Texas Lutheran University DE-MSN

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Hey everyone! I couldnt find a thread for this so I figured I would make one. I am applying for the Spring of 2023 DE-MSN program and I was told that only 20 spots remaining. I was hoping someone here already got accepted and wouldn't mind sharing their stats. I'm waiting on my 3 reference letters to be completed then I will be submitting my application.

JustSurviving said:

I'm glad to hear the first cohort has had better experiences than us. I can say our cohort has had anything but and so far it's just gotten worse for us. I will agree there's a level of disorganization among all nursing schools not just TLU but honestly our experience has been unacceptable. So far we lost 3 in semester 1.

Oh wow.  Did those individuals quit? Not make the grade? Was the situation due to the implementation of the program? This is good information.  Thanks so much. And ransom question,  but how is burnout? Some programs have small breaks scheduled between semesters 

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rfillion said:

Oh wow.  Did those individuals quit? Not make the grade? Was the situation due to the implementation of the program? This is good information.  Thanks so much. And ransom question,  but how is burnout? Some programs have small breaks scheduled between semesters 

2 completely failed, I believe we have a few on probation this semester, and 1 that dropped to the ABSN due to grades. I mean it's a lot but I think our group agrees it's not burn out from the material itself it's just the constant un organization with the huge lack of communication. We go for about 15 weeks a semester and then you get 2 weeks off for a break. Then you get the day of whatever federal holiday mostly off. You usually still have assignments or recorded lectures you have to do or listen to but you at least don't physically go into class..

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JustSurviving said:

2 completely failed, I believe we have a few on probation this semester, and 1 that dropped to the ABSN due to grades. I mean it's a lot but I think our group agrees it's not burn out from the material itself it's just the constant un organization with the huge lack of communication. We go for about 15 weeks a semester and then you get 2 weeks off for a break. Then you get the day of whatever federal holiday mostly off. You usually still have assignments or recorded lectures you have to do or listen to but you at least don't physically go into class..

That is insane to have so many fail since it's already such a small cohort. GREAT to hear about the breaks though because that has been a consistent fear for me LOL. I don't know if I could go 20 months no break. 

What are some of the common organizational problems? Do you all do clinicals in 12 hour shifts like some schools? Do you do clinicals over the weekend as well? And again THANK YOU for all of the information because it has been SO hard to find. 

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In our cohort, we started with 27, lost one to medical issues and 3 dropped down to ABSN. The DEMSN program has higher grade requirements than the ABSN program due to being graduate classes. 

The clinicals depends on the semester. At first, they are like 8 hours. When you get towards the end, it's 10-11 hours. In your last semester, you have a capstone which consists of 20 12-hour shifts in your area of choice with a nurse preceptor. 

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SoontobeRN16 said:

In our cohort, we started with 27, lost one to medical issues and 3 dropped down to ABSN. The DEMSN program has higher grade requirements than the ABSN program due to being graduate classes. 

The clinicals depends on the semester. At first, they are like 8 hours. When you get towards the end, it's 10-11 hours. In your last semester, you have a capstone which consists of 20 12-hour shifts in your area of choice with a nurse preceptor. 

I've been told most individuals who find the coursework difficult drop to the ABSN program.  I guess that GPA is extremely difficult to maintain.

That's interesting.  So clinical hours (quantity) vary from progression in the program.  And the hours one works, are they variable as well? Like, are they during the night, graveyard shift, etc. The previous program I looked usually had clinicals Friday, Saturday,  Sunday beginning in the evening hours around 4 ppm. Asking to see if I can work part time with my current job or if it is best to simply walk away from it. 

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rfillion said:

That is insane to have so many fail since it's already such a small cohort. GREAT to hear about the breaks though because that has been a consistent fear for me LOL. I don't know if I could go 20 months no break. 

What are some of the common organizational problems? Do you all do clinicals in 12 hour shifts like some schools? Do you do clinicals over the weekend as well? And again THANK YOU for all of the information because it has been SO hard to find. 

Honestly I think most the issues came from being understaffed and then the one new professor they did hire they did not prepare what so ever. I have a list of my complaints but I have not sat with the director again to go through them so for the sake of fairness I'm biting my tongue for now. The clinicals do vary. So far all mine have been Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30am-3:30ish pm. None of ours have been overnight or evening. We do have 1 group who has Saturday clinical but it's also during the same time frame. They did make it clear though that there is a possibility at some point we will have to do overnight but they try to avoid that. Really the GPA isn't bad when you get the professors who are organized and communicate what they expect and know they're preparing you for what you'll see on the exams. 

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JustSurviving said:

Honestly I think most the issues came from being understaffed and then the one new professor they did hire they did not prepare what so ever. I have a list of my complaints but I have not sat with the director again to go through them so for the sake of fairness I'm biting my tongue for now. The clinicals do vary. So far all mine have been Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30am-3:30ish pm. None of ours have been overnight or evening. We do have 1 group who has Saturday clinical but it's also during the same time frame. They did make it clear though that there is a possibility at some point we will have to do overnight but they try to avoid that. Really the GPA isn't bad when you get the professors who are organized and communicate what they expect and know they're preparing you for what you'll see on the exams. 

Hopefully your suggestions and the suggestions of the suggestions of your classmates help to make the program better. I've had unprepared instructors before (with the state of things, I understand that it is hard to fill and keep positions filled) and I would like to not have that experience again. In my particular experience, the only thing I could do was study groups with the professor during her office hours.  For that particular course, we started with 25 and ended with 15 LOL so not trying to repeat that

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I tried reading through all the comments to see if it was mentioned, but I may have missed it... does any one know if TLU DEMSN program specifically, passed their accreditation?

On their website, it mentions that their BSN program is accredited. But that the DEMSN had an accreditation visit March of 2023, but it hasn't been updated to say if they passed or not.

I was torn between two nursing schools, one being TLU for their DEMSN program (two degrees in one in such a short time? Yes!), but after several weeks of being redirected to different administrative personnel, no one could answer that question for me. 
 

Even during an information phone call with someone from the nursing department, I asked that question and he said "you know, I always forget, but I'll check with one of our administrators and get back to you!”  He happily emailed me all of the course requirements needed to enter the program and the costs, but still never answered that question. It makes me a bit concerned that it's been so difficult to get a straight answer for something as important as this. 

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Colleen Huff said:

I tried reading through all the comments to see if it was mentioned, but I may have missed it... does any one know if TLU DEMSN program specifically, passed their accreditation?

On their website, it mentions that their BSN program is accredited. But that the DEMSN had an accreditation visit March of 2023, but it hasn't been updated to say if they passed or not.

I was torn between two nursing schools, one being TLU for their DEMSN program (two degrees in one in such a short time? Yes!), but after several weeks of being redirected to different administrative personnel, no one could answer that question for me. 
 

Even during an information phone call with someone from the nursing department, I asked that question and he said "you know, I always forget, but I'll check with one of our administrators and get back to you!”  He happily emailed me all of the course requirements needed to enter the program and the costs, but still never answered that question. It makes me a bit concerned that it's been so difficult to get a straight answer for something as important as this. 

No they have not. They're expecting to hear something by the end of this month. Unfortunately we were all caught off guard that they weren't accredited yet for the MSN portion. We all found out like 1 week before our courses began for semester 1 (we're on 3 now). They claim everything went smooth and that there should be no reason they don't get accredited but as of today they have not been. 

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JustSurviving said:

No they have not. They're expecting to hear something by the end of this month. Unfortunately we were all caught off guard that they weren't accredited yet for the MSN portion. We all found out like 1 week before our courses began for semester 1 (we're on 3 now). They claim everything went smooth and that there should be no reason they don't get accredited but as of today they have not been. 

I'm so sorry that happened! I really hope everything did go smoothly and that you get a positive answer soon. 

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Colleen, I just graduated in the first cohort. The reason the DEMSN track is not yet accredited is because CCNE will not give accreditation to a program that's just starting. It takes at least one year for the site visit and another 6-12 months for their decision. With the program being less than two years old, the accreditation should be coming soon. But don't worry, the accreditation will be posted by the time the next cohort starts in January.  If you have any more questions, feel free to reach out. 

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Hsmith1120 said:

Hi! I just got accepted into the DEMSN program starting Spring '24 and would love to chat with anyone doing the program then or anyone already in the program!

Hi Hsmith1120!

I also will be starting Spring 2024 at TLU for the DEMSN program. 

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