Master of Science in Nursing Entry (MSN-E)
Meet the MSN-E Administration & Support Staff
MSN-E Program Director Michael Marinello, MSN, RN and
Assistant Program Director Gwendelyn Orozco, PhDc, MSN.Ed, RNC-OB
Welcome MSNE students from Michael Marinello, MSN-E Program Director (pictured left), and Assistant Program Director Gwendolyn Orozco. You are embarking on a wonderful adventure into a career of which there is no other. As the Director and Assistant Director of the MSN-E program, we will be the first professors you will get to know. You will be introduced to the world of nursing in Nursing Fundamentals in the first semester. In the simulation lab, you will learn communication and skills such as providing hygiene, taking vital signs, administration of medications, injections and so on. Formally, we will serve as advisors to some of you, and informally to many of you. Once again welcome. You will love it here.
Welcome to the College of Graduate Nursing (CGN) and congratulations on taking this great step forward into the nursing profession! I have been a nurse for more than 37 years and I cannot think of a better profession to grow both professionally and personally. My expertise lies in the maternal newborn health where I currently still practice as a labor and delivery nurse. I teach maternal newborn health, both didactic and clinical. I also teach community health practicum, mental health practicum, and various other courses in the program as needed. I serve as the Inter-professional Education (IPE) Liaison and represent CGN among the other colleges that make up Western University of Health Sciences. In IPE you will have a chance to learn the nurse’s role in interacting with your colleagues from the other colleges. I currently serve as the Sigma Theta Tau (STT) Phi Alpha Chapter President and encourage you to accept your invitation to join STT-Phi Alpha and become an active member. Look for this invitation sometime next year and join this esteemed international nursing honor society.
I admire the comradery and care that each cohort has for each other. You and your new student nurse colleagues will find your time at CGN to be a challenging time of growth, but a time to thrive, and make life long memories. So, welcome again to a step in the right direction!!
MSN-E Program Manager, Alexandria Escobedo, MBA
Alexandria (Alex) Escobedo is the staff member providing administrative support to the MSN-E program. She works with faculty and students within the pre-licensure portion of the MSN-E program on campus assisting the director and assistant director of the MSN-E program, securing clinical rotations, collaborating with the MSN-E team on clinical placement, on-boarding clinical instructors, and providing student clinical clearances. Her main responsibilities include: assisting the Director of the MSN-E program, arranging and proctoring computer based testing for MSN-E courses, providing and collecting paperwork for clinical rotations. For MSN-E program-specific question, you can contact me at aescobedo@westernu.edu.
MSN-E Program Specific Orientation on August 4th
As a new MSN-E student, you will obtain pertinent information about your program on Thursday, August 4th from 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. You will receive information about the program curriculum, clinical hours, and much more. You will also have an opportunity to meet the program director, faculty, and support staff. MSN-E students will report on-campus to AMP I (Prem Reddy) classroom on the first floor of the Health Professions Center (HPC) building for program-specific day. The address for the HPC building is listed below:
Health Professions Center (HPC)
Room: AMP I (Prem Reddy), First Floor
521 E. Third Street
Pomona, CA 91766
MSN-E FAQs
- Will I be expected to keep my CPR current? Yes, your BLS CPR is not just to get you into the program but will be needed throughout the program and into your nursing career.
- Will I need to monitor my health clearance while in the program? Yes, you will need to keep track of your Tb result and Tdap expiration dates, and follow-up with your provider on outstanding boosters or titer results. You may be asked a repeat your Tb test multiple times throughout the program due to clinical site policies. Students who are not in compliance will be sent home from class/clinical rotations.
- I noticed that there is a long list of textbooks required for fall semester. Will every semester be like that? No, you will soon discover that many of the textbooks that are required for your first semester are used more than once in the program. Before you resell or get rid of any of your textbooks each semester you may want to talk to your faculty about which ones may be used again in a later semester. It is strongly recommended that you do not rent textbooks because you will be using many textbooks throughout the program.
- Can I choose what hospital my clinicals will be scheduled in each semester of the pre-licensure portion of the MSN-E program?
Generally speaking, no. The college has certain hospital partners lined up for each semester based on the patient population that each hospital serves, to coincides with the patient types needed for each semesters program of study. If the semester covers pediatric nursing then the hospital partners for that semester would be those hospitals that have pediatric patients and that also have available clinical slots open for our school. Students are put into groups by the faculty and each semester you will very likely be in a different hospital, with different group members and varied clinical faculty. During the first four semesters of the program, while you are learning the role of a nurse, the goal of clinical scheduling will revolve around creating varied and unique experiences for you and your classmates. Although some attention may be given to student preferences, the overall goal is to give a well-rounded and diverse experience. It is important to work within different hospital organizations, so that when the time comes to find your first RN job you will have a connection to and an understanding of more than one organization. - Is there an extended/part time version of the MSNE program curriculum? An extended version of the curriculum is not available for the MSN-E program.
If you still have additional questions, please email Eva Badouin at ebadouin@westernu.edu.