Are online ANP degrees destroying our credibility?

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I was talking to a private practice doctor about an opening in his practice. Currently, I am employed by the hospital. He told me that they will only consider PA's due to having more of a hard science based training and longer residency. I have heard this before and brushed it off. Especially, considering that would only be of factor for new grads possibly. I brought this up and he gave me a second rejection with a whole new excuse. His practice as a whole were considering hiring NPs until a PA brought up you can get your degree online. He stated they can not take our education seriously with such low standards. UUUURRRGGGHH. I didn't really know what to say. Mostly due to not expecting that response. Either way he is not someone I would want to work for with that attitude. I want to know what other people's thoughts are regarding the online programs? Will it hurt our profession and the quality of our reputation?

Specializes in ER.
And I can count 1 good pa and countless good nps...meaningless.
Not so meaningless when you come on here and see how many talking about how this and that office only wants pas, not nps. Not so meaningless when choosing your own educational pathway either. As stated, I would rather pa than np but that's not an option where we are going. The pa program is standardized, has more clinical hours at the provider level and is more flexible then np programs. We can round and round but you won't change my mind. I come from a family of business people and stock brokers and have been calling market trends since I was wee (successfully and much to the delight of my family). I have no doubt about what I see locally and what I suspect nationally.

As enjoyable as reading everyone's anecdotal evidence is I think it is important to point out that in every study (that I am aware of anyway) comparing NPs and Physicians there is no significant difference in quality of care or patient outcomes, between the two. In other words, any difference between NPs and Physicians is perception and not fact, regardless of what method the provider used for their education.

Specializes in ER.
As enjoyable as reading everyone's anecdotal evidence is I think it is important to point out that in every study (that I am aware of anyway) comparing NPs and Physicians there is no significant difference in quality of care or patient outcomes between the two. In other words, any difference between NPs and Physicians is perception and not fact, regardless of what method the provider used for their education.[/quote']

Actually not true. Death rates for deliveries:

.37 per 1000 md

.64 per 1000 cnm

1.31 per 1000 midwife, non nurse

And that's just to start...

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

Actually not true. Death rates for deliveries:

.37 per 1000 md

.64 per 1000 cnm

1.31 per 1000 midwife, non nurse

And that's just to start...

Can you please provide references for your "data"?

Actually not true. Death rates for deliveries:

.37 per 1000 md

.64 per 1000 cnm

1.31 per 1000 midwife, non nurse

And that's just to start...

I thought this thread was about NPs? Yes, I too would be interested in your sources.

Actually not true. Death rates for deliveries:

.37 per 1000 md

.64 per 1000 cnm

1.31 per 1000 midwife, non nurse

And that's just to start...

Any differences in the population? The MD may have a lower risk population while the midwifes may be delivering high risk population with little to no prenatal care. My exwife was a CNM and I remember at one time Louisiana had one of the highest rates of infant deaths. The CNMs helped with that until the physicians drove them away and the rates returned.

I have not read through each response, but one thing that I don't see mentioned here is the fact that even "brick and mortar" NP programs are transitioning their courses to online format! We also must differentiate between "online diploma mills" and "distance accessible MSN programs" from accredited universities. I am in my second semester of a distance accessible NP program. My didactic courses are delivered online, I must travel to campus for onsite skills evaluations, and I must complete clinical preceptorships with NPs and facilities approved by my program. Depending on the type of learner you are, this option may not be ideal, but the point is... now a days with webcam lectures etc., it is not much different than the "on-campus" programs (who deliver much of the program online anyway).

Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

I think comments made about online programs bring tne NP profession down are not only a little insulting but are completly ingnorant! Most programs now have some sort of online program, because they work. If a school is CCNE acredited then it has met the basic criteria to allow its graduates to sit for most state boards. I am attending an online university now and will graduate in Nov. 2013. I have 20 years of ICU and ER expereince, and feel very comfortable in saying that I would be happy to compare my skills to anyone who has graduated from a traditional brick and mortar school after graduation. School is what you make of it regardless of of where you go to school. Whatever your opinion about online schools are is irrelevent at this point, because they are here to stay and will become the wave of the future. If opinion about this mattered, then we would have no need for accreditation board we could start rating schools on personal opinion scales whch would give the schools with the highest number of graduates the highest rating.....This is what accreditation is for....to set the standard that schools have to meet in order to qualify to sit for the state boards. If you asked 100 APNs what the best NP school is you would likely get 100 different answers, and would any of that matter? I think we all know that the answer to that is an big fat NO!

I don't get this previous post? So what do you wanna do? NP or CRNA? Seems like you need some soul searching, yes?

That was for VicedRN

Specializes in ER, ICU, Family Practice.

I posted this to a different OP but I will repost here as it is just as applicable...

For those of us poor saps that have chosen to remain in rural America (Kansas here) going to a brick and mortar school is simply not an option. The nearest state school with an NP program is 100 miles away. God bless distance education. Those of us in the styx who desire to advance our education deserve the opportunity to do so and should not be punished because we make the decision to stay in the heartland. My online education was and has been nothing but high quality. If medical schools stopped death-gripping at tradition and utilized new technology to expand the reach of their programs, maybe we could assist in ending some of the primary care shortage out here!

Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

I have never attended an online educational program, at least not yet. But, it is not distance education that hurts the field. It is low standards in any school, online or brick and mortar. In order to become an NP, one should have attained a 3.0 GPA at the minimum, and if not, taken the GRE to compensate, have at least 2 years of nursing experience, recommendation letters, an essay, etc. Then, once in the program, there needs to be a minimum amount of clinical hours in a variety of places in order to be deemed competent.

I am looking into Frontier Nursing University, and it looks to be a sound program, listed as number 14 in the country on US News with good reviews from students who have attended the program. They ensure clinical competency through mandatory clinical hours, and have mandatory on-site meetings at the beginning of the program, and the beginning of the clinical portion. Admission, I read, is competitive. Sounds like the student is responsible for setting up their clinical portion, but they still have preceptors monitoring progress, etc. If an NP student can't figure out how to set up a good clinical component with a variety to make them well prepared, then they lack the initiative to be in the program.

There are great online schools, and great brick and mortar schools, and low quality programs in each category.

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