SaintlyJ

Hi Elkpark - current Yale, second semester student here. I can count about 7 full-time GEPN students off the top of my head that are currently working as RNs at either YNHH, Yale Health or private offices, and there are probably even more if I asked around. Most GEPNs get licensed as RNs around the end of the summer after their first GEPN year, and those that pursued jobs as RNs usually got hired in the middle of the second (of three) year. Usually part-time/PRN as well, but the option does exist as I don't know of one GEPN who didn't land an RN job that wanted one. As far as how much experience is needed to become an effective NP will vary depending on who you ask. I can say that Yale GEPNs with or without RN experience are not really having a hard time finding job interviews right now (barring ones that ABSOLUTELY have to work a specific specialty in a new grad saturated area such as Boston).

Hi llg! I currently don't have a funded position yet, but am preparing to apply to them this upcoming fall and there aren't many spots. I feel at this point I may be a competitive candidate to receive a funded PhD slot at some of these schools that have them, however I am nervous that if I stepped away for a couple years to practice as an NP, I won't be as competitive. I would love a career in research, however I also feel that being able to practice part time as an NP might allow me to continuously gain insight on the current state of my research, as well as possibly provide me with a different perspective on how to approach a research problem. Perhaps so, perhaps not? I suppose I already know that this is the path that I will take, however I guess I'm just gathering perspectives on how other nurses navigated their journey to a PhD. :)

Has anyone ever started a PhD program right after completing an MSN degree? I will be graduating with an MSN as an FNP in May 2016, and am currently in the process of preparing applications for fully-funded (with a stipend) nursing PhD programs to start in the Fall of 2016. My ultimate goal is to gain tenure as a professor in a major research university, while still practicing as an FNP part-time in the area of my research interest (HIV-AIDS). I've seen mostly MD-PhD's and even some NP-PhD professors pull this off in their own way, however I am curious to find out if anyone thinks it would be feasible to gain skills as a new NP working part-time during a 3-5 year PhD program (and programs I'm interested in do allow part-time work). I know a logical way to pull this off would be to work full time as an NP for a certain period of time, however I've done a decent amount of research-related activities the past couple years and feel prepared to begin a PhD program, however I am nervous that my research skills and professional academic contacts could deteriorate if I left academia for clinic work for a few years, thus potentially reducing my chances to obtain a fully-funded PhD slot at a top nursing school with my research interest. Any thoughts?

Just wanted to chime in that if a scrubs brand offers a unisex version and men's-fit version, go with the unisex version if you are an in-shape dude looking for a scrub top. Those tend to be a little more form-fitting and show a little more bicep/the gunshow than the men's fit ones.

Congrats to becoming a new grad! I remember applying for that first job can cause all kinds of anxiety and stress! I've heard that it can take awhile to hear back from YNHH, so I would apply in different health systems and hospitals as well. I wish I could help you with information regarding part-time benefits with healhcare, but perhaps a quick phone call to HR could clear that up? Just a heads up, but they are strongly pushing for their new grads to have BSN's at YNHH. According to the YNHH Nursing News newsletter (https://nursing.ynhh.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=OtfQIULu0NI=&tabid=36), they had three new grad cohorts, with 100% of them being BSN holders (although it may only be for their Adult and Peds ICU's; the info box is not clear on that). I'm not saying that it is impossible for a new grad ASN to get a job YNHH, but it appears that the push for Magnet status with their new grads seem to be a priority. Good luck!

This quote is an interesting response to another poster's point that perhaps the title to your forum message is not quite accurate to your actual situation. If fellow nurses seem nitpicky about something as seemingly benign as a forum title, it is not because it is an opportunity to be mean to others, but it's because the field of nursing requires accuracy in almost everything we do. If one can't be bothered to contemplate the accuracy of something as simple as a forum title, then where does it stop? Accurate nursing paper citations? Accurate vitals? Charting? Sounds more like employer policies and perhaps online technical difficulties that are preventing you from obtaining insurance; not Obamacare. You may find that a proper title may field more responses to your questions on this board. I'm not trying to be mean, but just hopefully providing some helpful FYI. That said, I was easily able to navigate the Obamacare marketplace website, so it might be helpful to use a different computer, or perhaps bite the bullet and talk to a telephone customer service representative to see if they might be able to help you out, however long that may take. An alternative is to use a community clinic to get some of the lab work and tests done. Also, I did notice an earlier post affiliated to your posting history that stated that you were in the Military? (Not sure, it's a post affiliated with your profile, but under a different screen name) If so, and if you were honorably discharged and are classified as a vet, you may qualify for free or reduced priced care at the VA.

I've found that men's Grey's Anatomy scrubs look and fit odd on dudes. I'm a fan of Carhartt scrubs for guys myself. Also, wanting advice on how to look good in work uniforms is not a ridiculous request. Once you find the right pair of scrubs that fit you well and accentuate your features in a professional and complimentary way, you may find that you may experience an additional boost of self-confidence that I'm sure you already have gained from being an excellent nurse.

If you make it to the job shadowing portion at YNHH, then it's pretty safe to say that you're a good contender for the position; pending the job shadowing experience. At the shadowing experience, they are not expecting you to help out or demonstrate your knowledge, however you will be evaluated for a good fit. As someone who went through the process at YNHH and received a job offer there, my best advice would be to demonstrate how you would fit in as a team member on the unit. There may be other people applying and shadowing for the position and you may all be equally qualified at that point, but the job offer(s) may ultimately go to the one that will mesh the best with the unit culture.

Hey MarshaRabbit- Is it possible for you to switch specialties since you are still in your Entry RN portion of your program? My current school offers a similar Direct-Entry Nursing program, and I know of a couple people that actually switched over to Acute Care from a different specialty right after their GEPN year (One even went from pediatric primary care to Adult-Gero Acute Care. Talk about pulling a 180!) Or are the administrators at your school telling you that you're unable to do so? I think it's a cool idea to be both Acute and Psych, but I really can't imagine a position where you would actively use both licenses. A Psych ED perhaps? If you were to pursue both of these licenses, then my suggestion might be to look into getting the Acute Care cert first. I have a good friend who is in the Acute Care specialty, and you get pretty deep into knowledge of patho, labs, diagnostic tests, invasive procedures, etc, and I think it might be hard to be thrust into that environment for a post-masters after working in a psychiatric NP position. Therefore, it might actually be easier to get a PHMNP post-masters cert after cutting your teeth in an acute care setting.

As a military vet myself, I feel for the OP as many people may not be aware of the challenges that exist for vets as they transition back into the civilian world and civilian schools. I remember that a lot of things felt sort of "taken care of" for me while in the military, and it takes a bit of getting used to when one is suddenly expected to make important career and financial decisions independently. Not impossible skills to learn, but it does take a lot of personal investigating and question asking. A couple questions that sort of nag at me is what about your veteran's educational benefits? I know as an Illinois resident, there was an educational program called the Illinois Veteran's Grant, a state benefit program for Illinois vets that will pay up to 120 college credit hours at a state university in Illinois. I used this to fund my BSN. And then there's the GI-Bill or Post 9/11 GI Bill. I am currently using this to fund my graduate education. There's really no reason that a vet should go into serious debt with some of the really awesome education benefit programs that exist for us. Is there a reason that this route isn't an option?

Hi CThomson! The process for applying for CT licensure was super easy. Almost to the point of where it was so easy that I thought that I was missing something because it was such a painless process. Basically if you're coming in from out of state, you just fill out this form and send any applicable materials and a check for the fee and then you just wait. You'll be assigned a temporary license while you wait for your real one to get approved and that's it. For physicals, etc., they should be e-mailing you a bunch of info pretty soon with all of these forms with medical & physical requirements etc, and I just took all of the forms to my PCP (an NP actually!) and my PCP basically filled it all out and ordered all of the necessary tests and labs that I needed. Surprisingly, a lot of classmates didn't have all of the requirements done when orientation came around, so they just ended up getting them done at Yale Health (the Yale clinic) and they were given a waiver by the clinic that stated that they were in the process of getting their labs finalized. They like to stress to have everything done by the time you get here, but they also realize that life happens and not everyone has the same access to resources, so some people didn't have them all done. Is there a reason why you are living in West Haven? If it's to be closer to the school, I definitely wouldn't do it for that reason. Most everyone I know lives in New Haven in the East Rock or Wooster Square location, or somewhere close to the main campus. Shuttles regularly go out to West Campus, so there's no need to get a place nearby there because it really isn't a hassle to get to West Campus if you live in New Haven. Quick note about West Campus- It takes me approximately 10-12 minutes from exiting my apt door in East Rock till I drive onto West Campus, so it's a lot closer than most people expect. It actually takes me longer to drive from my apt to downtown New Haven and find an appropriate parking spot, because the traffic is so congested in New Haven and the stop lights take forever to allow for pedestrian crossing. If you plan on enjoying everything that Yale has to offer such as the restaurants, theatre, bars, plays, student orgs or anything else, I'd really recommend living in East Rock or Wooster Square, as it'll be so much more convenient, fun, and less isolating from the Yale community than if you were to live in West Haven. I'd imagine it'd feel more like I were a commuter student if I didn't live in New Haven, however I can also appreciate that everyone has their own living preferences for their own personal reasons. You can definitely find any kind of living situation that you'd need in East Rock or Wooster Square, although I'll echo what GblHealthRN said in that you need to start NOW. Congrats again and welcome to Yale!!

I know that YSN is at West Campus, but most people that I know that study or work at West Campus still live in New Haven, particularly the East Rock neighborhood (also affectionally known as the Yale Grad Ghetto). It's pretty safe there, although it tends to be slightly more pricier than other options. You can usually find any number of grad students looking for a roommate on craigslist, which is how I found mine. I actually really like living in East Rock, as the location is pretty convenient, feels pretty safe, close to a shuttle stop of shuttle that will take you to West Campus in case you don't have a car, and close to main campus in case you join any organizations that take place there. One thing that I find is super convenient is the Yale Nighttime Shuttle. If you call them after 6pm, it's basically a free taxi service that will take you from your apartment to the library, bar, downtown New Haven, etc., and will pick you back up any time of the night to take you back to your place. You have to live within the typical Yale residency areas to utilize it, but it's super convenient, as parking is a big hassle downtown, and plus no one has to be a DD on nights that people are feeling social. I have some friends that live in grad housing, and they do seem a bit dorm-like, however there is a convenience factor that's undeniable come summer time. I think that it's kinda tricky getting into grad housing as so many international students opt to live there, so I believe that you have to sign up quick if you plan on living there. I know a couple of other people that live in Wooster Square, and they seem to like it there as well, although it is a bit farther away from everything than is East Rock. Let me know if you have any questions!!

I'm not sure if the class is larger this year than it was last year. There are approximately 87 or so GEPN's in the '13 incoming class, so if anything it may have decreased because I thought initially the class sizes were ~100 or so. As you can see from the Office of Institutional Research Data sheet, total Yale School of Nursing MSN student enrollment school-wide has decreased from 307 of last year to 280 of this year. Now I know they discontinued certain specialities such as the CNS and oncology NP options, so I'm not really sure if that is what's responsible for the smaller class size or what. And I have really no idea how many they interview out of the 74, so your guess is as good as mine! Given that some of the other specialties only enrolled 1 or 2 students, some specialties may be substantially more competitive than others. Regardless, they managed to put together a really great group of RN's as they are all really amazing! Class profile-wise, a lot of the RN's in this years cohort have around 2-3 yrs or less of nursing experience (with a few exceptions, with a few with more), with a couple of them coming basically right from BSN graduation with