I can’t believe it’s been 1 year since I applied to the MEPN program at UCSF. As the first quarter of the program is coming to an end for me and the application window is closing for many hopeful students out there, I thought this would be a great time to reflect on the application process. Of course, what I am about to say is purely anecdotal and based on my experience, what I’ve learned about my fellow cohort, not some special insider information from the school or faculty.
Last year, I was in my mid-30s, applying to various nursing programs because I needed a change. I served 4 years in the US Army as an Infantry Paratrooper and was deployed to Iraq twice. After that, I moved to Los Angeles and studied philosophy and social theory at UCLA. I did well and was intending to go to graduate school for philosophy. Some soul-searching and conversations with Ph.D. students convinced me that the time and money required to get the degree I wanted was not worth it given the terrible job market for philosophers.
Instead of grad school, I worked as an art history researcher at UCLA and started my own photography business. I met many amazing people and learned a lot in the following years, but when I moved to Portland, OR, in late 2014 the demand for my photography skills shifted away from paying private clients to corporations looking for a social media “Influencer” or cheap marketing material. I had a great relationship with companies like The North Face and Hipcamp, but over time I found that I was seeking more meaningful work.
As someone passionate about philosophy and social theory, I have a strong set of values and care deeply about living a good life. While training for the Western States 100-mile Endurance run a few years ago, I sustained a painful injury and spent a night in the emergency room. Interacting with the hospital staff that night made me realize that nursing is a career that embodies my core values and it would allow me to use my skills to help those in need. I believe in the value and dignity of every human being. I believe that good health and health care are essential to a happy life and a flourishing society. I believe in integrity, compassion, and the pursuit of knowledge. As someone who has been given so much, I have a duty to give back to the less fortunate and underserved. I realized that nurses have a unique opportunity to live these values every day while providing compassionate and evidence-based care to their patients. To care for my whole self and to maximize my impact in the world, I need to align my beliefs and my activities. Becoming a nurse will help me grow as a person while allowing me to apply my knowledge and skills to improving the lives of others. With this newfound motivation, I enrolled full time in classes at Portland Community College to complete all of my prerequisites so that I could get into nursing school and start down this new path.
Because my undergraduate degree was in philosophy, I had to take ALL of the prerequisites before applying to any nursing schools. I embarked on an intense 12-month journey where I took 53 credits while continuing to work full time so that I could start applying in August 2017.
Here are the prerequisites I took at Portland Community College:
- Biology 112: Cell Biology for Health Occupations
- Psychology 201A: Intro to Psychology
- Biology 231: Human Anatomy and Physiology I
- Math 243: Statistics
- Psychology 215: Human Development
- Biology 232: Human Anatomy and Physiology II
- Biology 234: Microbiology
- Food and Nutrition 225: Nutrition
- Biology 233: Human Anatomy and Physiology III
- Biology 241: Pathophysiology
- Communication 214: Interpersonal Communication
- Health 250: Personal Health
- Medical Profession 111: Medical Terminology
Total Credits: 53
Nursing Prerequisite GPA: 4.0
On top of this, I already had a B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in Social Theory from UCLA, with a GPA of 3.76.
So, that covers my reason for wanting to go to nursing school, as well as my prerequisites and GPA. But, at the time, I was looking to relocate from Portland to the San Francisco Bay Area because my partner just got a job in Napa. And, because I already had a bachelors degree, I was looking for an entry level MSN. My end goal was to get my MSN and become a Nurse Practitioner, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to get there, given that nursing schools are so competitive and I was wanting to start school as soon as possible. With these goals in mind, I focused in on three programs: the San Francisco State University Accelerated Entry-Level MSN program, the University of San Francisco MSN Direct Entry program, and the UCSF Masters Entry Program in Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner track (I was accepted into all three!!!).
The applications all required some sort of clinical or healthcare related experience. When I was in the Army, I was trained as a Combat Lifesaver, which is sort of like a first responder/EMT within a platoon. We were trained to be combat first responders, give IVs, and perform other lifesaving procedures, but were not Army medics. I acted in this role for my infantry platoon during two combat deployments to Iraq and had to use my skills in countless real-world scenarios. I also was a part of a group of soldiers who helped train new Iraqi Police Officers in first aid skills. After the military, I got certified as an emergency first responder and in wilderness first aid. I also volunteered for two years as an editor for a nursing newsletter at a local hospital. To be honest, though, I was most nervous about this portion of my application. It is really easy to get discouraged when comparing your experience to others online and in nursing discussion boards. There are a lot of very qualified people applying for these schools.
This brings me to what is probably the most important part of the application, the personal statement. Each of the schools I applied to had slightly different requirements, so I will focus on what I did for UCSF. First of all, do your research! You will need to do some deep soul searching and come to an honest assessment of who you are, your strengths, your weaknesses, why you want to go to nursing school, and why THIS specific program. If you don’t have a solid answer for each of these, you won’t get in. Think of yourself as a salesperson, selling yourself to the school. In order to be successful, you have to convince everyone who reads your personal statement that you will be a valuable asset to that school. What does a nursing school want or need? Look up their programs, areas of research, core values, etc. and find out how you fit.
The UCSF School of Nursing is one of the best in the country and they are proud of this. The National Institute of Health gives more money to UCSF for research than any other public university. The school of nursing is progressive and embraces current evidence-based practices, diversity, social justice, and healthcare access for all. They also emphasize teamwork and open communication. Take the time to research the school and find how you would fit in and contribute to its success. Also, explain how you will take what you learn from this school and give back to a community of your choice.
My MEPN cohort is amazing! Each one of us is so different but we all share inspirational stories, talent, and passion. It is my belief that the those reading our applications were looking for several specific traits in individuals. They want students who have diverse strengths. They want students who demonstrate that they have what it takes to successfully make it through this intense accelerated program. They want students who will give back to the community. And they want students who can work within a diverse team. Other things like GPA are just hurdles to get your application considered. If you have solid letters of recommendation and a personal statement demonstrating your strengths, and if those strengths match the UCSF School of Nursing’s values and goals, then you stand a good chance of getting an interview.
As you start this program, the school treats everyone as if we are starting from zero in our nursing education. The curriculum assumes that we know nothing. Whether you have worked in a hospital setting for years not a day in your life (like me), we all end up in the same place. This leads me to believe that the personal statement should focus more on creating a moving narrative that highlights your personal strengths and diverse experiences, rather than listing your clinical experience, which you should do in your resume.
I am a US Army Veteran and was recently asked by another veteran applying to this program whether or not she should highlight her military experience in the application and interview. I will provide a little of my response because I think it works as an example of why you should stand behind your strengths even if they may not be immediately related to nursing.
“ It seems that one of the unspoken goals of the admissions committee is to build a cohort of strong and diverse students. We all have strengths in many different areas but are united by our passion for healthcare, social justice, and a desire to make a difference in our communities. There were several questions in the interview about my teamwork and leadership experience, and I relied on my military experience heavily for answering these questions and the feedback from the interviewing faculty was positive.
Finally, I met with my MEPN advisor for the first time last night and we were discussing my military service and my experience with VA Healthcare. She seemed genuinely interested and said, “you will be such a great resource for all of us here.” So, yes, talk up your service! That is one thing that will really make you stand out from all of the other applicants… and this program wants people that stand out and have unique strengths.”
Bringing different strengths and perspectives to the program is great! Teamwork and collaboration are stressed from day 1 of orientation. My MEPN advisor pointed out something in our discussion that really stood out to me when she said, “you will be such a great resource.” We are all a team here, and the strength of our cohort comes from working together and learning from all of our past experiences. Don’t get tripped up by GPA, GRE score, volunteer experience, etc. Meet the requirements to submit your application and then focus on you! Find what makes you unique, whatever it is, recognize it as a strength and show how you can help your cohort because of it.
Good luck!
Hey brother,
Great insight into the process I wish I had read this before applying. I’m also a veteran I was an FMF Corpsman with USMC Infantry and fought in both Afghanistan and Iraq. I just received my invitation for an interview for the next cohort any tips?
Hey! Happy to hear you’ve been invited to interview. That’s probably the biggest hurdle of the whole process. I’ve been wanting to write a post with my thoughts on the MEPN interview, but it’s been a challenge to find time to write these days. I can definitely give you my two cents. I’ll send you an email because it’s easier to have a back and forth there.
Donovan
Hello! I as well am interested in hearing about your thoughts on the interview process.
Hi! I would love to share my thoughts on the interview and try to answer any questions you may have. Are you interviewing next month? I’ll send you an email here shortly.
Hello Donovan,
It is really great to hear that you have pointers and thought about the interview. Would it be possible to share some of them with me and some of the questions that you were asked during the interview. Thank you so much
Hi Maureen,
I have a post on the interview here. Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions.
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your blog about your process. I,too, have an interview at the end of next month. I would appreciate your input on how you prepared for this moment.
Hey! Stay tuned! I am working on a post about that right now and it should be up in the next day or two. Feel free to reach out with and questions. I am always happy to help out with this stuff. Good luck!
Hi Donovan, I too have an interview for the MEPN program at the end of the month. I would love to get information about how you prepared for the interview and also see what kind of questions they asked you during the interview. Also, any tips and advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Hi! Congratulations on getting invited to the interview. Have you seen my recent post on that topic? If not check it out here. I’m always happy to answer other questions if you have them. Thanks!
Hi, Donovan!
I came across your blog and I am in dire need of help on a question that UCSF seems a bit too busy to answer at the moment!
I am a high school teacher with a previous MA and have been teaching for a decade. After losing my job to COVID, I am seriously taking that as the sign I’ve been looking for to re-direct and completely change my path. I am 32 now and I need to take all the pre-reqs (stats, psych, nutrition, and the three lab sciences), all which is fine with me. I am extremely interested in the psych specialty and am dead set on that.
HOWEVER, after scouring the website and admissions/deadlines, etc., I am so confused, because it says the applications would be due from June-September and then the program doesn’t start til JUNE? Is this correct? That leaves ten months between the application and the program starting?
Please advise! This would be a big “deterrent” to my academic timeline.
Also, did you apply and take other pre-reqs for other programs in case you didn’t get into UCSF? I notice that they don’t require as many as a lot of other programs, and they are also the *closest* to me for commuting.
Thank you in advance! Your blog is so interesting- thank you for sharing your story!
Lyndsy 🙂
Hi Lindsy,
First of all, I love that you are high school teacher thinking about making the switch to psych nursing. I think that would be a valuable background to have as a nurse. In my personal opinion, the MEPN program is perfect for people looking to change career paths.
I haven’t looked at the UCSF website recently so not sure if they have changed any of their application policies or timelines, but when I applied there was a big time gap between submitting my application and first day of class. I submitted at the very end of August, interviewed in January, accepted into the program in February, and then classes didn’t start until the middle of June. If that is a big deterrent, there are other MSN nursing programs in San Francisco with different timelines. However, I knew that I wanted to be a nurse practitioner, so UCSF was my first choice school and worth waiting for. UCSF’s psych NP program is really good, and if you’re dead set on psych, I would recommend doing whatever you can to make the 10-month gap work. There are no better options in California.
Yes, I was planning to apply to a handful of schools in Oregon and California so I took a lot of pre-reqs to make sure all the bases were covered. Since my background was not in the sciences, I spent a year doing taking all of those classes at a community college in Portland.
Are you thinking about applying next year? I’m always happy to answer more questions if you have the. Good luck on you new path!
Donovan
Hi Donovan,
I will be applying to UCSF MEPN program in the coming months (as well as other programs). I am extremely passionate about health equity and public health, which is why I believe UCSF would be a perfect fit for me. I have also had extensive experience in both medical and public health internships.
I’m having a bit of trouble cohesively bringing all my passions in one personal statement. I would love to work with children with congenital heart disease, which stems from a personal experience (my brother has CHD). But I also found a love for working to improve health disparities during my undergrad time as a public health student. Ultimately, I will choose to become a FNP so that I can work with all ages and fulfill both of my goals.
But it’s difficult for me to soothingly explain all this in paper. I wanted to ask if you have any tips on this? Or if you are open to providing feedback? Thank you!
Hi Iaisha,
It does sound like you would be a great fit at UCSF. I’m happy to hear you are applying. I also understand the challenges of bringing all your passions and background into a coherent, short personal statement. I don’t think I have a good answer for you right now off the top of my head, but I would like to point out that regardless of your specialty, you will get trained as a public health nurse during the first MEPN year and you will continue to discuss health disparities, structural racism, and public policy in almost every single class during the three-year program. Also, after graduation, there will be ample opportunities to work to improve these things as an FNP working in cardiology (if that is where you choose to work). Basically, I don’t see caring for children with congenital heart disease and health equity/public health as competing interests. They go hand in hand and any good provider should recognize how social factors are impacting their patients. You are right that you can fulfill both goals as an FNP, and I think you could write a great statement explaining why you are passionate about these things and how UCSF can help you achieve both of your goals.
I will give some more thought to tips on writing the personal statement and I am always open to providing feedback. Feel free to reach out! I’ll just say here that I have always seen the personal statements as an opportunity to bring in a personal story, some emotion, and paint a vivid picture of your motivations, goals, and how you are a good fit for the program. Everyone else applying will have essentially the same transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. but the personal statement is the moment to catch their attention and stand out as a person. It is also important to stay on topic, answer their questions, and have other people read/edit your personal statement before submitting it. Good luck!