discouraged) for those with CNL degrees? My goal is to work in maternity care... I just want to make sure that is still possible/ encouraged with this degree.. And, finally, because the program lasts two years, with a summer session in between the two, I take it that means there is only ONE summer session and that the two "years" just refers to regular school years (fall-spring). Thus, the Fall 2012 cohort would graduate in May/June of 2014??

Ah! That is so frustrating.. Both he and the director told me February. SusieNinja- Thanks for all of your input! What are the facilities like where you are working most of the time (since you aren't in the SIM lab but a few days a week)? And how would you rate your overall experience there, the professors, & the schedules? Also, I was wondering, if it wouldn't be too much to ask, if you could describe your schedule during your first year. I just received my weekly schedule for a different Master's Entry program and I wanted to compare.. In theory, I love this program. I love Hawaii. I would do anything to go here... I am just worried about issues of credibility, especially for those of us on NP tracks. After reading some of the negative posts from anti-Master's Entry nurses, it just got me a little worried that it would be difficult to find jobs after graduating from an accelerated program like this. (People were calling MEPN students "clueless"...) What do you think?

UH Manoa Debuts High-Tech Hospital Simuation Center - Video - KITV Honolulu A video about the sim center. (The manikins can also make bowel sounds and have vital signs that can be measured. I forgot about those aspects! Pretty cool stuff)

He told me there are 8 spots available for PNP. (eek!) The head of the PNP department told the director she would like to accept as many as possible (so she seems nice based on that...), but that is still apparently only about 8 - so it's pretty darn competitive. I'm not sure how many spots are available in the other specialties. However, I applied to a similar program and the various specialties accepted between 4-12 applicants each. I'm guessing its a similar situation here... though 4 definitely seems low to me. It depends on the year I guess.. not entirely sure how it works. I only met some of the staff that were working in the simulation center and then a few people downstairs in the office (like the director and coordinator). I was lucky to come in on day when everyone happened to be around and not very busy... like the director made clear-- they aren't trying to set up interviews this year-- so I didn't want to over-stay my welcome and pester him too much. He was actually busy looking through apps at the time and just popped out for a second to answer a few questions for me. Everyone there seemed perfectly nice though :) . A small class was actually working in the simulation center as I was touring through. As for tours, I guess they hold a group tour on the first of every month (or maybe it was the first Monday of every month... something like that), but they can arrange quick, casual tours for people coming in from out-of-state if it isn't too busy. I just happened to hit it on a Friday afternoon when things weren't busy AND I let them know that my flight was leaving Monday, so it would be my only chance to check it out. The person at the front desk who gave us our tour was VERY knowledgable and had taken a big part in the setup and ordering of supplies for the center. I'm pretty sure he was a student.. Anyway, the center was AMAZING. Everything was really high-tech, clean, well-lit, organized, VERY similar to a real hospital setting (but even nicer). I felt like I could really get some great exposure to what it would feel like working as a nurse in a hospital. He showed us one of their medical manikins that could blink, sweat (through a few little holes in its forehead), talk (they were programmed to say a few things AND there was a mic hookup in the back where the professor could talk). It could even recognize what medication it had been given (so that it could "react" appropriately- the professor would make it do certain things). They had a labor and delivery room with a manikin that could give birth as well as another baby manikin located underneath a real incubator light (though I don't know why it had to be real, but it helps make everything seem even more true-to-life!) They also had a room that was designed like a small apartment (with an apartment-style bathroom and everything) so that the practicing nurses could get a feel for their true environment when at-home nursing. He also showed us the conference room that had a smartboard and a large television- where students can study and watch the replay of their tests. The whole thing was just really impressive to me (having already toured another school's facility). It honestly put the other place to shame. The other school had some manikins too.... but non as impressive as these. And the other building just felt like a hole in the wall compared to this one. I could see myself actually enjoying spending time in this place and gaining a very valuable learning experience. I feel like I would be much more comfortable when I finally graduated and went out working in the "real world" haha. * Also, as a side note, the tour guide talked about how they had just moved from a really unfortunate facility that had cockroaches in the walls and all sorts of yucky stuff.... They had to practice over there for a bit while they waited for the simulation center to be completed. Glad we missed out on all of that! Seems like we are entering the nursing school at just the right time.

Hello everyone-- I'm new to the thread and have applied for the PNP specialty for Fall 2012. I am a Washington resident, but flew out to Oahu with my family last month. While I was there, I toured the (10 million $$) newly remodeled simulation center and spoke with the MEPN director and the coordinator. I toured the center with my sister and her boyfriend (med students) and my dad (a seasoned biochemist). Between us, we have seen a lot of labs/hospitals and we were all blown away by UH's facility. Before taking the tour, I was pretty much set on attending a different program. However, after the tour, I haven't been able to get UH out of my head! Even though it is more than twice as expensive as the other program... I am still trying to figure out how I could make it work, financially, if I am accepted. According to the director, this year's cohort will not be interviewing at all (next year, they will require applicants to send in videos- kindof a cool approach!). He also said they had about 300 applicants.... I don't know where the previous poster got 200... maybe the director was rounding up... hah. He also said I could (probably) expect to hear back in February rather than March- so perhaps we will all be put out of our misery shortly!

haha, oook... the link just changed and now it says "log in"... SO, instead, anyone who wants to join our new AE MSN facebook group, go onto facebook and search "UT-Austin AE MSN Program." Hopefully it will appear as an option. Let me know!

UT-Austin AE MSN Facebook group: Log In | Facebook I've never created a group before but hopefully this works!

Hey everyone- has anyone made a FB group for AE students yet? If not, I will go ahead and make one today. :) Also, if my Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers (CPR, AED, First Aid cert) is valid through November... is that okay? I don't need to get certified again before the start of our program, right?

Congrats everyone!!! Yes, we should start a FB group.

Nevermind! I just saw that acbs wrote that our program begins May 31st! (or June 1st)... ugh. oh well... gotta find a way to make it work!

Does anyone know if our program begins May 31st? I saw a calendar online that mentioned that date but somewhere else I had read that it didn't start until mid-June... hmmm

hi everyone! i've been following allnurses posts (on this thread and others) for so long that i decided i should finally go ahead and make an account! i was also accepted to ut's ae program-- for the maternity nursing-public health track! i am so excited and relieved, but also nervous to move to an entirely new and very different city (i'm from seattle). i met some really sweet girls at the interview and i wish i knew which of them were accepted too! maybe this is a strange question, but will there be a facebook group for the ae 2012 program? i might recognize some faces there. based on this thread and the group that i interviewed with, i get the feeling that most people in this program are austin natives. is that true? i also wonder how many already have living figured out and how many wait until end of may/ beginning of june to move in to new places. i probably won't be able to move until then... when is the exact start date for the program?