University of Minnesota, Entry MSN 2016

evyviggy · Apr 7, 2016

Congratulations guys! I am a current student nurse in the U of MNs MSN program, and I remember well being in your place one year ago. I know we all had a million questions about what to expect back then, so feel free to ask if you have any.

See you all in the fall!

Evelyn V

cokoro11 · Apr 7, 2016

Great! Thanks Evelyn!

Im currently living in Chicago and making plans to relocate to Minneapolis for the program. I have visited the area once only for a weekend. I understand the cost of living should be a little bit cheaper but I'm waiting for financial aid to come through as I know they recommend students not to work.

I just had a few questions:

-what was the program like overall for you? overwhelming?

-were there online courses for any programs?

-is there anything about the program/preparation that you wish you knew before you started?

-is there class 5 days a week? 8am-5pm?

brynrawr · Apr 7, 2016

Happy to hear from someone who has been there! Do you remember what the timeline was like for getting things done before starting? I sent in my deposit and still haven't gotten the promised "more information" email, and now I'm getting unnecessarily worked up. Do you need vaccinations done before registering?

What did an average week look like for you? How many hours were you putting in between class/clinicals/homework?

What were your clinical rotations?

I'm thinking I'll try to review my anatomy/physiology/pathophys this summer using Khan Academy or something. Anything else you'd recommend?

Thanks for being a resource! Much appreciated.

evyviggy · Apr 7, 2016

Hi cokoro11 and brynrawr,

I actually do know quite a few students who manage to work part-time through this program (10-15 hours), though as a mom, I am not one of them! And I have owned a home for a while now, so I don't know a lot about the rental market here. But if you have questions about specific neighborhoods or public transportation, I could probably help you with that. I highly recommend the light rail. Lets you out right at the building where our classes are and is free if you only use it on campus (between class and the the commuter parking lots).

In terms of the program itself, I have found it to be pretty variable in terms of difficulty, and a lot of it has to do with which clinical you are in at the time. First term, you will not have a clinical until week 7 I believe. So if you are already used to being something close to a fulltime student from your pre-reqs, the first 6 weeks are probably going to feel not too bad, other than adjusting to the U in general. If its been a while since fulltime school though, or you went to a small college before, that part may be rough too. Then, about week 7, all of the sudden midterms and your first 5 week clinical rotation will hit at about the same time. Your workload will double overnight and it will all go to hell for the rest of that semester. But you'll live.

Second semester, you have three different 5 week clinical rotations. One of these is pretty intensive, and those 5 weeks will suck. The other two won't be so bad. There will also be a few side inter-professional projects they throw in there at you with almost no warning, and you'll have to figure out how to get those done too. By the middle of second term though, you will be too burnt out to stress out overly much anymore, and so it won't seem that bad anymore.

We're still waiting to see what summer and 2nd fall term are like. My impression right now is that summer courses/clinicals won't be that bad, though it will be on a shortened term. Second fall term seems to be mostly about your immersion clinical, your Capstone project, and preparing to take the NCLEX. So I'm assuming that will be time consuming but also very valuable experience. We'll see! I've heard a lot of last years students were already applying for jobs by Oct and already hired by Dec, so I'm pretty excited about that!

So far we have had 1 online course each semester (Pharmacology last term & Nursing Research this term), but the rest are either classroom, lab, clinical, or both. First term you have classes 2 full days (8am-3:20pm) and 1 half day per week + 1 full day clinical (6:30am-3pm). Second and third term you have classes 1 full day and 1 half day per week, plus 1 full day clinicals. Not sure about 4th term yet, but I know that your main thing is the 25 hours/week immersion clinical. I am pretty sure that you also have 1 full day of classes that term, but don't quote me on that!

Kahn academy is a great resource for pathophysiology to make sure you have the big picture. Honestly though, I wouldn't bother reviewing over the summer. Dr. S is so detailed in his tests that I doubt it will help much. Those two courses will definitely be your hardest. One of the few disappointments for me with this program has been the faculty. We have a few gems, but we have some duds too. I went here as an undergraduate too though for chemistry, and I guess I expected more. But I've still learned a ton and you will meet some amazing people.

They took a while getting us all the info we needed as well. I checked my old emails and the first info email I finally got last year was Apr 21, the second was July 14th (though that one was later than intended due to some computer upgrade problem they had). The BSN program seems to be more on the ball for that than the MN program, so you may find valuable information under their webpage links. You will need immunizations before the term starts, though one of them is a 5 month series, so you may not be done with it before the program starts, and that is fine. You will have some really boring online hospital orientation to do as well.

As for clinical rotations, you will be assigned to a group a 7-8 students that you will stay will for the first 2 terms. First term you will have either an orthopedic, a med/surg, or a neurology clinical at either the Fairview/UMMC, Allina, or VA system. Second term you will have either oncology or cardiac, post-partum, and pediatrics. Third term you will have mental health and public health clinicals. And 4th term you will have your immersion clinical. Except for you immersion clinical, you don't get any choice in this. But they are all really good experience and you will learn a ton. Definitely the best part of the program.

I feel like I put in an awful lot of homework time. Though not as much this term as last term. I think by this point you learn what you can get away with. I would say that I spend most of the weekdays studying. Both during the day and after my kids are in bed. I don't get a whole lot done on the weekends though. Last term, I definitely spend the most time on pathophysiology. This term though, I'm kind of burnt out on that class, and I'm doing less for about the same result. So whatever. We have more papers/presentations this term though, which are Ugh. But you can get by in most of the nursing classes without out doing too much textbook reading, as long as you go to class and review the lecture slides before tests.

I think I answered all your questions so far, but feel free to ask more if you have them. I know I was going crazy back when I was where you were, just waiting to know what I was getting myself into. There will also be an orientation day at the end of Aug, which will have a 1 hours student panel of second year students where you can ask more questions. That was really helpful too.

Best of luck!

Evelyn

bme_rn · Apr 11, 2016

Congratulations guys! I am a current student nurse in the U of MNs MSN program, and I remember well being in your place one year ago. I know we all had a million questions about what to expect back then, so feel free to ask if you have any.
See you all in the fall!
Evelyn V

Evelyn,

Thanks so much for your offer to answer questions! I saw your long post later on, which was helpful. In general, the program's official post-acceptance outreach is significantly less than other schools I've been accepted to, so your thoughts are really helpful. I'm very excited about the program, but sometimes it seems too good to be true (a Master's in such short time at a reasonable price). Can you list what you feel are the pros and cons of the program and any advice on things to consider while making the decision about enrolling? Thanks!

evyviggy · Apr 11, 2016

Hi bme_rn3b!

I am glad my loooong post helped! I may not be the best person to answer about the pros and cons of this program though, as for me, having no intention to move, it was my first choice and the only one I applied to. If you tell me what specific concerns you have, I can share with you what I know about those things.

What I can tell you is that yes, it's for real. A 16 month program at a reasonable price that really will make you ready to be a nurse. I remember about 2-3 months after I started being told that now that we had practiced things like catheter insertion and suctioning a tracheostomy tube on our lab manikins, I was legally allowed to perform them on a real person as long as a certified RN was present to oversee me. I laughed and shuddered at the same time because it seemed preposterous to me at the time that I was ready to do any such thing. Now, only 4.5 months later, I feel confident that I absolutely am.

I think the greatest strength of this particular program is the amazing clinical experiences the U has available to them, due to both the UMMC research hospital system and the huge health care industry of the Twin Cities in general. You will get the experience you need to be ready. In some fields, the theoretical class room learning is what's most important. My previous field of chemistry was one such field. But nursing is not one of them. (Which is good, because that is not a strength of this particular program. It's not awful. It's just not awesome.) What matters most in nursing is the hands on work with patients on the floor. That is where you will build your skill confidence and learn what being a nurse truly means. And that is one place this program shines.

I am curious though, you said other programs had significantly more post-acceptance outreach. That would be really important feedback for the U's MN program to hear. As a relatively new nursing program, I think they struggle with things like that sometimes. What kinds of things have other programs done that made you feel more positively about them?

bme_rn · Apr 11, 2016

Thanks! I'm also curious about the makeup of the student cohort. Is it pretty diverse? I'm wondering about percentage of in-state/out-of-state, and the age and/or background of people entering the program (looks like you had a PhD before entering).

Other schools have created Facebook groups for discussion among current students and other admits, had visiting days, and hosted webinars. Of course these aren't dealbreakers, but any extra information helps in making this important decision! Most other schools also give more than 2 weeks to make a decision!

evyviggy · Apr 12, 2016

Thanks bme_rn2b! I'll have to pass that info on.

As for our student cohort, if I am remembering correctly, there are 63 of us total. I think that about 10 of us are men and the rest are women. We range in age from about 23 to 45, though I would say that most people are in their late twenties or so. About 10 of us are parents. The majority of us have worked in another field for a few years, but a few are strait in from a bachelors degree. Being MN, most of us are white, though there are probably at least 10 or so people who are something else. Seems like there are about 10 or so people already admitted to the DNP program once they are done with the MN program, and at least 10 more planning to apply. People are pretty diverse in terms of what they want to go into with nursing as well, though the midwifery program in particular does seem to be big here. That's not an interest of mine though so I don't know much about it.

In terms of previous fields people are from, its pretty broad. Everything from microbiology to sales to philosophy to public health. I am one of only two students with a previous PhD. Most people have either a previous bachelors or a masters degree. The majority of people are from instate, though not necessarily from the twin cities. There are a few who came here specifically for the program though.

So, all in all your average student will be a single, white, female from MN whose about 28. But you will find some of pretty much everything else too.

bme_rn · Apr 12, 2016

Does anyone know the date that the program/orientation starts in the fall?

evyviggy · Apr 12, 2016

With the exception of summer term, we follow the same calendar as the rest of the U, so fall 2016 term starts Sept 6 this year.

Academic calendars

bme_rn · Apr 13, 2016

With the exception of summer term, we follow the same calendar as the rest of the U, so fall 2016 term starts Sept 6 this year.
Academic calendars

Thanks! So there's no orientation in advance of classes beginning?

evyviggy · Apr 14, 2016

Oh, sorry, maybe I misunderstood your question? Last summer our orientation was on Aug 26 and lasted a half day. I don't think we found out until July though, exactly when it was going to be. I'm guessing it will be something similar for this year.