This program is ranked number one by US News and, by all accounts, one of the best in the country.
I got an e-mail from them on Monday:
Admission letters
Posted: 14 Dec 2009 12:06 PM PST
We plan to have letters of admission, waitlist, and denial for the GEPN program sent out by the end of this week. Please keep an eye on your mailboxes, and let us know if you do not receive your letter by the end of December
It sounds like we should hear something by next week. Did anyone else apply? Maybe this can be the official notification thread.
I am wait-listed for the ABSN program, so I don't know if it's the same for GEPN, but I called UW the day I got my letter. I was told I would be contacted immediately if there is a spot for me, and if I don't hear, I should contact the SON mid-January. Apparently, most people who choose to opt out of the program do so in the first 3 to 4 weeks. However, I asked if they have ever offered placement to a wait-lister the week before classes started, and the person I spoke to said she does, in fact, remember that happening at least once in the past.
Did those of you applying to GEPN receive a ranking (i.e. did they tell you what number you are) on the wait-list?
Thanks for the info! I applied to GEPN (FNP) and we didn't get any sort of ranking. It just says we meet the criteria but don't have a place at this time. I'll just hope to hear in the next month or so, which is when I thought we got our letters anyway. Since I have applications in to other schools, I probably won't wait around on the wait list for too long before committing to another program.
Thanks again for the info and good luck getting off the waitlist!
Would anyone waitlisted for GEPN be willing to post stats? I didnt have an academic reference, I figured 4.0 grades would say more than a lukewarm letter (since my recent classes had 300+ students or were taken online), but I am wondering if this really hurt me...
Hello future nursing students :) I am currently a student in the University of Washington's GEPN program and I have encouraging news for all of you: if you were not admitted, the world is still your oyster in terms of finding a nursing program that fits you academically and financially. If you were waitlisted or accepted, you still have not paid your tuition and have time to find another program. Even if time is of the essence for you, as it is for anyone who chooses an accelerated nursing program, I would recommend that you survey your other options very carefully before committing yourself to the GEPN. I can only speak for myself in saying that the GEPN has not been a wholly positive experience- it is not supportive to students in their pre-BSN portion of the program, and the fact that it has been put on hold indefinitely signifies that in 6 years they have not been able to work out the kinks that make this program substandard in terms of the student experience. It is the number one nursing program in the country because of the number of grants brought in by their graduate department. Their ranking, from what I have come to understand during my time in the program, is in no way related to the quality of their BSN curriculum. I would recommend that you check out other threads about the UW's nursing program on this website. The only way for you to get the full picture of what goes on there is to be fully immersed in it, which will cost you upwards of $9,000 per quarter for tuition and books alone, so the next best thing is to read and listen to the experience of students who are living it or who have graduated.
Be aware of the following before you begin this program: There are no advisors assigned to students in the pre-BSN portion of this program, so no one is looking out for your interests. If you have a problem, you will talk to the program coordinators, who are not nurses or nursing professors. If you do not pass any one class, you will be forced to leave the program until the following year when you can retake the class, you cannot just continue on with other classes. You will not start an IV, insert a catheter, or draw blood until you are halfway through the pre-BSN portion. They will add lab sessions and change the schedule after the quarter has started, so if you have kids or a job, you had better hope your childcare and employer are flexible. There is no financial aid offered for the first six quarters (the pre-BSN portion) of this program, unless they continue to offer the Robert Wood Johnson scholarship which requires that you take an extra class each quarter and will have to be paid back if you withdraw at any point, and it doesn't reduce your costs by a drastic amount. In other words, you are looking at around $50000-$60000 in student loans- just for your BSN-and guess what? The nursing market in Seattle (like a lot of the rest of the country) is saturated, while hospitals are cutting back on hiring and retired RNs who are more experienced and cheaper to train are coming back to work. Very few new grads are finding jobs. Very few. But once you graduate, that debt will have to be paid back. Finally, for those of you who are thinking: 'But I'm going to be an NP, so it doesn't matter what's going on with RN job market!' Wrong. UW fails to mention at their information sessions that a lot, perhaps a majority, of their GEPN grads aren't finding work as NP's because without any RN experience, your NP is meaningless to most potential employers. Nobody wants to hire a nurse practitioner whose only clinical experience was the act of obtaining his or her BSN. Some are speculating that this is another reason why the GEPN is being put on hold. That being said, I am sorry if I burst any bubbles, but better that you hear this perspective now than when you're $30,000 into the program like *ahem* some of us. The fact of the matter is that there are many wonderful, more supportive, more hands on, less expensive nursing programs in our area (such as Shoreline's) that would allow you to get your RN quickly, then obtain your BSN in a non-fee based (read: in-state tuition) program that could be completed while working as an RN and obtaining that crucial experience that will a) tell you whether you even want to be an NP, and b) make you a more desirable candidate to graduate schools and employers.
Whew! Sorry I just took up the rest of your week with this post, but that's my two cents. Best of luck!
Thank you for your post. I haven't started the application process yet, but some of the issues you included in your post are what concern me about applying to direct entry masters programs. I wondered why the GEPN program was being discontinued, and I thank you for shedding a little more light on the program's flaws. I know that no nursing program is without its problems, but considering the time and financial commitment students must make to become a nurse, one would hope that the administration makes a serious effort to improve the overall academic experience for aspiring nurses.
I am kind of nervous now that I have read all of these posts. I was waitlisted as well in both the Masters PNP program and also the Doctoral FNP program. I went to the website today and saw the information about the program being suspended and am a tad freaked out. In addition, reading that post from the current student was also a little disconcerting. I really wonder how many people they admit and how many they waitlist. I called this morning to try and find out but didn't get much of an answer, anyone have better luck?
Is the GEPN program accredited? I am a little concerned after that post that if you try to work in the interim between finishing the BSN portion and starting the graduate part, if potential employers will hire? Thoughts?
Anyway, hope you are all doing well and wish you good luck:)
I'm also on the waitlist (FNP) and somewhat freaked out. However, I think the issue with new grads not being able to find jobs is mostly a concern about the direct entry NP grads, meaning new NP's who have no RN experience. I know the job market for all RN's is tight, but I can't see why it would be harder after the first part of GEPN (as compared to any other new RN grad.) It actually sounds like it makes a lot of sense to take that time off to get some RN experience and be a more marketable NP grad.
Of course then there's the whole issue of finances - they just changed the program this year so it's not eligible for a lot of tuition exemptions and grants. This means it's very expensive without a lot of support.
Right now I'm hopeful that I might get in off the waitlist, but planning to go somewhere else. It just seems like the program is going through a lot of changes (best case scenario) or is being sacrificed/jettisoned by the school. And they already have made so many last minute changes to the admissions process, it makes me wonder how supportive they would be to us as students...
I'm definitely interested to hear other thoughts since we're all in the same boat!
I'm looking to apply for summer/fall 2011 and found out that the GEPN program is put on hold for the summer 2011 group. This means that UW is no longer a choice for me, but I was wondering what people's thoughts were about going straight to NP without any experience as an RN--does this apply to psych/mental health as much as it would for say, family or acute care? I'm primarily (and so far only) interested in pmhnp and I feel like the benefit of working as an RN in the hospital would not outweigh the benefits of getting an NP sooner and being able to do what I would like to sooner.
Also, my dream job would be in an outpatient setting, not inpatient.
I guess this post might be more appropriate in another thread, but thanks for reading!
Sorry to hear that you were hoping to apply to UW. At least they left you hanging while you can still apply elsewhere!
In terms of getting experience, I've heard it definitely does help to have some experience in the general field, as much for learning everything during a fast program as for finding a job afterwards. I'm sure in this economy it doesn't hurt for finding jobs either since everything is a little more tight right now. For instance, I've been working as an EMT and volunteering at a free clinic which is similar to the setting I'd like to practice in (FNP). Maybe working or volunteering in some mental health setting would strengthen your application, like a special needs program, prison, group home, etc. (I'm not sure how relevant those actually are, but you get the idea.)
Good luck with the process! I think there may also be a sticky thread about this issue on the NP board.
Sorry to hear that you were hoping to apply to UW. At least they left you hanging while you can still apply elsewhere!
In terms of getting experience, I've heard it definitely does help to have some experience in the general field, as much for learning everything during a fast program as for finding a job afterwards. I'm sure in this economy it doesn't hurt for finding jobs either since everything is a little more tight right now. For instance, I've been working as an EMT and volunteering at a free clinic which is similar to the setting I'd like to practice in (FNP). Maybe working or volunteering in some mental health setting would strengthen your application, like a special needs program, prison, group home, etc. (I'm not sure how relevant those actually are, but you get the idea.)
Good luck with the process! I think there may also be a sticky thread about this issue on the NP board.
Thanks Wildschmidt! I'll go take a look at the NP board and look into some mental health volunteering experience.
Thank you for your posting but I am confused by a few points in it. You said you are a current GEPN-student, but also stated that you are in the pre-bsn portion of the program. To my knowledge GEPN does not award a BSN, only a master's degree, additionally the program is 3 years long--first year RN, remaining two years master's--I am confused how you are accomplishing the pre-bsn coursework in this program? As I didn't think that such a part existed?
Frustations are inevitable. I am definitely concerned about the "pausing" of the GEPN program, but on the same token I am glad to have this school as an option if not the ultimate plan.
ShelbyP
39 Posts
Wildschmidt,
I am wait-listed for the ABSN program, so I don't know if it's the same for GEPN, but I called UW the day I got my letter. I was told I would be contacted immediately if there is a spot for me, and if I don't hear, I should contact the SON mid-January. Apparently, most people who choose to opt out of the program do so in the first 3 to 4 weeks. However, I asked if they have ever offered placement to a wait-lister the week before classes started, and the person I spoke to said she does, in fact, remember that happening at least once in the past.
Did those of you applying to GEPN receive a ranking (i.e. did they tell you what number you are) on the wait-list?