UAB AMNP Spring 2014

U.S.A. Alabama

Published

Hey everyone! I have found this site useful in the past and thought I would finally post on here. I have applied for UABs AMNP program for January. If accepted, I will be an out-of-state student, and it's going to be kind of expensive so I want all information I can get. If anyone is in this program or has spoken to someone in the program I'd like to hear some feedback. Also, I have heard mixed things about job outlook. Anyone have thought or experience with that? Any comments will be helpful! I also applied to the 2nd Degree BSN as a back up if I change my mind or am not accepted to the AMNP program.

Hi guys, Congrats to each of you who have been accepted to Cohort 7! I am currently finishing my first year of Cohort 6...we have an FB page too, it will become your lifeline with the group. :) Let me know if you have any questions - I know this time is really exciting for you making plans! Also, I have all my books to sell if someone wants to buy them. My advice is NOT to buy the giant pack that they try to sell you through the bookstore...you can get them WAY cheaper on amazon, etc. unless you really want the ebooks AND the paper books. Also, we have several Cohort 5 people in our FB group for advice, etc. so you may want to add a few folks from our cohort in your group if you like. Feel free to email or post here with questions! Good luck to you all - I'm sure you will do great! [email protected]

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Hi all congrats to everyone who has been accepted! Good luck to you all.

I had an interview but unfortunately was denied yesterday :cry: Would anyone accepted be willing to share their pre-req GPA, cumulative GPA, and how much healthcare or volunteer experience? I want to make my application stronger for the AMNP program next year and this would really help me out!

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that :( I had a fairly low cumulative GPA (around a 3.2) but had a much higher pre-req GPA and my last 60 hours GPA was high as well. I scored high on the GRE, worked as a CNA, and volunteered in community mental health.

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Hi guys, Congrats to each of you who have been accepted to Cohort 7! I am currently finishing my first year of Cohort 6...we have an FB page too, it will become your lifeline with the group. :) Let me know if you have any questions - I know this time is really exciting for you making plans! Also, I have all my books to sell if someone wants to buy them. My advice is NOT to buy the giant pack that they try to sell you through the bookstore...you can get them WAY cheaper on amazon, etc. unless you really want the ebooks AND the paper books. Also, we have several Cohort 5 people in our FB group for advice, etc. so you may want to add a few folks from our cohort in your group if you like. Feel free to email or post here with questions! Good luck to you all - I'm sure you will do great! [email protected]

Congrats on nearly reaching the end of Phase I of the program! What would you say are your top 5 tips for the first year?

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Thanks for giving me that information GardenofEdith, my stats are very similar to you besides the pre-req gpa (I had a C in one anatomy course). Looks like I should retake it to be more competitive. I'm sure you will do awesome in the program, best of luck to you :up:

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Top 5 tips....

1. Buy a planner immediately! If you are not already someone who lives and dies by a daily planner, start practicing between now and January. You will need to become accustomed to having this on your person every minute, every day.

2. Write in pencil. The professors, especially in the beginning say "Be like Gumby" and it is true. Basically, be able to rearrange anything at the drop of a hat, erase your planner and change your schedule.

3. Find a study group. It is a very difficult program and if you attempt to do all the work alone, or even just make it through the year alone emotionally, it will be tough. You may be a person who is accustomed to studying by yourself or tends not to join a larger group. This is the time to branch out of your comfort zone and go find a friend! You will need those friends and the extra eyes on study guides when you have 4 exams in one week and have 8-5 classes every day and no time to study.

4. Pack a lunch and get outside the classroom. The schedule is extremely packed full EVERY day. In fact during week one we hit the ground running, I was surprised that during orientation there was not even a time for classmate introductions. They told us, "Oh we don't have time for that...you will get to know each other, don't worry." You will spend so much time in your AMNP classroom (1006) that it becomes like a little dungeon...GET OUT every chance you have. Pack a lunch (bc there is very little time scheduled for lunch) and go outside and just recharge. It will change your afternoon. Afternoon classes are difficult, simply from sitting all day.

5. Make your family (or friends) aware. The faculty say it, your friends or other people you know in the cohorts above have probably said it, but seriously, you will not have time to be going out, helping with household chores, etc. if you want to be successful in the program. If you have children and a family, it is doable but it is hard. If you have friends you can keep them, but they won't see you as often! You will spend a significant amount of time on campus during the first semester and the time you are at home you will have a LOT of out of class assignments and studying to do. The summer is less on campus time but more clinical time and the fall a bit less hectic but still demanding time-wise. Don't go into it thinking anything else. I thought, "Oh, I've worked 40+ hour weeks as a professional for 12 years, I can do this no problem." It is not the same. You are on their time, when they say you stay until a particular time (regardless of whether it was on the calendar), you stay. When they say you come a particular day (regardless of whether it was on the calendar), you come. You move your life to come. So....it is definitely a life changing year! But....it is just a year....go for it!

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Thank you so much for those tips, vsmnh2013! They are very much appreciated! What is a typical class schedule during the first semester (or any semester)? I heard from a current student the first 6 weeks are extremely taxing, and to not let it be overwhelming.

Also, do students get automatically assigned to random clinical sites, or can students have a bit of a say so (via a ranking system, or whatever) in where clinicals are assigned? I spoke to someone in my desired specialty who had clinicals in a setting I'm not really leaning towards for my future practice, while another student in a different specialty had clinicals in the exact setting I'm leaning towards (if that makes sense).

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vsmnh2013 - Thanks for the advice! I was hoping someone who has been through the program would join this thread. I may also have to take you up on buying your books from you if someone hasn't already!
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- Typical class schedule....I know that we all keep saying M-F 8-5 and that is so frustrating b/c I, just like you, wanted a REAL, ACTUAL schedule! So..although it will probably not be the same for you as it was for us, here is what ours was for the first 6-7 weeks, or at least pretty close...

Monday 8-11 Patho, 12-4 Pharm

Tuesday 9-12 Health Assessment, 1-4 Assessment lab

Wednesday 8-3 Foundations (lunch whenever she chose)

Thursday 8-5 Skills lab (lunch at various times)

Friday 8-12 Skills lab

This is it for the first 7 weeks or so, until skills and foundations are over. Then you add clinicals, keep patho, pharm and assessment and are finished with skills and foundations. Keep in mind you will have required lab hours, videos, etc. that you must do on your own time as well. You'll fit these in whenever there is magical extra time in the schedule.

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- Clinicals...they are assigned randomly and everyone has in GENERAL the same types of experiences throughout the year, although they are as varied as the staff you work with. Everyone has a foundations clinical in the spring, an adult health and psych rotation in the summer and a peds, OB and community rotation in the fall. You may randomly be assigned to weekdays or weekends and to various hospitals or community sites. For foundations and adult health, everyone is on a med/surg floor, so most of the experiences are similar. However, there are differences between facilities I'm sure. This became extremely noticeable during OB rotations as some students were able to observe/participate in procedures other facilities did not allow. It is the luck of the draw. All students do peds rotations at Childrens of Alabama. Psych rotations can be in hospital or out in the community and there are pros and cons of each, it will probably depend on your personality, personal preference and clinical instructor.

- Perhaps where the most autonomy comes in is your preceptorship, where you do have some input. You are allowed to make a "request" for either a type of unit or a particular facility to be placed for preceptorship. It is not guaranteed as spots are particularly competitive, but you are placed according to your score on the adult health ATI at the end of the summer, so if you don't study for anything else, study for that one! Level 3's get placed first, and so on....

Hope this helps!

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Thank you for breaking it down for us!!!

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wow thanks so much!:yeah:

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I was told that in at the end of the first year in that December, I think, that we would have to declare our specialty and that you have a first choice and then a second choice. How do they go about placing you in a specialty? Is it based on a score?

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