When to apply?

[Vin]

Hi all.

for those of you who applied to schools and got in with only a year's experience, did you apply when you actually had the year's experience or can you apply earlier given that you will have the experience by the interview. I know i read somewhere that someone was accepted with 8 months experience only? I just moved from the step down icu to the icu and am trying to decide when the earliest i could reasonably apply would be. Most programs in my area begin in September.

Thanks for any input, especially from people with experience.

[heartICU]

The requirement is that you have one year experience in the ICU when you START the program...I started in the ICU in June 2003, applied in Dec 2003, and got accepted, pending the completion of my year of experience. Class just started for me last week, so I had 14 months experience by the time I started. When you apply will depend on when you made the transition to ICU and when the program starts...some start Aug/Sept, some in Jan, and some both. Hope that helps.

[EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN]

I was the one who got accepted with 8 months experience. The schools interview so far in advance-- I got accepted to one school for start date fall 2005 and another school for start date fall 2006. I chose the 2005 school, so I will have just under 2 years experience by the time I start. At the interview they really didn't seem concerned about my lack of experience, but at the one interview in particular they asked me lots of clinical questions, I guess just to make sure I knew my stuff. I also made sure that I got great recommendation letters. You can get in with a year experience as long as you are a strong applicant.

[Howyaluvdat]

Which schools did you apply to?

[cnmtocrna]

I also got accepted with less than a year in the ICU. I had 10 months at the time of my interview, and I will have completed 14 months at matriculation. I think each program is a little different, but it seems to be not unusual at all to be accepted during one's year of experience. I applied and was accepted to Duke for Jan. 2005.

[Quincke]

I applied 7 months out of school and got accepted. I had just been working a year when I started school. I worked ICU right out of school though, and got good experience. I don't think you have anything to lose by applying early; you never know how it might turn out:) Good luck!

[EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN]

Which schools did you apply to?

Not sure if your question was directed at me or not, but I applied to Villanova Univ./Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Lasalle Univ./Montgomery Hospital, both in the Philly area.

[chattypattyCRNA2B]

I was the one who got accepted with 8 months experience. The schools interview so far in advance-- I got accepted to one school for start date fall 2005 and another school for start date fall 2006. I chose the 2005 school, so I will have just under 2 years experience by the time I start. At the interview they really didn't seem concerned about my lack of experience, but at the one interview in particular they asked me lots of clinical questions, I guess just to make sure I knew my stuff. I also made sure that I got great recommendation letters. You can get in with a year experience as long as you are a strong applicant.

Emerald,

Were your recommendation letters just from associates/supervisors at work or did you use some of your professors from your undergrad days? If you used some of your old professors, when did you ask for the recommendation? Right after graduation or after you were already working in the ICU?

[EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN]

One of my recommendation letters was from my nurse manager, who has been very supportive of my goals. The other two letters were from former nursing school professors-- one was a professor I had for class and another a clinical professor. I asked them shortly after graduation, so they still remembered good things to write about me! I also gave everyone who was going to be writing me a recommendation letter a resume, thinking that this might help them give more details about my performance.

[pokey sn]

A little off the subject, but how does it work if you get denied acceptance to school. Do you go back and ask the same people who wrote recc's to write new ones once you decide to reapply?

Sorry this is off subjuct, I am fried after a night in the ICU!

Thanks, POKEY

[EmeraldNYL, BSN, RN]

I dunno, I guess I would think carefully about asking the exact same people for recommendation letters again in that circumstance. Maybe they wrote such not good letters, and that was the cause of the denial???

[apaisRN, RN, CRNA]

I dunno, I guess I would think carefully about asking the exact same people for recommendation letters again in that circumstance. Maybe they wrote such not good letters, and that was the cause of the denial???

Two of my references gave me copies of the letters, and one did not but I am positive he would write nothing but good. So I'd ask them again, although I'd feel a little like I was imposing to do it. But if I hadn't seen, say, the letter from my nurse manager, I wouldn't ask her unless I had too. I was very surprised by how glowing her letter was.