zee3412

Hey! Good luck on your ccrn! However, do check to requirements for GRE.. I heard they changed the requirements and made it mandatory. So just double check. The program is great so far, hard work but you'll love it. Looking forward to seeing you at Penn..

Hey lexxm, here are my stats from when I applied to the school. Please don't compare yourself to my stats because it's all about doing well on the interview. While it is true that you need a competitive gpa.. I would wanna say that if your gpa is atleast 3.5.. It's probably enough to land you an interview. my stats: BSN gpa 3.8 2 years ER and 1.5 years mixed ICU experience at the time I applied. CCRN certified shadowed prior to applying (20 hours) did not take GRE again, from my experience it's all about landing the interview. When you get to the interview they will expect you to be an expert on the type of patients that you take care of. There are myths that say cticu is the best, or sicu is the best....honestly that is not necessarily true. A lot of my current classmates are picu/nicu. Some of us come from non trauma micu/sicu . Some from neuro. land the interview.. Apply to multiple schools. Learn your stuff.. Essentially know your CCRN. They want to know that you're a nurse that takes the time to learn the medicine and pathology..rather than a nurse who just takes orders and does things because "it's something they usually do." You're gonna be trained to be extremely autonomous as a CRNA and be expected to diagnose in the OR... So they wanna see if you are increasing your knowledge base now in the icu and using it. It's a wonderful field. I'm currently in the program now... It's a lot of studying but it will be well worth it. Good luck!

Don't be nervous. I haven't received anything either. I have been emailing the director and they have been working to re-vamp the program into DNP. I was told that I would receive an orientation packet and updated plan of study for registration by the end of March but I have not received anything yet. I guess as long as we're all not receiving any information... It makes me feel better. Lol . I did email her again yesterday just to make sure I didn't miss anything... Waiting on her reply. Please let me know via this thread if you receive anything and I will do the same!

Hey the semester is coming up! Has anyone heard or received anything from the university concerning orientation and classes? I received a general one via email today regarding orientation and registering for classes but that's for MSN. I don't know if that applies to us since the program was approved for DNP. I have been talking with the program director via email and she said she will send out materials to us.. But this was approximately a month ago. Is it just me or does it seem like they haven't been sending us information concerning the upcoming semester and directions?

Hey! i believe it takes about 2 weeks to have them update it. It's all depending on your school. For the ones that weren't sent electronically, make sure your school actually sent it by calling them. If they did send it and UPENN hasn't uploaded it in 3 weeks then I would call upenn to ask them if they received it. If your deadline is pretty close, however, I would call them sooner rather than later just incase you have to re send another one. Take care!

Congrats! Yes I feel the same way.... And I know what you mean concerning the costs. I've been talking to some CRNAs and they say being as cost effective as you can is important when picking schools. But the training from upenn is also top notch...and the life long connections from Ivy league is also a great benefit. But i will see you in May!

Also I wanted to add...(this is a Big determining factor). How many current students or recent graduates felt they were ready to run their own rooms before they graduated? How many PNBs, central line insertions, fiber optic intubations did you get to perform during your time in upenn or rutgers? the school I would eventually like to attend will be the school that allows me to have frequent exposure to many of these procedures.. And heads and hearts. Do you feel that the school you went to provided enough exposure? Ive seen the stats on both. But they were all from the info sessions. I would like to hear from current or past students! Thank you!

Hello everyone! i understand this topic has been tossed around a few times, but I wanted to hear everyone's opinion concerning these two schools. I have already been been accepted to upenn crna program and I recently received an interview for rutgers crna. Both start at the same time and both will be DNP. If You had to choose... Which one would you choose? I have been back and forth for months. UPENN is obviously upenn... It offers an amazing clinical and didactic experience. But it is also around 45k a year. rutgers is also an exceptional program... They have great clinical sites as well. It's close to home for me so I can stay home. And it will only cost 70k total. im a firm believer that the type of clinician you become all depends on the work you put in regardless of the school. We all take the same boards at the end. However, I still can't seem to decide. Regardless what school I go to... I'm going to put in all the work and become the best clinician I can be, but I would like some input . how is the training at upenn vs rutgers? does the name of the university you go to give you an edge in the future? (Ex. If you want to be chief one day or obtain a job in a big name hospital)? should I keep it simple and think of it as 200k in student loans (upenn+living) vs 70k in loans (rutgers, live at home) thank you so much for your opinions!

Hey icurn89, yes we were notified of this possibility on the acceptance letter. This is to no surprise as most programs are starting to move to DNP anyway since it will be mandatory for APNs to have a DNP come 2025. However, we were told that the university will make its final decision come September and send us another notification.

Nmbb16 hey! Thank you and congratulations to you as well! I am not too familiar with the area, although I have been there many times (i live in central jersey 2 hours away). I'm still deciding on whether I should move into the philly area or just find a place in south jersey (cherry hill) which is approx 15 mins away. How about you? Are you already near the area?

Hey cticurn, i received an email that stated that the admissions committee has made their decision. I had to log into the applyweb website where u first applied... And the decision letter was there. I waited a month before I was told of their decision though. Good luck!

Hey everyone! Im happy to announce that I have been accepted to the 2016 cohort at UPENN. I can finally say that I am now a SRNA. Im sure there are a lot of things on everyones mind so if any alumni or current students have any advice for us new comers, that'll be great. It would also be great to hear from my future classmates! The biggest thing that i am worried about is, of course, the price. UPENN is not a cheap school. I was wondering if anyone had any issues with taking out loans for school and if anyone can steer me into the right direction as I would probably need to take out loans for school and living expenses. Thank you and congrats to everyone!