UCONN Mbein

hypababe33 · May 27, 2009

Hey everyone, I'm in need of some advice. I recently graduated from CCSU with my B.A. in Psychology. I now want to pursue a career in Nursing. I am going to be taking Anatomy and Physiology 1 & 2, Microbiology, Genetics, and Chemistry, In this coming Fall and Spring semesters at Manchester Community College in order to meet my prereqs. I was planning on going to Springfield Technical Community College- its 2 years and is usually aimed at those with no previous college experience. Because i have already recieved my B.A. and will have already taken all of the sciences I will only be having 1 nursing class with lab each semester. However, i was recently informed by my aunt that Uconn has the MbEIN program that gives you the fast track to a masters. However its also extremely expensive- i think the prelicensure portion of the program is more than $22,000 itself and thats not including books, uniforms, travel etc. The plus is that you are ready to take the RN exam in just 1 year as opposed to 2 years at Springfield. I have NO prior nursing experience but I have a knack for helping people and think i would be really good at it and enjoy it as well. I also hear a lot about places that will hire you as an RN and then provide tuition reimbursement for the pursual of further education. I guess i'm wondering what the best best would be, both financially and time efficient wise. Do I even need to get a Masters? I don't have any specific area or specialty in mind, I just know I want to get my RN license as fast as possible. Once the pre-licensure portion of the MbEIN program at Uconn is complete where do you stand? How much does the rest of the program cost? Whats the difference between just getting an RN license and getting a BSN? Any advice would be really appreciated.

corporal · Jun 4, 2009

Hey StudyinginCT, You're a great resource on this portal! I think God brought you here.

Hi ALL: I have masters in business and 8 yrs corporate experience and I applied for the mbein program too. In fact I applied quite early (April '08) for 2010 entry and I just completed all my pre-reqs in good time for the June review. I chose Wtbry as well. I had A- in both A&P I & II and A in Micro from Manchester Comm Coll, A in Chem from Capital and B in Genetics also from Capital.

I have CNA license (which I have not used as yet) but absolutely no nursing/medical experience. I guess I have more questions than I can post here at one time - let me get started anyway:

i. Speaking to the advisor, I guess I have a good chance of getting accepted - please comment.

ii. Is there any location advantage/disadvantage with taking the program at Wtbry as compared with Storrs? I chose wtbry only b/c it's 5-10 mins closer to my home than Storrs.

iii. Do you think working as a PCA at a hospital for about 6 mos will give me good enough clinical exposure? Will I be at a disadv. if I do not (since I need to work and save money more than anything else?). Also, which hospitals will consider me (since I have no medical experiece whatsoever)?

iv. Do you (or anyone you know) have any experience with paying mortgage while taking the 1st yr RN portion? THAT'S MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW! How to manage with my mortgage payments in the 1st year - Any ideas is welcome. I might have to do some part-time / per-diem work alongside the program.

v. Do you know anything about striking a deal with a hospital to get tuition reimbursement? When do I have to do this?

vi. CRNA/APRN - I figured I'll make more money with CRNA but then I'll have to work for at least 1yr (?) before I could enter into the program while I can continue with UCONN's MBEIN program and obtain a masters in another field without the prior working experience - Please comment.

Mouthful ............!!! lol

DKNYFaith · Aug 31, 2009

StudyinginCT - you mentinoed you were admitted after the August consideration period. About when did you hear back? Similarly to you the UCONN program probably received my final final transcript around August 15th. I am nervous because I haven't heard a peep about getting an interview, and they've confirmed receipt of all my materials.

corporal · Aug 31, 2009

I guess they called me for interview about 2-3 weeks after I was told my file was complete. That was in June, when the biggest intake is done. I spoke to the Admin Coordinator two weeks ago and she said they had not started interviews for the Aug intake as at that time. I think once they confirmed your file was complete, they are likely to call u for interview in 2-3 weeks after. I guess at this point, your admission depends on when they received your original application because they said it will be on first-come, first-served basis. All the best, pal! Share the good news when it happens!!! Corporal.

corporal · Aug 31, 2009

Has someone figured out what I can do to pay my mortgage while studying in the MbEIN program???? tnx!

DKNYFaith · Aug 31, 2009

Thanks Corporal! I actually got a lot of comfort out of your msg. I applied in mid-April after a late March info session so hopefully that should help.

I would love to hear from anyone else re: the August period. Will definitely update you with the (hopefully good) news!

StudyinginCT · Sep 15, 2009

In response to all the prospective mbein students here:

1.) I got my acceptance mid september after the august review. They instituted the interview requirement after my class began since there was a problem with one or more of the applicants. It became clear that they were not cut out for nursing from day 1. So now, interviews for all qualified.

2.) I do not have any recommendations for paying one's mortgage other than working and earning a paycheck every week. Or get a loan.

3.) the program is VERY disorganized. Be prepared.

4.) storrs offers more varied clinical sites than Waterbury, however, you can be placed anywhere from Hartford Hospital to Lawrence and Memorial in New London. Other than that, there's no difference. Same curriclum. Waterbury tends to be a bit of a red-headed step child since Storrs carries more caché, but in the long run - the education is the same.

5.) hospital experience is always valuable. apply. good luck. go for it.

6.) hospitals generally offer a limited amount of tuition reimbursement depending on your status as PT or FT. It certainly wouldn't pay for the whole program. It might pay 40% of one semester if you're lucky.

7.) CRNA programs: CCSU will take the UConn certificate as sufficient preparation given that you have everything else they are looking for. Typically, students have >2years of ICU experience before being granted admission to the program. What's challenging right now is getting hired into a Critical Care RN position setting since Graduate Nurses are expensive to train and many hospitals are on hiring freezes. Additionally, spots for GN's have been cut back quite a bit. Like I said - trying to find a job right now as a GN is tough work. Everyone reassures you that you will indeed get a job, but I've been very discouraged with the responses I've gotten from many hospitals. Very competitive right now.

I have no idea what you were saying about getting a masters in another field without prior experience. I assume you mean another nursing specialty? UConn doesn't let you begin your master's course work without 2000 hours of clinical experience, so after graduating MbEIN, you will need to FT work for a year before beginning your course work. You will be eligible to start APRN course work on a PT basis in September following the year of your graduation, and FT that January.

Hope that helps. I'm not on here a lot - to much work to do for MbEIN!