Credibility of Walden University

Specialties NP

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I am looking into FNP programs and have heard good things about Waldens program, but I am just interested in the credibility this University has when employers look at at your resume? I am tossing up Concordia University WI (which is completly online except a 2 week assessment course and you find all of your own clinicals. The cost is 570-620/credit.) and Walden Univerisity, which I am aware is entirely online and you find your own clinics. I am unaware of the cost of Walden, if anyone knows that would be great information too!

So very true! This is BTW 2013 and online education is the future!! I have been offered future NP positions from physicians in the field before I even received an acceptance letter from Walden.

That of course means that Walden's reputation had absolutely nothing to do with your job offers...

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
That of course means that Walden's reputation had absolutely nothing to do with your job offers...

I would certainly hope that a prospective employer would choose an employee based on what THEY have to offer, and not on the assumed reputation of any given university. Your statement makes absolutely NO SENSE. Was that grammatically correct enough for you?

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Is walden University MSN-FNP program accredited in California?

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
Is walden University MSN-FNP program accredited in California?

Only California-based NP programs are approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). These are schools with campuses in the State of California whether the program is online or on-campus. For example, all the University of California and California State University programs are approved as are many private institutions in the state including the NP program at a campus of University of Phoenix in Sacramento. The list is found here: Board of Registered Nursing - Advanced Practice Programs

Because Walden is CCNE accredited, you will be eligible to sit for ANCC or AANP certification once you graduate from their program. In California, graduates of NP programs not approved by the BRN are eligible for California NP licensure if they have passed a national certification exam by ANCC, AANP, AACN, PNCB, or NCC. This rule includes all graduates of the most prestigious NP programs to the less popular, "poorly regarded", online programs outside of California as long as they have national certification.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

Because Walden is CCNE accredited, you will be eligible to sit for ANCC or AANP certification once you graduate from their program. In California, graduates of NP programs not approved by the BRN are eligible for California NP licensure if they have passed a national certification exam by ANCC, AANP, AACN, PNCB, or NCC. This rule includes all graduates of the most prestigious NP programs to the less popular, "poorly regarded", online programs outside of California as long as they have national certification.

Please supply evidence based proof of this "personal opinion" about accredited schools being "poorly regarded". Or should we just accept this opinion as fact, and regard regional accreditation as useless?

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Where do you live?

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
Please supply evidence based proof of this "personal opinion" about accredited schools being "poorly regarded". Or should we just accept this opinion as fact, and regard regional accreditation as useless?

Really? give me a break! if you have a hard time understanding the intent for which my post was written there's no point in responding just to make up for whatever ill-placed hurt feelings my post caused regarding your beloved alma mater.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
Really? give me a break! if you have a hard time understanding the intent for which my post was written there's no point in responding just to make up for whatever ill-placed hurt feelings my post caused regarding your beloved alma mater.

I will give you, and people like you a break when you stop making assumptive, generalized statements about schools that you have no real knowledge about. Believe me, I have no problem understanding the intent you have in trying to make schools like "my alma mater" look bad in the eyes of anyone who enquires about them. I also assure you, that my "feelings" are far from being hurt (ill-placed or otherwise). In fact, you seem to rather defensive about your intent.

You, and a hand full of other "superiorly" educated people on this site have self-ordained themselves as the final judges and jury of all things NURSE PRACTITIONER. You have this mistaken impression that we all must need your stamp of approval on a school in order to attend said school. You have done nothing but try and make Walden look like a "diploma mill" and have, in fact, argued with me at great lengths in the past in a feeble attempt to make me and others feel like we are receiving an inferior education, when you have NOTHING to back up your claims. SO DONT TRY TO LECTURE ME ON INTENT!

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
I will give you, and people like you a break when you stop making assumptive, generalized statements about schools that you have no real knowledge about. Believe me, I have no problem understanding the intent you have in trying to make schools like "my alma mater" look bad in the eyes of anyone who enquires about them. I also assure you, that my "feelings" are far from being hurt (ill-placed or otherwise). In fact, you seem to rather defensive about your intent.

You, and a hand full of other "superiorly" educated people on this site have self-ordained themselves as the final judges and jury of all things NURSE PRACTITIONER. You have this mistaken impression that we all must need your stamp of approval on a school in order to attend said school. You have done nothing but try and make Walden look like a "diploma mill" and have, in fact, argued with me at great lengths in the past in a feeble attempt to make me and others feel like we are receiving an inferior education, when you have NOTHING to back up your claims. SO DONT TRY TO LECTURE ME ON INTENT!

Mark, for the record, I'm not Ivy League educated nor a graduate of a nationally ranked university. I am an alumni of an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program in a regionally-recognized, state funded, research intensive institution located in one of the poorest cities in the US...a city that ends up being the punchline in jokes about the economy. Last time I checked, the school's rank has fallen way below in the flawed US News ranking (#50), so I have no superiority complex whatsoever.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
I would certainly hope that a prospective employer would choose an employee based on what THEY have to offer and not on the assumed reputation of any given university. Your statement makes absolutely NO SENSE. Was that grammatically correct enough for you?[/quote']

Many employers prefer to hire graduates from a specific program. The IPA and hospital I work with has a total of 12 NPs and 10 of them graduated from the same program. This happens in the real world, for better or worse.

It doesn't mean that other programs have inferior education. It means that employers are often comfortable knowing that graduates from a specific program have done well socializing into their role in the past. Think about the common sense of the matter: if you have three employees that do a great job and they all graduated the same program, all things being equal, wouldn't you hire another employee from that program vs taking a risk on an unknown?

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
I will give you, and people like you a break when you stop making assumptive, generalized statements about schools that you have no real knowledge about. Believe me, I have no problem understanding the intent you have in trying to make schools like "my alma mater" look bad in the eyes of anyone who enquires about them. I also assure you, that my "feelings" are far from being hurt (ill-placed or otherwise). In fact, you seem to rather defensive about your intent.

You, and a hand full of other "superiorly" educated people on this site have self-ordained themselves as the final judges and jury of all things NURSE PRACTITIONER. You have this mistaken impression that we all must need your stamp of approval on a school in order to attend said school. You have done nothing but try and make Walden look like a "diploma mill" and have, in fact, argued with me at great lengths in the past in a feeble attempt to make me and others feel like we are receiving an inferior education, when you have NOTHING to back up your claims. SO DONT TRY TO LECTURE ME ON INTENT!

I realize I have been quite flippant in my responses so allow me to say just a few more things. Did I strike a nerve with you in my response to shadower180's question? I thought I gave a really honest, bias-free response to the question and I do strive to do that each time though it certainly may not come out that way to some readers. I am not sure if it was a previous post I have written that may have rekindled the kind of response I got from you but I wasn't on a "bash on Walden" frame of mind when I wrote that response. I also don't like to subject what's left of the neurons I have ruminating over where nurses should go to school to become NP's especially since oftentimes their goals are totally different than what was once mine. Take it or leave it.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
Mark, for the record, I'm not Ivy League educated nor a graduate of a nationally ranked university. I am an alumni of an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program in a regionally-recognized, state funded, research intensive institution located in one of the poorest cities in the US...a city that ends up being the punchline in jokes about the economy. Last time I checked, the school's rank has fallen way below in the flawed US News ranking (#50), so I have no superiority complex whatsoever.

If what you say here is in fact true, then why do you act like an academic bigot. Bigotry in any form I wrong. To stand in judgment of another school just because it is a "for profit university" without proof that that school is guilty of academic inferiority is just ridiculous. Are all universities hiring predatory child rapist just because Penn State did? You have not seen the curriculum, you have not attended the school, and as of NOW you don't know any NPs who have graduated from there.....but you soon will. You cant lump every for-profit school into the same category, and say they are all bad, just like you certainly can say all non-profit schools are all good. Each one has to stand or fall on their own merits, just like each NP will have to stand and fall on their own merits.

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