Samuel Merritt ELMSN Fall 2019

Nursing Students School Programs

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Hi, everyone! Just wanted to start a forum for those applying to SMU's ELMSN Fall 2019 program. I know the admission deadline was about a month ago and I wanted to know if anyone has heard back yet! I applied for the FNP track ?

yeah im in the waitlist for cm, 10 of 16 but i haven't gotten any notice of the movement.

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On 4/4/2019 at 5:42 PM, MThH76 said:

Yay I have been admitted into the CM program, I was number 3 on the waitlist.

how did you find out? email, called, or admitted student portal?

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On 4/20/2019 at 12:35 PM, Ashpash87 said:

how did you find out? email, called, or admitted student portal?

You can contact Anne Seed to check if your place on the waitlist has changed

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On 4/20/2019 at 12:35 PM, Ashpash87 said:

how did you find out? email, called, or admitted student portal?

They called me and then I received an email by the end of the day. I def would contact Anne to see. I was on the waitlist last year for the sacramento CM program and I was 10/12 (I think) and I moved up to number 2, two to three weeks before school started. You’ll never know. Good luck!!

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On 4/19/2019 at 9:41 PM, Ashpash87 said:

yeah im in the waitlist for cm, 10 of 16 but i haven't gotten any notice of the movement.

Hi Ashpash87! Did you hear back?

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Does anyone know if there are any major differences between the ABSN curriculum and ELMSN pre-licensure curriculum?

I was under the impression that they were essentially the same curriculum - but when comparing them it seems the ABSN program has three MCA (Managing Care of Adults) courses - which the ELMSN program does not have.

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4 hours ago, jnniemeyer said:

Does anyone know if there are any major differences between the ABSN curriculum and ELMSN pre-licensure curriculum?

I was under the impression that they were essentially the same curriculum - but when comparing them it seems the ABSN program has three MCA (Managing Care of Adults) courses - which the ELMSN program does not have.

Hello,

I'm a student in the ELMSN- FNP program. Pre-licensure curriculum for all programs , BSN, ABSN, and ELMSN, are all the same; however,course names and codes may go by different names. The course titles MCA (I,II,III) also known as Managing Care of Adults and Older adults is only used in the BSN and ABSN programs - MCA III is the 5 week med-surg course. In the ELMNS programs, the course titles used are (N546,N556,N566); these titles appear on the curriculum as Nursing Care of Adults and Older Adults I/II and (N566) Nursing Care of Critically Ill Adults also known as Advanced Care of Adults/Older Adults which is the 5 week med-surg course.

Since i'm in the FNP program, I can't tell you if there are any major differences. Once you get accepted into your program, you don't really spend time differing the different programs at that point. I can tell you that there are major differences in the length of classes, policies in making up classes if failed, and access to tutoring and other resources. Obviously, the ABSN courses are all accelerated in length while in the ELMNS program only some classes are 5 week long courses. ELMNS program have access to free tutors. If a course if failed in the ELMNS program you get placed on academic probation and have 2 semesters to improve your grade; however, in the ABSN program I have heard that you get kicked out and placed on a waiting list to reenter into the program if you fail a class or do not meet the overall passing score. Please check in the the admissions office for details.

I hope this helps to answer your question.

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Thank you, this is all super helpful!

Since you are a student - can you tell me if there is time to work during the program? Can students work part time as nurses during the FNP portion of the program?

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15 minutes ago, jnniemeyer said:

Thank you, this is all super helpful!

Since you are a student - can you tell me if there is time to work during the program? Can students work part time as nurses during the FNP portion of the program?

I'm a newly admitted student. I don't start the program till Fall Semester ( September 2019), but I do have friends in the program who are in different stages of the program. My answers are based more on what I believe and students I know in the program. Students can work in the program, but it is discouraged from administration and most students. Nonetheless, I think the answer to your question is a personal one that depends on your financial circumstances and the type of student you are in the program. I will be working Per Diem at about 8-16 hours a MONTH. I don't know about part-time ( 20 hours/week) in the FNP program, but to me it seems unrealistic in the sense it underestimates the amount of work and quality of work that you will have to do. Students I meet who work in the programs fall into the following categories. It is unclear how many hours a week, if any, they are working. You won't have alot of time on your hands in the program. When you breakdown the number of units you are taking, going to lecture, going to clinicals, traveling, study time, writing papers, getting extra help or going to study groups, there isn't much time to work. I tell friends who want to be in the program to plan to not work for 2-3 years depending on the program you are in.

(Already have a strong medical background): Some students come from a medical background and are very familiar with the content. Typically these students are paramedics, ENTs, LVN's, or something else. Many of these students don't have kids or family obligations.

( Have family obligations): Some students have family obligations or are the primary providers for their family. I don't know what their success rates are in the program. These program are like having 2 fulltime jobs averaging about 60-80 hours a week of lecture+clinicals+studying time.

( Want to lower their debit): The ELMNS and ABSN programs are expensive. The estimated cost of tuition+living cost+ Insurance+ other fees for 1 year is $130,000. This number freaks students out. This number is based on students who are not working and will not be getting financial assistance. The number may go down depending on how much financial support you may have at home or from scholarships. Even though the tuition for the programs may range from 90,000 -153,000 depending on the program you join, students often overlook living cost, insurance, food, transportation, and other fees. So students may choose to work because they don't want to be seriously in debt, but again it is unclear how many hours they are working.

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8 hours ago, Heaven27 said:

I'm a newly admitted student. I don't start the program till Fall Semester ( September 2019), but I do have friends in the program who are in different stages of the program. My answers are based more on what I believe and students I know in the program. Students can work in the program, but it is discouraged from administration and most students. Nonetheless, I think the answer to your question is a personal one that depends on your financial circumstances and the type of student you are in the program. I will be working Per Diem at about 8-16 hours a MONTH. I don't know about part-time ( 20 hours/week) in the FNP program, but to me it seems unrealistic in the sense it underestimates the amount of work and quality of work that you will have to do. Students I meet who work in the programs fall into the following categories. It is unclear how many hours a week, if any, they are working. You won't have alot of time on your hands in the program. When you breakdown the number of units you are taking, going to lecture, going to clinicals, traveling, study time, writing papers, getting extra help or going to study groups, there isn't much time to work. I tell friends who want to be in the program to plan to not work for 2-3 years depending on the program you are in.

(Already have a strong medical background): Some students come from a medical background and are very familiar with the content. Typically these students are paramedics, ENTs, LVN's, or something else. Many of these students don't have kids or family obligations.

( Have family obligations): Some students have family obligations or are the primary providers for their family. I don't know what their success rates are in the program. These program are like having 2 fulltime jobs averaging about 60-80 hours a week of lecture+clinicals+studying time.

( Want to lower their debit): The ELMNS and ABSN programs are expensive. The estimated cost of tuition+living cost+ Insurance+ other fees for 1 year is $130,000. This number freaks students out. This number is based on students who are not working and will not be getting financial assistance. The number may go down depending on how much financial support you may have at home or from scholarships. Even though the tuition for the programs may range from 90,000 -153,000 depending on the program you join, students often overlook living cost, insurance, food, transportation, and other fees. So students may choose to work because they don't want to be seriously in debt, but again it is unclear how many hours they are working.

Thanks so much. Obviously the tuition is my biggest concern - I will need to take out significant loans to cover tuition and living costs.

Other nurses seem to think it is a rediculous amount of money to pay. But SMUs tuition is similar to many other entry level masters programs.

Ideally I would like to work in a shortage area, but it seems quite competitive. I think worst cast scenario I could pay the loans off in 20 years on an income based repayment plan.

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On 7/7/2019 at 4:39 PM, Heaven27 said:

n, students often overlook living cost, insurance, food, transportation, and other fees. So students may choose to work because they don't want to be seriously in debt, but again it is unclear how many hours they are working.

Heaven27,

Based on what you know from others that are already in the FNP program, are they happy w/ their choice of Samuel Merritt?

Let's put it this way: Ignoring the price of any other program out there & let's just say they would be admitted anywhere of their choosing.......would they still choose SMU first to pursue their education because it's just that good?

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On 7/8/2019 at 7:12 PM, Mergirlc said:

Heaven27,

Based on what you know from others that are already in the FNP program, are they happy w/ their choice of Samuel Merritt?

Let's put it this way: Ignoring the price of any other program out there & let's just say they would be admitted anywhere of their choosing.......would they still choose SMU first to pursue their education because it's just that good?

Your question seems more appropriate for a student who has graduated the program, but I will give you my perspective. Also, I know this may sound crazy, but most students don't think about that; the reality is most students apply to the program that accepts them and don't look back.The students I know in the FNP and CM programs enjoy SMU. I once met someone who took an emergency medicine course/rotation offered in the PA program because the FNP program doesn't offer an emergency rotation. That being said, he wanted to work in the ER setting but the SMU ELMNS FNP program is designed for primary care settings instead of other specialties. Most ELMNS programs are primary care focused though. I don't hear too much stuff about the programs shortcomings. I had a friend warn me that the program doesn't really teach you how to create care plans, but I don't think nursing programs offer classes just on careplans. She also said that her psych class instructor would add on assignments at the last minute which was frustrating at times. That said, those issues are not major issues and do not reflect how the school operates; in fact, she tells me all the time that she loves the program and the line of work she will be in. Also there is a difference between grad school and undergrad. The my interviewer explained that some students have a hard time transitioning from undergrad workflow and grad workflow. in grad school you are expected to take accountability for your own learning.

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