UA MEPN 2016

U.S.A. Arizona

Published

Hello! Just wanted to see if anyone else is applying to the University of Arizona MEPN program for summer 2016. I just applied a week or so ago and it's going to be a long wait!

I am also on the wait list (for either location). I live in Tucson now, I lived in the legends last year at la Paloma (reasonable $550/person if 2BR and small monthly pet fee) but far from campus. There should be many houses that show availability soon on craigslist have you checked there? Check duplexes as well as guest houses! If you have any questions let me know I know the area pretty well in Tucson.

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Good luck, I hope you hear something soon! It's good you are close by because a lot of times people drop at the last minute. I was on the alternate list for about 2 days and got into Tucson. I know that quite a few people applied to multiple programs; you just have to wait for those guys to make their final pick.

I found a nice place near Tahoe Park but the management company seems horrible. I read lots of reviews about them shaking down residents for huge penalties when they move out and not doing maintenance. And apparently they do inspections every 90 days and make you have the dog out of the unit for the whole day. That would be a PITA to deal with; especially if it was on a 12 hour clinical day.

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Thank you! I hope I hear something soon! And that does sound like it could be a conflict with the crazy school schedule! Did you already commit to it? If so, there are local daycares for dogs that are pretty good and Petsmart/Petco. I have a dog as well and understand your concerns!

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I am hoping to find a dog walker who can come by once a day on the 12 hours days to put my dog out or take her to the park. I will look into the doggy daycare; she would love that actually.

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Hi Cyclone67, I was able to get into the Tucson program.

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Cyclone67, thanks for the info. 1000 clinical hours sounds great! How do you search for housing? Craigslist? When I first moved to California I was able to find extended stay specials for me and my two dogs through craiglist. Also Motel 6 allows (or used to allow) dogs...but that might be expensive.

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I have been looking at Craigslist (searching mainly for houses, flats, guesthouses); there is a lot available now and quite a few available 1 June. I'm just having a hard time finding things available in early May. I have also been googling to find different property managers and looking on their listings. And finally I did some searching of the citydata forums to find recommended areas / apartment complexes. I'd like to stay away from complexes though; I like my quiet! There is one that is a bit out that I am looking at as a fall back.

I'm glad you got into Tucson; I figured that you would be able to switch as people declined acceptance.

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I just got pulled off of the waitlist for phoenix! I am so, so overjoyed. But I guess I have a bit of a choice to make. I got into an accelerated BSN program that would be 12 months for 18,500. So, I guess I am curious if anyone else has found the reasoning to pay the extra 30,000 for the MEPN?

U of A is such an impressive name, obviously. And ofcourse a masters degree is ideal. But, I guess I am trying to seek more sound advantages for the MEPN. Can any former students perhaps attest to if it is THAT influential? Just trying to make a good business decision here. It seems as though I could get a BSN in 12 months for 1/3 the price, and go back to get my MSN for a then graduate-level tuition level? I hope this makes sense.

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Congrats kflo55!! I too was recently pulled off the waitlist for Phoenix! I am still waiting to hear back from some BSN programs in my home state which would be much more convenient then moving in two short months. I could be faced with the same decision as you and have been wondering the same... RN/MS vs RN/BSN!

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Congratulations kflo55 and Gradschoolapplicant8! I recommend you reach out the current/former students through the MEPN facebook page. After talking to few of the current/past students I learned that students have excellent clinical preparation. The program has a great reputation in the area and because of this MEPN students get their first choice for clinical sites and also have an advantage in getting hired for their first job. What I don't like about the program is that each class is usually taught by 3 or more instructors and according to the students I talked to, that can be a frustrating experience if the faculty members teaching the course are not organized. I also don't like the fact that many courses are offered only online. With our cohort, there will be even more courses moving to the online platform. I called the office and it seems that pharmacology will be one of those courses. I have had mixed experience with online courses. In some of the online courses I have taken in the past, I had to memorize large volumes of information without knowing what's important and that was a frustrating learning experience. I just hope that the online courses will be able to focus us on what information is important.

I'm in a similar situation, deciding on what program to chose. Can you guys share any information you learned about the program?

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So as far as RN-BSN versus RN-MSN; both are really the same. You are going to be an entry level RN. The only advantage I would say is if you go for an AP degree then a few of your MSN level courses can be used as electives. As far as clinical hours, from what I researched the MEPN seems to get about 200 -300 more hours than most BSN programs I looked at. I believe we will get between 1000 - 1100 hours. It is listed on the website somewhere.

Personally I chose the UA MEPN because it was the best deal for me. Going through in 15 straight months is ideal and I didn't have to retake any of my pre-requisites. I am also able to get a tuition waiver and get in state tuition. My tuition and fees will be paid for by the GI Bill. Frankly, I would probably not do the program if I had to pay out of pocket or take that amount of loans out when there are much cheaper options available.

Lastly; if you do a ABSN and are planning to use financial aid, you are going to be limited. Even if you didn't use financial aid on your first degree there are limited options. As I understand you will not be able to get grants and you will be mainly limited to private loans.

Hopefully they come out with the UA scholarships specific to the nursing school soon. Perhaps that can help sway your decision. Look at the ScholarshipU if you have not. There is a nice one available for nursing students if you are of a under-represented group in nursing (basically men and any minority group). There is also the scholarships out there if you are willing to work a few years in a underserved area. It basically pays your tuition and gives a living stipend, fairly competitive I imagine though. Loan Repayment & Scholarship

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Hi everyone:

I was admitted to Yale University and will be enrolling in their 3 year GEPN program, so I have declined my acceptance to the UA MEPN program. I was part of the Tucson cohort. I wish you all the best of luck and congrats to whoever gets the newly opened spot.

Cheers, and I look forward to working with you during our careers, wherever they may take us.

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