Here, you'll find answers to frequently asked questions about the Entry-Level Master of Science in Nursing (ELMSN) program. » Entry-Level MSN Main Page
If you have additional questions after reading through this information, please contact us.Quick Links
» Information Sessions
» APPLY NOW
Program Information
|
A complete ELMSN program description and outline of courses is available for you to read at our website; click here.
| Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) |
Entry-Level Master of Science in Nursing (ELMSN) |
|
| How long is the program? |
4-year degree; sequence of nursing courses requires 6 semesters or 2.5-3 years of full-time study |
36 months total (including RN preparation and MSN coursework) |
| When are applications due? When are decisions sent? |
Priority Deadline: March 1 Decisions: early April |
Priority Deadline: November 15
Decisions: late February |
| Entry Term(s) |
Fall and Spring (Summer and January Term if space is available) |
Summer entry (June) only |
| Is there an option for part-time study? |
Full-Time or Part-Time study options are available |
No Part-Time option is available; ELMSN students must maintain full-time status |
| When would I qualify to sit for the RN Licensure Exam? |
After graduating with the BSN degree |
Upon completing first 15 months of study |
| What could I do with this degree? |
Generalist RN role after graduation; prepares for future graduate study (masters or doctoral) | Generalist RN role after 15
months; qualify for advanced positions/certifications (CNL, NP, CNS,
Educator, etc.) upon completion of MSN; prepares for doctoral study |
Yes, you can apply to both programs. If you choose to do so, you
must submit the entire application packet and all required forms for
each application (i.e., submit 2 letters of recommendation for the BSN
and 2 for the ELMSN application,
using the forms supplied). The only items that can be shared
between the two applications are official transcripts and the
Washington State Patrol background check form and fee.
Applicants must ensure they understand and meet all program
requirements for each program before submitting an application.
Acceptance into one program does not guarantee acceptance into the
other program. Also, students cannot switch from one program to the
other once they have enrolled in coursework for one of the programs.
Students who successfully complete the first 15 months of study have
completed 55 semester credits of coursework and over 900 hours of lab
and clinical experiences. These courses and clinicals make them
eligible to take the RN licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) in the state
of Washington.
Students are encouraged to seek employment as an RN to gain valuable RN work
experience while completing the advanced practice portion of the
program (the last 2 years of study).
» To date, students in the ELMSN program have a 100% pass rate on their first attempt at the NCLEX-RN. (as of 2005)
ELMSN students must complete the entire 36-month program in order to
ensure continued RN licensure in Washington State. Any student leaving
the program prior to completing the MSN may not be able to sustain RN
licensure. Again, students in the Entry-Level MSN program do not
receive a BSN degree during the course of study towards the MSN degree.
The program is designed to allow students to
focus solely on the process of becoming a registered nurse
during the first 15
months of foundational portion coursework. In the fall semester of
their 2nd year, all ELMSN students take a course surveying the various
advanced nursing roles. Students begin
coursework specific to a particular MSN concentration about 1.5 years
into the program. More information on the MSN concentrations is
available online:
ELMSN students at PLU have proven to be a
diverse group. Our current students range in age from their early 20’s
to early 50’s. They received their bachelor’s degrees anywhere from 30
years ago to 1 year ago in a wide variety of academic disciplines
(including Biology,
Psychology, Business, History, Biochemistry and English). Several
students hold Masters degrees, as well.
ELMSN students have had varied work experiences as
managers, volunteers, parents, ski patrollers, lifelong students, accountants,
baristas, and teachers. Some students entered the ELMSN
program at PLU with previous experience in healthcare and medicine
through research experiences, administrative positions, as EMTs, or as
doctors in other countries. Others are only now entering the health
care field. These diverse backgrounds help to enrich the program and student experience.
MSN programs for students with non-nursing
Bachelor's degrees were first introduced in the 1970's. The number of
programs of this type increased on the east coast throughout the
1990’s, and now these programs are available across the country.
Research shows that graduates of entry-level programs become successful
advanced practice nurses, and hospitals have proven eager to hire them
due to their high level of academic accomplishments.
For more information on accelerated nursing programs, see these articles:
Read about the Entry-Level MSN admission process, then download or
request Graduate Nursing application materials from our website.
If you took coursework at a 4-year or 2-year college or university
in Washington, download and review the School of Nursing Comparable
Course Sheet.
» Download the Comparable Course Guide
If you have taken a course at an accredited college or university outside the state of Washington that you believe fulfills a prerequisite requirement, you may request to have the course reviewed for prerequisite credit. Applicants are strongly encouraged request course evaluations well in advance of the priority deadline for applications. Submit course descriptions or syllabi for any courses you would to be review for prerequisite credit to:
Email: gradnurs@plu.edu
Mail: School of Nursing
Pacific Lutheran University
Attention: Graduate Coordinator
Tacoma, WA 98447-0029
International Students: Please read the FAQ information for students who have a degree from outside the United States (below).
Yes. Applicants with prerequisites in progress will be considered, and
may be offered provisional acceptance into the program. This means
they must complete all prerequisites prior to entering coursework in
the program in June.
Applicants who have completed all prerequisites by the priority deadline may be given priority during the review process.
Prior health care experience is not required for consideration of admission.
It
is important for all applicants to personally research the nursing
profession prior to applying to any program. Reading articles, talking
to advisors, and seeking out mentors in the health care field can help
the applicant gain a better understanding of the profession, and shape
his/her short-term and long-term goals.
Applicants who have
no experience in a health care setting may find volunteering,
job-shadowing, or employment in a health care agency quite helpful.
Such experiences offer insight into day-to-day tasks, responsibilities,
work settings, and various roles for nurses and other health care
providers. Contact the education or human resources offices at area
hospitals to learn about available opportunities.
Applicants may note prior health care experience in their resumes and/or statements of educational and professional goals.
The
admissions committee is careful to weigh all parts of the application,
including baccalaureate study, prerequisite grades, GRE scores, essays,
and letters of reference. All applications are thoroughly reviewed
before a decision is made. When coursework or test scores are slightly
below a minimum requirement, strength in areas of the application may
be considered.
That being said, admission to the Entry-Level MSN
program is competitive. We receive many more qualified applications
than available seats in the program each year. Applicants who do not
meet one or more minimum requirements are more likely to be placed on
the wait list or denied admission than those who offer a well-rounded
application and exceed minimum requirements.
Retaking coursework
and tests can help make the
application more competitive, but it is up to each applicant to decide
whether to retake coursework or tests to meet minimum requirements.
Applicants who must retake one or more prerequisite course in order to
meet minimum requirements may be considered less competitive for
admission (versus applicants who have not retaken any courses to meet
minimum criteria). In addition, applicants whose college transcripts
show multiple withdrawals, failures, academic probation, or retaken
courses (in prerequisites or general study coursework) may be
considered less competitive for admission.
Applicants
may submit an additional statement with their explanation regarding
issues such as low grades in prerequisites, low GRE scores, and
withdrawals or failures in other coursework.
If your previous baccalaureate degree is from a college or university
outside the United States, please contact the PLU Admissions Office. They will need to verify that the
college you attended is accredited or if it is equivalent to an
accredited university or college in the U.S.
If you not a U.S. citizen and plan to attend PLU as a foreign student,
additional information must be provided with your graduate application.
Please contact the Admissions office (800-274-6758) and/or read through
the information at the websites listed below:
A complete tuition breakdown is available online at: http://www.plu.edu/~nurs/programs/elminfo.html#tuition.
The Entry-Level MSN program at PLU is designed
using cohort pricing, which reduces the
average cost per credit and makes optimum use of available graduate loans.
ELMSN students pay a 'cohort' tuition, which includes a built-in tuition
reduction. ELMSN students pay less on than the standard PLU cost per semester credit
over the course of the program. For example, the 2005-2006 graduate
tuition price at PLU was $648 per credit. Students in the Entry Level
MSN program take a minimum 89 credits in the 36-month program. Since
the entire tuition cost for the 2005 cohort of ELMSN students was about $48,000 total:
$48,000 / 89 cr. = $540 per credit
The cohort tuition price constitutes a significant reduction in cost for the
student.
The Entry-Level MSN is a graduate level program; therefore, students
are eligible for graduate Federal Stafford Loans. This constitutes
approximately $18,500 per year
of low-interest subsidized and/or unsubsidized loans (2006). For more
information on these resources, please contact the PLU Financial Aid Office (1-800-678-3243 or finaid@plu.edu).
The School of Nursing regularly notifies all nursing students of
scholarship opportunities that become available. Once Entry-Level MSN
students enter the Advanced Practice portion of the program, they may
also apply to work as graduate assistants and to apply for special
graduate nursing scholarships and loan repayment programs (such as the
Nursing Faculty Loan Program). Click here to find links to a variety of outside financial aid sources for nursing students and graduates.
Entry-Level MSN Students will be in class full time
(Monday through Friday day/evening) for the first 15-months of foundational
coursework. The class load is especially demanding during the first
summer. Students should not plan to work during the first 15 months of the program.
Upon successfully completing the first 15 months of the program,
students begin the advanced practice portion of the program. Classes at
this level are held one or two evenings per week and all day on
Fridays. Students at the advanced practice level are eligible to take
the NCLEX test for RN licensure, and are encouraged to seek employment as RNs to gain
valuable RN work experience during the final portion of the program.
The advanced practice course schedule and RN licensure enables students
to work part-time as RNs during at least the final 3 semesters of
the program
(about 17 months total, including summer months). RNs
working a half-time schedule may be able to earn approximately $20,000
per year or more. Some students choose to work full-time, but most work
part-time (0.5 to 0.9) or per diem to give themselves time for other
commitments.
See AACN's article- Your Nursing Career: A Look at the Facts
Master's degree prepared nurses can earn approximately $60,000 to
$90,000 per year, depending on their field. As you probably already
know, nursing is one of the fastest growing career fields in the
nation. The need for nurses at all levels is great and promises to
increase over the next generation (U.S. Dept of Labor).
Today's nursing shortage is different from the "widespread nursing
shortage of a decade ago, when employers hired qualified entry-level
RNs virtually regardless of their nursing degree preparation" (AACN). Today's employers seek:
nurses prepared at the bachelor's and graduate-degree levels who can deliver the higher complexity of care required across a variety of acute-care, primary-care, and community health settings, and to provide other needed services such as case management, health promotion, and disease prevention.
Demand is particularly acute for nurses in key specialties, such as critical care; neonatal nursing; emergency, operating room, and labor and delivery units; and for advanced practice RNs such as nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists.
Though hiring of RNs is accelerating in more cities, today's demand varies region by region, market by market, contrary to the pervasive nationwide shortfall of RNs in the late 1980s. (AACN)
Of particular note is the already pressing shortage of masters and doctorally-prepared nursing faculty. This shortage is already impacting schools of nursing across the country, and promises to become more urgent in coming years (for more information, read the AACN fact sheet on faculty shortages).
Keep
in mind that the MSN is not a terminal degree. MSN graduates are
qualified to apply
to doctoral degree (PhD or Doctor of Nursing Practice-DNP) programs,
which generally require an additional 3-5 years of study to complete.
Demand is increasing for doctorally-prepared
nursing faculty and practitioners. AACN member institutions voted "to
move the current
level of preparation necessary for advanced nursing practice roles from
the master's degree to the doctorate level by the year 2015" ("Nursing
Opportunities", Volume III, November 2004).
Nurses with
advanced degrees, such as the Master of Science in Nursing, have the
tools to adapt as the nursing world continues to grow and change.