Graduate Entry Pre-Specialty in Nursing (GEPN)
The GEPN program allows those with a non-nursing background to take advantage of a Yale nursing education to pursue a rewarding career in advanced practice nursing. This accelerated three-year program combines preparation in basic nursing with advanced training in a specialty that leads to a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Graduates will be prepared to take advantage of a diverse range of career opportunities, including advanced clinical practice, leadership roles, and further education such as post-master’s certificates or doctoral programs.
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Recognizing that students arrive to the GEPN program with vast experiences and knowledge outside of nursing, the GEPN curriculum balances both the arts and the sciences in the curriculum and clinical components. Students are offered experiences in the acute-care hospital units and community settings to achieve YSN’s overall mission of better health for all people. We believe that the integration of preventive and curative practice is key to the education of nurses.
The faculty believe that the art of nursing is as important as the science of nursing and are committed to understanding, developing, and evaluating clinical competency. The curriculum is carefully crafted to provide students both traditional and alternative pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. We use resources from Yale University, Yale New Haven Hospital and the local New Haven community to provide students with learning and creative opportunities in becoming a nurse.
Upon completion of the pre-specialty year, students continue on with their graduate studies which includes theory, practice, and research. Students are admitted into their designated specialty when accepted into the program. The Certificate in Nursing and a license to practice nursing in Connecticut are the two prerequisites required for the GEPN student to continue with their graduate work to earn their MSN degree.
Specialties
Students must select a Specialty when they apply to the GEPN Program. More information about our Specialties is available here.
How to Apply to the GEPN Program
All GEPN applicants must submit and complete an online NursingCAS application and pay a non-refundable application fee of $80. In addition to the online application, the following elements of a complete application are required:
| Current resume/CV |
| Three letters of recommendation submitted electronically through the application system |
| Official copies of transcripts for any postsecondary institutions attended and/or WES evaluation of coursework taken outside the US or Canada |
| English language proficiency exam results (TOEFL or IELTS) for all applicants whose native language is not English and who did not receive the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction. |
| An integrated and comprehensive essay and 1-4 short answer essays (prompts to essay questions and short answer essays are available in the application portal) |
| GRE exam results if cumulative undergraduate GPA was below 3.0. Please note, NursingCAS will calculate your cumulative undergraduate GPA - visit this website to read about the methodology. |
Prerequisites
Please note an important recent change to the GEPN prerequisite requirement: all four prerequisites must be completed no later than June 15th, but none of the courses must be completed by the application deadline.
Four prerequisites are required for admission for all GEPN applicants. These courses must be completed before June 15th prior to matriculation into the school. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better for all prerequisite courses is required. Prerequisites must be taken at an accredited college or university including community college either in person or online within the last 8 years prior to application submission. AP credits are NOT acceptable to fulfill the following required courses. The four courses required are:
- Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II with lab (4 credits/semester). May complete one semester of Anatomy and one semester of Physiology both with labs as separate courses.
- General Chemistry with lab (4 credits)
- Microbiology with lab (4 credits)
GEPN Faculty
faculty who teach in the gepn program
Laura Kierol Andrews, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC
Kassandra August-Marcucio, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, CUNP
Sandy Cayo, DNP, FNP-BC, PhD(c)
Max Greger-Moser, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Wendy Mackey, APRN-BC, MSN, CORLN
Jennifer McIntosh, PhD, RN, CNE, PMH-BC, NEA-BC