Western University of Health Science MSN Entry Level 2016

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Hello all,

Who else is applying to the MSN Entry level 2016? I've decided to create this thread as I have not seen any new threads for 2016 start date.

PM me your email and I'll add you through that?

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Has anyone recommended a good hotel to stay at? Everything in the area is so expensive!

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I stayed at the Comfort Inn near Fairplex. It wasn't expensive and it was nice. Plus, very close to the event!

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SilverNP2b how long did it take from EAOD to acceptance letteR?

Sorry for the delayed response! Congrats on your EAOD invitation!! It took 2 weeks for me to get the acceptance letter after I attended the event.

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I heard from the office today and they verified that if EAOD people for Feb 11 are offered an acceptance they will have 2 weeks to make a deposit. So probably mid March based on what I'm seeing here from people saying it took two weeks to get an acceptance after they attended EAOD.

See you there, Loveoverhate!

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Specializes in MEDSURG ONCOLOGY/TRANSPLANT.
I created a Facebook page if anyone wants to join. Search for "Western University of Health Sciences MSNE Cohort XIII"

I, likewise, cannot find this group on facebook. I only see a group created by earlier cohorts up until cohort XII.

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Send me your email and I will add you. I don't know why you can't see it :/ but I can add you through email :)

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Specializes in MEDSURG ONCOLOGY/TRANSPLANT.

Although I am extremely happy that I have been accepted into the msne program only 1 week after the EAOD, I am feeling a bit anxious whether I should accept the offer or not. I know I want to be a nurse with at least an msn but I am afraid that not having a bsn would hurt my job prospects. Based on my research, most hospitals require at least a bsn. Having an msn without a bsn might render the advance msn degree "useless" especially if one has limited or zero experience in direct patient care. Western U is the only school I have applied to and I intend to apply this year to a few more others offering an Accelerated BSN with conditional acceptance to msn. These programs are very competitive as well, but costs less. However, I am not certain if I will get accepted in these programs. Thus, it is actually somewhat risky. Now that I already got an offer, I have a dilemma. There is a deadline of Feb 11 to accept/decline. Western U's msne program is very expensive so I want to make sure that I WILL get a job after passing the boards and becoming an RN for me to be able to payback my loans. However, there is really no assurance. Plus if I don't get hired as an RN after the prelicensure portion, I cannot continue the msn portion. I also have to quit my 2 jobs, so it will be financially challenging! I am so confused! If only they award a bsn en route to an msn, it would have been an easier decision to make. Anybody else having similar sentiments?

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Ultimately, you're going to have to make a tough decision one way or the other. There are definitely other routes you can take to get to your destination, but that depends on your circumstances and future plans. Of course, you also have to consider what the job market will be like for nurses in the future, and how much sacrifices you may need to make.

Personally, the cons I see about the school is the tuition, distance, and number of years for completion. Yes, I'm sure we can all agree that the tuition here is pretty expensive, but in the end it's all going towards education. A friend of mine took about 5 years to pay off her school debt, and she went to school in the bay area where new nurses get paid about $50/hour (starting). She mentioned that while she was in school, she had to live frugally and made a lot of personal sacrifices. Is this unsettling? Yes. But should we be surprised? I don't think so. With careful financial planning, I think it's possible to overcome debt. It just takes time. However, I can understand the hesitancy of those coming into this program who already have student loan debt. If you're able to work and go through this program, that is great. For me, losing my job was part of the deal when I decided to pursue nursing. The ends justify the means.

I'm actually not too worried about not being able to get a job without a BSN. By the time we finish the program, we're already deeply immersed in the field of nursing and would have already left our footprints in many clinical sites. Technically, there is no degree out there that will guarantee you a job - you have to build your own career. The way I see it, job hunting for nurses doesn't begin after you complete the program - it begins when you start the program.

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Ultimately, you're going to have to make a tough decision one way or the other. There are definitely other routes you can take to get to your destination, but that depends on your circumstances and future plans. Of course, you also have to consider what the job market will be like for nurses in the future, and how much sacrifices you may need to make.

Personally, the cons I see about the school is the tuition, distance, and number of years for completion. Yes, I'm sure we can all agree that the tuition here is pretty expensive, but in the end it's all going towards education. A friend of mine took about 5 years to pay off her school debt, and she went to school in the bay area where new nurses get paid about $50/hour (starting). She mentioned that while she was in school, she had to live frugally and made a lot of personal sacrifices. Is this unsettling? Yes. But should we be surprised? I don't think so. With careful financial planning, I think it's possible to overcome debt. It just takes time. However, I can understand the hesitancy of those coming into this program who already have student loan debt. If you're able to work and go through this program, that is great. For me, losing my job was part of the deal when I decided to pursue nursing. The ends justify the means.

I'm actually not too worried about not being able to get a job without a BSN. By the time we finish the program, we're already deeply immersed in the field of nursing and would have already left our footprints in many clinical sites. Technically, there is no degree out there that will guarantee you a job - you have to build your own career. The way I see it, job hunting for nurses doesn't begin after you complete the program - it begins when you start the program.

Peace, I would have to totally agree with you on this. I mean there are things that ive been thinking about myself. However, BSN isnt going to matter, if you have the money to fund a second BS degree go for it if it helps you sleep at night. This program fully prepares you for graduate nursing, and it covers the BSN aspect in the process. I think either way we are going to have to start at the bottom somewhere and a bsn isnt going to be any different, except more money out of pocket and not to mention same material. Everyones got different things to figure out about this program Good luck!

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Although I am extremely happy that I have been accepted into the msne program only 1 week after the EAOD, I am feeling a bit anxious whether I should accept the offer or not. I know I want to be a nurse with at least an msn but I am afraid that not having a bsn would hurt my job prospects. Based on my research, most hospitals require at least a bsn. Having an msn without a bsn might render the advance msn degree "useless" especially if one has limited or zero experience in direct patient care. Western U is the only school I have applied to and I intend to apply this year to a few more others offering an accelerated bsn with conditional acceptance to msn. These programs are very competitive as well, but costs less. However, I am not certain if I will get accepted in these programs. Thus, it is actually somewhat risky. Now that I already got an offer, I have a dilemma. There is a deadline of Feb 11 to accept/decline. Western U's msne program is very expensive so I want to make sure that I WILL get a job after passing the boards and becoming an RN for me to be able to payback my loans. However, there is really no assurance. Plus if I don't get hired as an RN after the prelicensure portion, I cannot continue the msn portion. I also have to quit my 2 jobs, so it will be financially challenging! I am so confused! If only they award a bsn en route to an msn, it would have been an easier decision to make. Anybody else having similar sentiments?

Do you know for sure that the hospitals you have looked into that require a BSN do not accept the MSN instead? I would be surprised if they didn't value the MSN more but honestly I haven't looked into the job market at all yet so I really don't know.

As far as the financial part I agree that its a very tough decision. The way I think of it is at my current job I make VERY little. I work full time and I'm still on Medi-Cal. So if this is the only program I get in to I would rather go here now and get on the road to eventually making money rather than waiting another year, definitely not making much money, and hoping to get into a less expensive program down the line. Not sure if that makes sense but it feels less risky to me to take a sure thing this year then hope that I will get in somewhere less expensive in a year. Waiting a year is a long time. But do what you gotta do!

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At EAOD, Professor Tuason mentioned several clinical sites that hired Western MSN-E students before they get their MSN. For me, some of these sites are closer to my home (CHOC and St. Joseph's Hospital), which is great news because I don't like to commute too far for work. I can't speak for everyone, but I think it's comforting to know that there are options and possibilities. As I mentioned, you build your career while you're going through the program, not by the end of it. While in clinical, you need to network and exhibit your great nursing knowledge and skills. Ultimately, you need to show these preceptors and clinical sites that you're an excellent nurse, and that they can't go wrong hiring you. But really, that's with any sort of career. You can't go in expecting that these programs will hand over a job to you. You need to earn it. I totally agree that finding a nursing job will be another challenge, but it's not like finding one is impossible. My friends who are RNs now told me honestly that they did encounter roadblocks, but they eventually bypassed them.

And it is surprising to see that a hospital would undervalue an MSN degree. I think the issue may stem from the fact that the BSN takes 4 years to complete while the MSN takes about 2-3. If the concern is regarding the amount of clinical hours, I don't see how that is a problem when the MSN-E program puts students directly into clinicals in their first semester. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but if you look at the program's curriculum, MSN-E students are spending ample time in clinicals throughout the year, with their final year being almost all in clinical (you're only coming to lectures twice/semester). The only reason why I think hospitals would be hesitant to take an MSN nurse is because they have to pay those nurses more, which I think is understandable. However, for someone like me who's seeking for a DNP in the future, having an MSN degree is the only logical step. I don't need a second bachelor's degree.

In the end, you'll need to trust your own judgement and consider your circumstances. Whatever you do from here on out will require your full commitment. Lastly, for anyone interested, please read the following webpage for some valuable insight: BSN vs. MSN Degree Which is Best? | 2015 NurseJournal.org

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