UCSF MEPN 2016

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Hello!

I know this is a bit early, but I'm planning to apply to the apply to the UCSF MEPN program (among a few others) this summer/fall. I've seen similar forums for past application periods, and thought it might be nice to get one started so we can start to bounce ideas and questions off each other.

Has anyone been to an open house? Any information worth sharing?

Just want to send some words of encouragement to those who didn't get an invite. Keep your heads up -- you are all capable and will become outstanding nurses! Keep fighting the good fight!

I was wondering how people are preparing for the UCSF interview (i.e., which questions are the main focus)? If there are any current UCSF students or former UCSF MENP interviewees who are willing to share some questions asked, that would be greatly appreciated!! :)

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Extremely excited to announce that I got an interview for PMHNP on January 29th! I couldn't be more excited. For those of you without interviews, as others have said, this is one the first of the bunch to let us know and you WILL make your dreams come true if you're motivated enough. Everything happens for a reason. For interviewees, I have the same questions as @FutureNPisMe, as well as when are you buying your plane tickets if you're out of state? As soon as possible or are you waiting for more information? Thanks and good luck to whoever hasn't received their letters yet!!

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Congrats emara9! Looks like we both are aiming for the PMHNP cohort :) Very exciting! I'm in LA so I was thinking of looking up tickets soon. I hear the best time to buy tickets is 6 weeks prior to expected arrival.

Please share interview prep questions, friends :)

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Anyone living outside of Cali that heard back? I still got nothing in the mail.. im all the way in GA :/

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@letsgopeeds I'm in TX and got mine today!

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The interview questions are generally the same ones you get from all of the programs. They may change the way they word things, but it's basically the same thing. They're focused primarily on 1) Why you chose to pursue this degree/career/specialty, 2) How you will handle the stress and toughness of the program, and 3) Your goals after graduating.

The interviewers will have read your personal and goal statements, so you can refer to them but give more details. They will not have seen any other part of your application though (e.g. resume), and therefore won't know about your work, volunteer, or other experiences, so it would be good to discuss those. I'm not sure if things have changed this year (the snail mail notices really threw me for a loop), but if not, those are the themes from the previous years.

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I'm in DC and just got my rejection letter for FNP. Thanks to you all for being a support network through this process, and good luck to those interviewing!

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@SBCVixen Sorry you didn't get better news! Thank you for starting this thread way back when, and best of luck with your other applications.

@FutureNPisMe I've been compiling a list of typical UCSF questions based on blogs, articles, etc., that I've found online. I don't have that document handy on my phone, but this link was helpful for me in preparing for the last interview I went to (especially pages 2, 5, and 6). Some of the questions are too basic for a top-tier program like UCSF, but some of them are right on the money, I've found (at other schools).

https://www.scahec.net/hcp/ho/nursing.pdf

Hope this is of some help to other folks who will be interviewing next month. When I have a chance to post the list of UCSF-specific questions I've found by researching online, I can do that (if anyone else is interested).

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One more resource for interview questions, if you haven't read the past years of MEPN threads yet (this was posted by ah11):

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Here are some questions many of us had:

1. Why nursing and not med school?- this is SUPER common. There are many of us who thought seriously about going into medicine, and our transcripts prove that. If this is you, you'll need to be able to clearly articulate why you are choosing nursing. For me, it was that I want to work in primary care, love community health, spend more time with my patients, and the importance of advocacy (which is integral to nursing, and something we are taught from the first day onward). I also wanted a work-life balance, and I don't think that medicine would afford that. You should also think about the differences between being a RN and NP, and why you're choosing the NP track.

2. Why UCSF?- we all know it is a great school, but what specifically appeals to you? A certain faculty member, a site you're interested in, research/a study you read about, etc.

3. How/why did you choose your specialty?

4. What are some issues in nursing?- I said a rapidly shrinking work force (many of us are approaching retirement age) and lack institutions to keep up with the demand for nurses.

5. How do your current skills translate to nursing?- we all come from non-nursing backgrounds, so it is important to play up your strengths. Basically, any job where you worked in a high-stress environment is helpful. Maybe you didn't work as a paramedic, but you were a waiter in a really busy restaurant? You still had to learn to manage your time, organize supplies, prioritize tasks, calm people down, and work in a complicated hierarchy. Think about what you can already do, and how to take those skills to clinicals and classes.

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Thank you so much for sharing -- it's just nice to have a sense of what they may cover to minimize being frazzled during interview-prep. Your help is greatly appreciated!

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@lostasia thank you for linking us to the site -- this will be certainly be useful! Also, I would LOVE it if you shared the other doc with your own list of questions compiled. It's so refreshing to see such a supportive and collaborative environment on here :) You guys rock! I will also pass along information and any tid-bits I discover as I continue navigating this process.

Good luck to everyone!!

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@FutureNPisMe: Here is the list that I mentioned having compiled from various online and in-person sources. Not all of the following top 50 questions will be relevant to UCSF, but it's a pretty good list to prepare for any nursing school interview with. Hope it helps, and good luck to everyone! Nursing is a collaborative profession, so we may as well start now. If anyone else has any interview tips, please post them. Thanks!

1. Why do you want to be a nurse? (Be very specific--- this is a big question.)

2. What do you think an RN vs an NP does? Why did you pick your specialty?

3. How will you handle the stress? What do you know about the demands of the MEPN program?

4. What do you think the hardest thing about being a nurse will be?

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? How will you be using your specialty?

6. Why nursing and not medical school? Why don't you want to be a doctor or a PA?

7. How will you prioritize your day?

8. How will you know when you are being a good nurse?

9. Give an example of a difficult/high stakes decision you've had to make and describe the thought process you went through.

10. Describe an ethical conflict that you've gone through.

11. Describe a frustrating experience at work and how you dealt with it.

12. Describe your strengths and weaknesses.

13. What will you bring to the UCSF School of Nursing and to your MEPN class?

14. What have you done to prepare yourself for nursing school?

15. What qualities make a good advanced-practice nurse?

16. Why did you apply to UCSF? Once you decided to be a nurse, how did you select the MEPN program?

17. Do you like teamwork or to work on your own?

18. What would you do if you don't get along with other nurses in a clinical rotation?

20. How will you handle criticism from older nurses who don't believe it's possible to become an RN in 1 year through a direct-entry masters program?

21. What do you do if you do not agree with the nurse who is precepting you?

22. How will you keep yourself from burning out?

23. Describe a situation where you've had to prioritize and organize a list of tasks.

24. What will you bring to the profession of nursing?

25. How do you handle adversity/challenges?

26. What do you think it will be like being in a master's program with people who have been working as nurses for years?

27. How do you handle competition?

28. Do you plan to do research or earn a PhD?

29. How do you handle difference? Give an example.

30. What are some current issues in nursing?

31. What are the bigges challenges generally of being a nurse?

32. How do your current skills translate to nursing? Describe your related experiences.

33. What changes would you like to see made in the current healthcare delivery system?

34. Describe what you are doing to improve two of your weaknesses. Be specific.

35. How did the nurses and doctors you volunteered with influence your outlook on healthcare?

36. What regrets do you have about your college education and experience up until now?

37. What resources do you use to keep current on the trends in nursing? What do you read?

38. Why do you want to go to nursing school? (evaluates motivation & personal awareness)

39. When did you first decide on nursing as a profession? (influence & background)

40. What qualities do you have that will help make you a good nurse? (strengths, knowledge of nursing)

41. Tell me about yourself. (self awareness, communication skills, qualifications)

42. How did you choose your undergraduate school? choose your major? (decision making process)

43. What problems and challenges do you anticipate during nursing school?

44. Describe an accomplishment. What did you do to make that happen? Be specific.

45. Tell me about a time when you performed well in a stressful situation. What did you do?

46. Tell me about a time when you were (or you were not) satisfied with your performance.

47. Describe a problem you had in a healthcare setting. Tell me how you went about solving it.

48. Describe a time when you worked as a member of a team. What was your contribution?

49. Tell me about a time you believe you made a difference with a patient.

50. Describe a challenging situation you have faced with a patient and their family.

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