TeachEm

Hey! So yes, I was able to find another in-patient position a couple of months later that I totally love! My biggest recommendation is to wait it out if you feel like you don't have a good position available, I'm honestly super glad that I didn't take this position and stuck it out!

Thank you to everyone who has responded! I ultimately decided against the position, for many of the reasons listed above, alongside some more non-disclosable details. Again, I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this.

Does anyone have anything else they'd like to add? Ahaha.

Okay, thank you for your opinion! I really appreciate it!

I've heard of this. So this organization has a hospital that is relatively competitive (I believe the organization is a subsidiary of that bigger hospital). Do you think that I would be able to wiggle my way into the bigger hospital after a couple of months? That's the only positive I think I'm getting from this offer. Ahaha. I mean, I'm sure it may be boring. But the bigger question is if this opportunity will close more doors rather than opening new ones. That's the underlying issue.

So I just received an offer to work as a blood bank RN as a new grad nurse from a reputable organization in California. As exciting as it is, I'm slightly concerned that the job and the clinical experience will pigeon-hole me to only blood banks and make it harder for me to move onto hospital units. I'm also not entirely sure if blood banking is something that I'm overly passionate about, and I don't want to rule out the possibility of eventually moving to hospital unit. Does anyone have any recommendations or tips on what I should do?

Hey NICU Guy, Thanks for the tip! My issue is that a lot of reciprocity applications require more specifics, like when your license was issues and when it will expire. And I can't pull that from the verification site (which makes me believe that it's only available on my physical license). Is there any way I can grab ahold of that other material without the physical license?

Hello everyone! I passed the NCLEX for a New York license a little more than a week ago. I wanted to get started on the reciprocity/endorsement process for California (as I live there), but I don't know if I should be waiting for my physical RN certificate before starting the process. I'm a little antsy because I know it can take up to 6 weeks just to get the license, and then it could take another 4-6 weeks to finish the endorsement process, and that's a lot of time I could be applying to jobs and such. Is there any way I can attain the necessary information to start the endorsement process while the certificate is on its way? Or do I have to wait for the RN license to truly begin the endorsement process. Also, apologies if this is in the wrong forum.

Hey, so I am a little hesitant to share my stats, I'm trying to avoid identifiers and such, just for privacy purposes. But here's a great blog that I used to help me with my applications for Columbia, hopefully this could offer some guidance: sincerelymeagan

So I don't think I saved any of my essays onto the application while I was working on them. I copied the prompts onto a Word document and I worked on them on that document. After I completed the essays, I just copied/pasted them onto the website and saved them. I do think that you would be able to save your working essays on the website, but I wouldn't recomment it, just because you may mix up your drafts.

A big disclaimer for the essays: In last year's MDE thread, the essay prompts that were shared with us from the previous year were very different than the ones we got on our actual application. There is a good possibility that they will be different from the ones we got last year. I really wouldn't recommend starting on the prompts until they are official, just so you don't waste your time and energy. These essays will take the place of your traditional "personal statement". I'm not too sure if the 2019 Application has opened yet, but the prompts for the next cycle can only be viewed within their application (they wouldn't be openly posted on their website), so make sure you have an account to see if they've posted it within their application. I'm sorry that I can't provide much more information about that.

Hello my lovelies! TeachEm here, I was accepted/will be attending the Columbia MDE/DNP Program for the FNP specialty in May (I applied last cycle)! I hope to be a resource for you guys as you embark on this application process together, and I will try my best to answer any questions that you guys have (if you have any)! You guys are definitely a bit early for the application, but it's never too early to start writing rough drafts for the essay and to think of LOR writers!

I think that you'll be fine. It seems like you'll have around 6-8 months of volunteering experience, which I would consider enough. I had a bit more, but I do think 6 months would be considered the threshold for adequate volunteering experience. Just keep in mind that Columbia looks at applicant's holistically, volunteering experience alone won't drastically increase your chances, so be sure to be well-rounded!

I declined my offer of admission, best of luck to everyone on the waitlist!

Well, I'm already in this program, it would be hardcore back-tracking to rescind my seat and re-apply to PA school. Ahaha. This is a discussion for me to consider re-routing specialties to maybe Adult-Gerontology or Acute Care. I guess I still need to do some soul-searching to figure it out.

Got it. Do you think that FNPs are solely limited to outpatient departments within a hospital?

Hello all! I wanted to reach out to our AllNurses community and get some feedback on a question I've been pondering. So I've recently been accepted into an MSN/DNP program to become a Family Nurse Practitioner, and as excited as I am, I was stuck on the prospects of finding jobs within a hospital. In my head currently, I'm leaning towards working in an in-patient setting, but reading through some threads here note that becoming an ACNP would be more appropriate for that endeavor. I just wanted to hear from some of you, any FNPs who are working in an in-patient setting, or for anyone who has had experience as an FNP in an in-patient setting. Looking forward to chatting with you all!

True! I'm FNP, so this doesn't affect me personally, but I was just trying to get some additional input for my fellow peers. Ahaha.

This seems like a really big notice/downfall. Can anyone else in midwifery confirm this?

Just for my reference, and for the reference for everyone in the MDE/DNP program, did anyone calculate how much the entire program would be for the entire MDE/DNP program? I feel like I keep fudging up the numbers, and they end up wonky. Ahaha.

It is as an NP I believe. That's what makes the last year super valuable.

Tuition is a big factor, given that MGH's tuition is around 5 times less than Columbia's! I can't really tell you which one is right/better, but just keep in mind that each of these factors carry different weights for different people. You may care a lot more about your financial debt than prestige and such, and that is totally fair! Just make a decision that you won't regret, and be fully committed to your decision. Best of luck, and congratulations on the scholarship!

From my understanding, the merit scholarship only accounts for this academic year (summer/fall/spring). You would have to reapply for financial aid in 2019 for the last portion of the MDE as well as the DNP portions.

I look forward to seeing you at Columbia!

Okay everyone, here we go. I wanted to share a post about my reasoning to why I am committing to Columbia, so that everyone here can weigh their options and assess their situations with some more perspective and clarity. I am very happy that I was accepted here, and that will skew my bias a little, so keep that in mind. This post will probably also be a little longer than most, so whip out your reading glasses. 1.) Prestige. Columbia is an ivy-league institution. Coming from a state school, I could not be more thrilled to be attending such a prestigious school. While many prior posts noted that employers only care about the RN status when job hunting, having Columbia on your resume is an attention-grabber and I do believe it will help you stand out, if push comes to shove. Columbia's reputation will also help you move up the job ladder if that is something that you are interested in doing. 2.) Location. Columbia is one of the only ivy-league schools that exists in a diverse, urban environment, which I thought was amazingly important. I do believe medical professionals need to be trained in culturally-competent care, and Columbia exists in a space where you can train with diverse communities. Unfortunately, that cannot be said for all nursing schools. I do believe that being trained in a diverse environment will make you a stronger and more well-rounded clinician. I also do believe that studying in a big city can offer students more resources and opportunities, not necessarily from the school, but from the city itself. I also love the idea of living in NYC, and that you can manage a strong social life outside of school. It's the city that never sleeps! 3.) Degrees Conferred. This was a big plus for me. In my case, Columbia was one of the only schools that offered an MSN+DNP collectively. I did not want to go back to school later in my life, so it made a lot of sense to earn a terminal degree and be done within 4 years. This would also be in my benefit in the future, as NPs are being pushed to earn their doctorates. This would ensure that I would be as equally-qualified as many of my future colleagues in the workforce, when MSN-prepared NPs begin to diminish. 4.) Coming Out Of Columbia. This was the final hurrah for me. I really thought about who I would be, coming out of Columbia four years later, in comparison to someone who would be coming out of another nursing program. I'll be using Yale's GEPN program as my comparison point (no shade to Yale students, they are all very smart/talented). Graduates at Yale walk out with their MSN and I believe a semester of NP experience from a residency alongside any clubs/organizations they took part in. From what I understood, they are not really encouraged to work, as their degree is not conferred until the end of the program (again, no shade to Yale, let me know if I am wrong in this). At the end of my time at Columbia, I would have an MSN and a DNP, I would have 1 year of NP experience (through the residency) and I would have atleast 1 year of RN experience (after your MDE year, Columbia encourages you to work, which I plan to do). This would also be supported by any clubs/organizations I took part in. So ON PAPER, if a Yale student and a Columbia student applied to the same position, chances are that the Columbia student would be the stronger candidate, as I would have more experience (both as an RN and NP) and academically (MSN+DNP vs MSN). I can't reiterate enough that I am not throwing shade at Yale. This comparison draws similar results to mostly all other programs, so I knew walking away, Columbia would set me up for success at the front of the pack. This would also allow for me to actually apply to jobs that require a year of NP experience, which would open up a lot more doors for me as a job candidate, which means that I would essentially be able to apply to jobs that I actually wanted, in comparison to jobs that I would only take to build experience. So those are my little points. Just like many of you, I am very weary of the cost of the program, and while I refuse to dismiss the gravity of taking out loans, I understand that this is an investment in my future. When you complete the program, you will earn enough money to pay these loans off, and then continue to a very comfortable lifestyle. The only advice that I would tell people about loans is to not worry too much about them, do not let them influence your studies and experiences at Columbia. They will get paid off when you start working, do not worry about that. Focus more on your studies and your life in NYC as a Columbia student! I am totally willing to have a civilized discussion about any of my points, or if anyone has any questions/clarifications. Congrats to all of you MDE and MDE/DNP students, and I hope to see you all soon!