BSN to FNP ???

[4263people]

I need some advice from other Nurse's. I just was accepted to a mostly online FNP program.

Now that it is really happening I am really digging into the schools website and finding that I will be doing more than they sold me. I have not accepted their offer, but I am a bit turned off that I will be doing so much clinical time. Which means I will lose half my income. That time plus the costs of tuition which is roughly $ 30,000 plus $80,000 in lost wages over 2 years. So in the end my family will lose $110,000 and my income will be less as a FNP. The only good thing is day hours. So I have a choice I can still keep building my homecare business and potentially in 10years or so semi retire or drop it down to do a FNP program. The thought of practicing medicine is intriguing but at 41 with 2 children and a wife I am not sure if this would be the right choice. But as typically with Nurse's, I always want to keep improving. The business pays the bills well, but is not really too satisfying. Any thoughts?

[Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP]

Tough situation. A couple of questions...

Is 30k the total cost of the program?

How many hours do you need to graduate?

I ask because I am finishing my FNP program, still work full-time, and my program requires 720hrs total. The only financial hit I have taken is I no longer work overtime. For most online programs, the final semester is usually the only one that is really demanding on your time, however the other semesters aren't that terrible.

[4263people]

Well from what I see it is 44 credits at $640/credit. So $28,000 plus books and many fees. So I am guessing $35,000 ish. Don't really know. It is Concordia online. Again just got accepted and have til Aug 1 to get back to them if I want to start. I think it was 200 hours per clinical semester. I need to talk to the advisor soon, but did not get back to me today.

[futureeastcoastNP]

You wish to become a provider and make medical decisions for people that could potentially mean life or death...yet you wish you could do even LESS clinical time than required, which is already the lowest among any healthcare provider?

I'm sorry but becoming an FNP is not supposed to be an easy thing for you to do on the side in your spare time. This is graduate school to become a healthcare provider! You should be digging in and learning as much as you can, and doing as many clinical hours as you can. If you expected it to be a cakewalk hobby on the side, just turn down the offer and wait until you can get your priorities sorted out become you attend NP school.

I certaintly would never want ANY nurse practitioner taking care of me who was upset that she had to do a measly 750 clinical hours.