naysando

Rush has a GEM program (I'm currently on term 3) in Chicago : ) Renee

Hi I'm not sure about the crna program - sorry And the NA positions pop up on the "jobs at rush" website. It's very very competitive so everyone in my cohort has been diving on the smallest crumb of a spot. Keep your eyes open and network as much as possible during your clinical time- get to know the unit directors they are the ones that will be hiring you! Hth Renee

Hi- I'm in cohort 11 and I can tell you we are very varied : ) Everyone has come from a different background : art, psych, sports med, business so pretty much the only thing in common is a strive for excellence and a desire to help others. All students have to meet the same criteria. I was lucky enough to have a gpa of 3.99 so I was able to skip the gre but some students have taken it and have gotten in and are doing great. I think the main thing that sets us apart from other candidates is our expressed desire to move on in school above and beyond an RN title. As one has said- this isn't the place if you just want to be a nurse- this is the place to be better : ) Hope this helps Renee

Hi- yes I am in cohort 11 and can try to answer any questions : ) I do want to go on to a dnp program as most who attend rush do. You will hear that if you just want to be a nurse, rush is not the place for you. They want you to be better and do more so most students selected have that inner drive to want to go on in school. The best part- if you get hired as a nurse assistant and work for 1 year they have tuition reimbursement for the dnp program!

Hello and congrats! I am in cohort 11 and out of the 48 of us we have the most men enrolled I think at 7. Renee

Good luck everyone! And don't worry about the interviews - they are really more informal discussions, no stress! : ) Renee GEM cohort 11!

Hello- yes! Interview was really smooth and relaxed- stressed way to much over it! And just finished my first term 2 days ago : )

Well I think any nursing program can be hard to get in. Rush just changed their entrance to 3 times a year so that will help students chances and they omitted some of their requirements (they made it really easy as far as classes needed). I honestly have not heard of anyone not getting in that has tried but my circle is pretty limited. I do know that they look for certain qualities such as a drive to continue your education later and leadership traits. They really focus on critical thinking, patient advocacy, and leadership. They will not accept someone who just wants to be a nurse because nursing programs are all over. They also really strive for diverse cohorts. We have science, psychology, computers, and kinetics majors. We also have ages from 22-50 - I myself am 40! We have something like 11 men and pretty much every culture represented so its really well rounded. Usually what happens if for some reason you can't get in your first try you can get wait listed and offered a spot for the following term but you still get in! Some of my cohort were wait listed and some applied 3 times but obviously they got in eventually. The application process is tedious- they use nursing cas- but many programs do now. For me the application process was smooth, the interview was really relaxed and the acceptance came within 2 weeks I think. We have lost 2 people so far but that was because of their personal reasons other than that we are all still hanging in there. It's a great opportunity and it can pave the way to go on and do great things later.....I think that as long as you have the gpa or the gre score anyone has a chance to get in : )

Why did you nix rush? Just out of curiosity- I go there now (just finishing my first term) did you hear something bad? Renee GEM cohort 11

Hello! Not sure if this is true but I had heard that COD was having a hard time securing clinical spots and were having some students complete their 8 hour shift in the sim lab. I am a long time COD student and completed their CNA program which was pretty intense (something you also need for their nursing program) and had considered their program until I heard this (from a teacher btw, not a disgruntled student). The problem is that the program is growing by leaps and bounds and you take a risk anytime your in a program that is not hospital based. I have also heard that because its a community college and they had struggled with being certified in the past- that their program was more intense then it needed to be. Good luck : ) Renee

Yikes! I'm so sorry it was a bad experience : ( Did you complete the program? I hope everything has worked out in the end for you. I did get accepted to rush- yay!!- and am starting next month : )

here is our facebook group link----thank you for starting this : ) http://www.facebook.com/groups/303311906464575/

Ok thanks!

Hi everyone...I'm just wondering if anyone has bought scrubs yet? If so what colors do we need? Thanks! Renee

Hello cohorters! I'm in too!!! Congrats everyone : ) Renee

Anita, Thanks so much : ) I loved him! He was so nice and very interesting to speak with. I did review the CNL duties and also jumped on and reviewed some of his research projects too- pretty cool stuff! I love the focus on enhancing healthcare while decreasing medical errors. Now all that's left is the 2 week waiting period : ) Renee

Doh! Sorry about^*^ that...I was just excited and forgot the no name thing : ) Renee

I had my interview yesterday with *******- he was awesome! He made me feel very welcomed and comfortable. It didn't feel like I was under a microscope which was my fears, it just felt like we were having a conversation. He just asked the typical questions like why rush, why nursing, how do I handle stress, and one ethical question. I felt it went well until he asked me about the CNL and I honestly wasn't really sure what that part was other than what it stood for. I hope I didn't blow it based on a lack of understanding so my advice to any going into interview- take some time and learn what that cert is and can do for you. Good luck y'all : ) Renee

Almost interview time!!!!!!! Bundle of nerves over here- how are you all managing the wait?

Thank you! Oh I forgot to add that Rush also changed their required courses- it's much easier to apply now : )

College of DuPage in glen ellyn il has a summer session where a&p 1 is 5 weeks and a&p 2 is the second 5 weeks. These classes usually fill very fast but it is possible to get into them if your all enrolled and ready to register at the school. I took them and it was tough but doable. Classes were held m-thur from 7 am until noon. Good luck! Renee

Hi there. I had the same situation and I picked Rush. I am waiting to interview so I'm not in the program yet but I can tell you that a big difference is that Rush is an MSN program whereas DePaul is a masters generalist degree. Also with Rush you can take the Clinical nurse leader (?) test. There is also the added bonus of Rush being hospital based so clinicals are run more smoothly whereas I have heard some other programs had problems securing clinical positions. Rush is also ranked 15th in the states! I am sure both programs are great so it will probably come down to your personal goals- either way I wish you luck : ) Renee

Congrats! I think the gpa was something like 3.25 but I'm not sure. I submitted sometime in October so my nerves are totally shot! Lol Good luck : )

congrats!!! were you both given interview dates already?