Welcome to the profession of nursing and all it can offer you. The Master's
Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) will complete its fifth year of educating
nurses with degrees in other fields May, 2007. As we traverse this new era
of the nursing profession, let me share with you some of the stories about
the graduates of this MEPN program. One hundred and twenty-nine graduates
are employed in nursing in many clinical agencies across the United States
in the emergency room, intensive care, labor and delivery, pediatrics,
oncology, spinal cord injured, to name a few. Many of these graduates have
participated in the international nursing experiences we offer; several have
had their education funded by the Health Service Corps or the military;
several are creating their own unique opportunities such as working with the
Navy diving corps; others have become involved with various international
groups.
The graduate degree prepares you with an emphasis on clinical management of patients at the bedside; as well the skills necessary to assume clinical leadership positions and clinical faculty positions. You are prepared to continue your nursing education to become an advanced practice nurse (a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist), a nurse executive, or a nurse educator and researcher at the doctoral level. At least 50 will have completed their NP certification by May 2007. What the employers tell us is "your graduates are the first ones we hire and the first ones we usually promote."
Anita J. Hunter, PhD, RN, CPNP
Director, Master's Entry Program in Nursing