Graduate Entry Pre-Specialty in Nursing (GEPN)

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 is continue continue on with their graduate study which include theory , practice , and research . student are admit into their designate specialty when accept into the program . The Certificate is are in nursing and a license to practice nursing in Connecticut are the two prerequisite require for the GEPN student to continue with their graduate work to earn their MSN degree .

Students must select a Specialty when they apply to the GEPN Program. More information about our Specialties is available here.

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: 

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 credit / semester ) . May complete one semester of Anatomy and one semester of Physiology both with lab as separate course .
• General Chemistry with lab ( 4 credit )
• microbiology with lab ( 4 credit )

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)

Elizabeth Cohen, Pharm D

Joanna Cole , RN , APRN , FNP – BC

Daihnia Dunkley, PhD, RN

Linda Ghampson , MSN , RN , CHSE

Max Greger-Moser, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC

Wendy Mackey , APRN – BC , MSN , corln

Travis McCann, MSN

Jennifer McIntosh, phd , RN , CNE , PMH – BC , NEA – BC

Sharen McKay , phd

Christine Rodriguez, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, MDiv, MA

Marlene St. Juste ,   MSN , APRN , FNP – BC