University of Maryland fall 2011 masters program

[reggaemuffin, MSN, NP, CNS]

Hey all,

I've been accepted into the critical care/emergency nurse practitioner program at university of Maryland for the fall of 2011. Any other nurses out there coming with me? I would love to talk to anyone who'll be starting graduate school of UMB in the fall.. Also I am really nervous and don't know what to expect.. Any current or former students who care to offer insight or advice? I'd love to talk with acute care np's to see what kind of jobs you have, what you like and dislike about the job.. I want to be a nurse practitioner because I love nursing but there are a few aspects

Of bedside nursing I could do without.. I'm physically drained from lifting and turning.. I often feel like I dont have time to research my patients diagnoses and I'm starting to feel like a walking medication dispenser and bedpan empty-er--brain not required! Can anyone relate? I want to use my brain and critical thinking skills to assess and diagnose patients myself.. Anyway any input would be great! Thanks for reading !

[InFlewEnza]

Hi,

I'm going to be a classmate of yours! Much like you, I'm excited but nervous too, for a myriad of reasons. I did my undergrad at UMB, and I know some of our instructors, but am nervous about this new experience, too!

[reggaemuffin, MSN, NP, CNS]

That's great! I also did my undergrad at UMB but the classes were

So much larger that I'm not sure how the graduate program will compare. Can I ask if you're going part time or full time and if you're planning to work during school? I decided to go full time but I heard not too many people do that .. Looking forward

To talking with you more!

[InFlewEnza]

Hi and sorry for the delayed response. I've been talking to some friends and coworkers who have graduated from UMB, and they say the classes are much smaller than the undergrad program. Rumor says there are 20ish seats for our group, but I can't confirm or deny this.

As far as the great work debate goes, I'm waffling a bit. I am full time staff in a busy, high acuity critical care area and love the job and my coworkers. But I don't know if I want the pressure to work on my unit and do the incidentals while keeping my focus on school. For me, school is my priority. I'm thinking about working approximately 60% and seeing how it goes. Like you, I am going to school full time. But seeing the potential grad student bill is a gut check.

I enjoyed my experiences at UMB and felt I came away a strong, very prepared nurse. A good friend suggested I keep my focus on grad school, work some to apply our new knowledge to patients, and take student loans out to cover any gaps.

What are you thinking about doing? Have you heard any tips or advice? I am really glad to have a classmate to chat with :)

[reggaemuffin, MSN, NP, CNS]

Hi!

I am planning to go ASAP in the summertime at my job. So I'll work about once a week for awhile and see how that goes. Like you, my focus is school and I really don't want to start cramming or get behind on material cause I'm working more than once a week. Can I ask you why you decided on acute care for graduate school? I kept going back and forth between the acute care and adult/gerontological focus. From what I've read, acute care NP's are needed on the East Coast in the hospital setting but it's not as easy to get a job in private practice, or a clinic. And with adult NP's it's the opposite-easy to get a job in a private practice but not needed as much in the hospitals. I'm not sure how true that is. I love working in the hospital but I worry I might get burned out and want to do something less intense later on. Ultimately, I chose acute care because I love critical care and emergent nursing and I really want to be the person diagnosing and writing treatment plans for the critical ill. But I am interested in why you chose this field for your master's. And I am also really excited to have another classmate to talk to. I was told in my interview that most people do part-time. Also-all I know is that orientation is August 17th. Do you know when our classes will start? Anyway, sorry to shoot off so many questions!