Meet-and-Greet Relieves MEPN Candidates’ Anxieties
The UCSF School of Nursing’s two-day interview process for hopeful Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) candidates can be a stressful experience. So, in the nursing spirit of care and collaboration, the idea was born by MEPN students three years ago to bring interviewees back on to campus the day after their interviews to answer questions, offer advice and ease anxiety.
“The hardest part of the application process is now over,” current (MEPN) students told the anxious MEPN candidates during meet-and-greet sessions held last week. The Nursing Student Council provided food and drinks for the events.
UCSF Nursing School’s MEPN is a three-year program leading to a Master of Science degree in Nursing and is designed for persons without previous nursing preparation but who hold a bachelor's degree in another field. Graduates of this program are prepared as advanced practice nurses.
Emily Seiter, a MEPN candidate applying to be a family nurse practitioner, flew all the way in from Chile for her interview and she appreciated the free breakfast and insights provided by the current students during her smaller breakout session.
Current first-year MEPN students recalled the application process last year when life was full of questions and uncertainty. Those who attended last year’s meet-and-greet session found it helped them arrive at a decision about whether or not to attend UCSF.
Those who helped out with this year’s meet-and-greet were more than happy to carry on this MEPN student-led tradition. Hopefully it is something that can be paid forward for many more years to come.
