Rush University MESN

[amygreen]

Hey everyone! I recently got an e-mail from Rush inviting me to interview there for their MESN program. Anyone else apply and get the same thing? Also is anyone else is currently in the program and willing to share their wisdom? Anything is appreciated. I'm excited for the interview but also super nervous.

[Cygnus]

Alumnus of the program from when it was called GEM.

Things Rush does well:

-You will be well-prepared didactically for nursing (you will have a good grasp of pharmacology and physiology and critical thinking coming out of the program)

-There are a number of instructors who are very nice.

-Rush is willing to pay for further APN schooling (although you need to pursue it cautiously, see below)

-Name recognition

Things Rush does not do well:

-Because you are basically doing BSN curriculum condensed into two years plus a Master's project, your clinical skills will be relatively weak, especially if you are coming in without CNA experience.

-There are a number of "old school" instructors who eat their young. They control (or previously controlled) the final immersion clinical and will do everything they can to make you repeat if you don't show them the proper level of deference or make the mistake of saying you want to be anything but a bedside RN when you get out of the program.

-Insanely political.

-CNL certification is effectively useless unless you want to work for the VA or a handful of other institutions