Are online ANP degrees destroying our credibility?

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nursegirl2001

101 Posts

IrishIzRN

First of all congrats on starting your PNP program online in September:cheers: However, if your job won't allow any flexibility relative to your school schedule, how are you going to go about doing your clinicals next year and work too??? There is no way around that, we have to have the clinical time......?????

Also I am so glad that the online experience has worked for your mom as it has for many others of us who love truly love what we do !!!!:nurse:

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

Thank you! I have no doubt that I will be well educated even though it's online!!!

My work won't give me set days off on a regular basis...that is a fact. The clinicals and and such I'm going to try my best to work them around my work schedule. I cut back my hours at work to 2 12s to allow more time for clinicals. I also have on campus time that I have to do and will use PTO time for that or just call out.

There is the chance that at some point working and this program won't work out and work will go! If the program wasn't online I would have to quit work...no chance it would be doable. So online gives me a hope of working and going to school...knowing that works hours may need to be cut more. I've considered going back to per diem when it gets rough.

IrishIzRN

First of all congrats on starting your PNP program online in September:cheers: However, if your job won't allow any flexibility relative to your school schedule, how are you going to go about doing your clinicals next year and work too??? There is no way around that, we have to have the clinical time......?????

Also I am so glad that the online experience has worked for your mom as it has for many others of us who love truly love what we do !!!!:nurse:

nursegirl2001

101 Posts

Good girl !!!!!!!!!!:cheers: :w00t: The job will most likely have to go. Right now I am a DON of a homehealth agency and it can be really demanding......however, it soon will be a thing of the past as well. NOTHING is going to mess this up with God's divine help. Let me tell you, some supervisors hate to see other nurses advance and will sabotage progress. This is our career(s). I do not have time to worry about what others feel about what I am doing. It is not up for discussion...this is my dream and mine alone. So we will proceed prayerfully and seriously moving towards our completed degree. It is really disgusting though for jobs to refuse to accomodate a school schedule but oh well. That just means something better is in the making !!!!

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

I actually think I should be able to keep the job to be honest. I may need to go per diem but I should be okay to keep the position...actually need to keep the position because I get a 25% discount on my tuition. So if it gets bad I just go per diem and I only have to do 1 8 every 2 weeks....I can do that. I'm not a typical student at all. I have a much more complicated life than most and have proven the ability to juggle more than normal...I have 5 kids (1 with CP and EDS, 1 with autism and EDS, 1 with EDS, 1 with EDS and under 2 years of age, and then my 15 year old). I did my BSN with them and still had a 3.75 GPA...and worked 3 12 hour night shifts. So I should be okay working...though may need to do per diem eventually.

My director for the unit (not NM) told me if I need anything let her know. I'll use that bit if I need to go per diem or need specific times off for clinicals or on campus sessions. I'm ready to work my relationships!

Good girl !!!!!!!!!!:cheers: :w00t: The job will most likely have to go. Right now I am a DON of a homehealth agency and it can be really demanding......however, it soon will be a thing of the past as well. NOTHING is going to mess this up with God's divine help. Let me tell you, some supervisors hate to see other nurses advance and will sabotage progress. This is our career(s). I do not have time to worry about what others feel about what I am doing. It is not up for discussion...this is my dream and mine alone. So we will proceed prayerfully and seriously moving towards our completed degree. It is really disgusting though for jobs to refuse to accomodate a school schedule but oh well. That just means something better is in the making !!!!

nursegirl2001

101 Posts

wow !!!! you are one of the lucky ones !!!!! i have spoken with nps who have adamantly stated that in graduate np school, it is not easy and is very demanding and that they were not able to work full-time and keep up studies. i do not have to work full-time right now and am going to take advantage of that and hopefully excel in this program. other graduate programs are more lenient and doable but it would take nursing to be more complicated. the grading system is horrendous also and looks like this:

the following grading system is used for maryville school of health professions nursing program students:

an overall gpa of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program.

[table=class: yiv660040988msonormaltable, width: 100%]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]grade[color=#30302f]

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]percentage[color=#30302f]

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]a

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]94-100%

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]a

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]92-93%

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]b+

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]90-91%

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]b

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]87-89%

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]b-

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]85-86%

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

please note: if a grade of c+, c, or c- is received in one course, h/she will be placed on academic probation. if 2 or more grades of c+, c, or c-'s are received in courses, h/she will be academically suspended from the program.

[table=class: yiv660040988msonormaltable, width: 100%]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]c+

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]83-84%

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]c

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]80-82%

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]c-

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]78-79

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

please note: if a grade of "d" or below is received, h/she will be academically dismissed from the program.

[table=class: yiv660040988msonormaltable, width: 100%]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]d

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]71-77

[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]f

[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]70 and below

[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

I personally would not put my license on the line or any of my worldly assets for that matter, to go to an online to get an NP and think I was going to actually be responsible for decisions that effect patient's lives. And to be writting prescriptions to boot.

But then again, there are some out there who just seem to follow the money and have the cavalier attitude, the consequences be damned.

I guess that's the attitude that gets alot of nurses today reported to the BON and end up with their licenses taken away and sued.

Holy snarky comments on this thread, good lord! I am on online graduate. There were problems with my program and I would have loved to go to a B&M school, but being a military spouse sort of prevented that for me with 3 military moves in the 3 years I spent in the program. The idea that I was "following the money" and trying to backdoor into practicing medicine is ridiculous as is the assertion that online graduates have lower exam scores than our B&M counterparts. I speak only for myself and absolutely won't generalize this to all online graduates because I seem to remember learning something about that sort of thing in my clearly inferior graduate statistics class, but my certification exam scores were above the 90th percentile. I feel fortunate that I work in an area where NPs are valued because we may be the only option for primary care. You can have your snobby docs who don't want online-prepared NPs in their specialty practices, I will keep my not very impressive pay and the job satisfaction of taking care of patients that are happy someone will see them.

asue

11 Posts

Asue, I have quite a few friends who have either graduated already from this program or who are in the thick of it currently. I have yet to hear any of them say something like, "Whew! That was easy!" Many have been happy with the degree/experience they received from the program, but they usually feel that they did 90% self-teaching. But then, that's pretty much the gist of online programs. Some others do have lecture components online or live online chat sessions. Not so with USA, or at least not in my program. People who aren't very focused fall behind quickly, especially if they lack much self-discipline. Procrastinators CAN make it through, but it's awfully hard on them because of the amount of material presented at one time. Makes it easy to fall behind quickly. They only allow one C to be made for any of your courses. After the first C is made, if you make a C in another course, then you must repeat that course. The best way to go about this program to maximize your chances for success and learning is to take all of the extraneous courses (Pharm, Patho, Assessment, Research, Policy, Theory, etc) prior to beginning the clinical portion. This allows you maximum time to devote to the classes that really matter, which in turn allows you to be more successful in clinicals. The clinical portion only begins once a year, and it is in the fall. So spend a year prior finishing up the other courses rather than taking them at the same time. This will save oodles of heartache. And I don't know about you, but I would much rather be thinking of skills to be performed in clinicals than what to write about in my Theory class paper.

.

So I've glanced through my plan of study and it looks like I'll have all of the classes you talked about before I start my clinical portion! So I have some questions about how they've changed the curriculum to doctoral level classes? I have like 4 600 level classes...they weren't on the course of study that was on the website. Makes me nervous!!!!!!

ivanh3

472 Posts

Specializes in ER and family advanced nursing practice.

Lots of posts here. Some good thoughts. And then there are some that are, well, not so well thought out. Before anyone goes and trashes "online" or "brick and mortar" anything, maybe you should do some research. If you have some stats that show that patient outcomes suffer at the hands of online educated folks then bring it. If you don't then go get your grant and figure it out. It is 2012. Many state and "respected" schools are offering online options. Cash cow? That is so ugly and ignorant. They are institutions trying to stay current and relevant. Meanwhile people like me who never would have had a chance (not because I am stupid, but because I was raising a child and trying to support a family) get to go to school. Am I glad that I didn't have to miss work, drive to a campus, park, walk to class, and then listen to a lecturer read out of book or watch a power point? You betcha. I can do that online. Instructor and classmates interaction? I got that out the yin yang. Phone, email, and classroom software (Blackboard, web ct, etc). For the record: nurse practitioner students in distance programs complete the same amount of clinical hours as their brick and mortar counter parts. These clinicals are not online! And my goodness, a physician or a PA threatened by the growing emergence, prevalence, and power of NPs?!?! Say it isn't so! (How's that for snarky?) In reality, most physicians, PAs, and NPs respect each other and get along quite nicely. The physicians I work for are completely supportive and respective of my role. They have stated that they need me, and I am a member of the family so to speak. Yes, we can improve NP education. We strive for that all of the time. In fact that is why NP training is constantly evolving. A static profession is one that will be irrelevant one day. That is not what I signed up for. Just my .02

Ivan

zenman

1 Article; 2,806 Posts

good post. i’m an old guy but it amazes me that people advance with the times and technology but refuse to do the same in regards to education. to me sitting in a classroom is like using a walkman or 8 track player to listen to music vs an ipod. they also want evidence based medicine but then don’t look at the evidence that the education experts have on distance education. holy moses, i just finished an online course on environmental medicine from the university of arizona medical school. i’m smarter today than i was yesterday. :)

Tinabeanrn

337 Posts

Specializes in family nurse practitioner.

I honestly think that it is difficult to accept change in our society. It's hard for ppl to view online classes as being adequate as the in classroom courses and education they took. Probably because its outside the norm and its hard to gage the intentions of the program. Is it online just to get more ppl to enroll and to make more money? I can't speak for the quality of an online education because I attended class on campus. I do think that as time goes on more programs will be offered online. Only time will tell if it is hurting the profession or not. And there will always be ppl against it and for it. Its just the way it is. Anyone attending school needs to do their homework on that school, regardless if its online or not, and be sure that its going to be a quality education. I'm no expert, just my opinion :)

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

i fully anticipate that life is pretty much going to suck for the next 3 years. i have the ability to juggle a lot at one time...i juggle more day to day than the average person. i know that the next 3 years are going to be a true test for how much i can take. i'm going into this trying to do everything i can but knowing at some point...something might need to give.

it's going to be rough. this is just another time in my life where if i hear somebody say they are too busy to do something i generally can throw it back in their face they just don't want it bad enough.

i love hearing people with 1 or 2 kids tell me they are too busy to go back to school. right. i'm not busy with 5 kids (4 with specials needs), work, school and my husband (who is partner in a company and starting rn school)...i'm not busy at all lol. so just one more challenge...

wow !!!! you are one of the lucky ones !!!!! i have spoken with nps who have adamantly stated that in graduate np school, it is not easy and is very demanding and that they were not able to work full-time and keep up studies. i do not have to work full-time right now and am going to take advantage of that and hopefully excel in this program. other graduate programs are more lenient and doable but it would take nursing to be more complicated. the grading system is horrendous also and looks like this:

the following grading system is used for maryville school of health professions nursing program students:

an overall gpa of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program.

[table=class: yiv660040988msonormaltable, width: 100%]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]grade[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]percentage[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]a[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]94-100%[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]a[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]92-93%[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]b+[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]90-91%[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]b[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]87-89%[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]b-[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]85-86%[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

please note: if a grade of c+, c, or c- is received in one course, h/she will be placed on academic probation. if 2 or more grades of c+, c, or c-'s are received in courses, h/she will be academically suspended from the program.

[table=class: yiv660040988msonormaltable, width: 100%]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]c+[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]83-84%[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]c[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]80-82%[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]c-[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]78-79[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

please note: if a grade of "d" or below is received, h/she will be academically dismissed from the program.

[table=class: yiv660040988msonormaltable, width: 100%]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]d[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]71-77[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td] [color=#30302f]f[/td]

[td] [color=#30302f]70 and below[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

nursegirl2001

101 Posts

Ivan:

I loved your post !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:w00t::cheers:

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