A faster route to FNP?

[michaeleo]

I'm a 30yr old male, about to be medically retired from the army... I was interested in the FNP route, because it sounds like something that really interests me, working more on the diagnostic and long term care end of nursing. I don't have much desire to be an RN, but I know it's a means to the end, and a requirement.

I was wondering if this might possible work......

Instead of going BSN, another year or two of clinical experience, THEN getting in a 2 year FNP program, which would take 7-8 years.....

Would it be feasible to go associates... working as an RN while completing a RN-BSN which would allow me to pick up my 1-2 years of clinical experience during my first 4 years... then apply to an FNP program???

I could cut the 7-8 yr spread down to 6 years??

The difference I see, is that I can knock out my clinical experience needed while I finish my BSN in nursing, effectively eliminating 1-2 years between schooling, also allowing myself not to break from school for an extended period of time. Is that at all feasible?

I don't care how much time per day I have to invest, or if it makes the last 2 years of BSN stressful timewise.

Does part time count as clinical experience??? Most NP programs say atleast a year... the ones I am looking at anyways... Working part time as an RN during an RN-BSN will be fine for me.

A few things to consider:

Money is not an issue, I will be receiving 100% disability from VA and free medical insurance for life.

School costs are not an issue. I have up to 6 years of absolutely free schooling from VA Voc Rehab, all expenses paid in full, and a monthly stipend on top of my retirement/disability.

Thanks,

Mike

[DirtyBlackSocks]

I don't know anything military benefits...but as a tax-paying American citizen, I hope we're going to cover all your education since you chose to serve our country.

The only two routes I know of are Chapter 31 which is a program designed for Veteran's who have incurred disability's that hinder their ability to integrate into the civilian work force, and the GI Bill. Unfortunately the two can't be used together, and if you exhaust your GI Bill before going Chapter 31 it's a lot harder to get into the program (but they discourage joining the program if you haven't used your GI Bill).

At either rate, the Chapter 31 program pays you a whopping $850 a month if you have two dependents to go to school full time, on top of all school related expenses. But only covers up to 48 months of training, and requires that you obtain a degree by the end of that 48 months.

It's a nice program to have, I know I'd be a lot worse off without it, but it's definitely flawed.The pay rate requires you to work on top of full time school - while you're contractually bound to hold at least a 3.5 GPA. It's definitely not easy.

[michaeleo]

I know the rating for the army and VA is different. I have 1 med board condition that is 30% minimum from the army (I expect the cheap skates to give me the minimum). I do however have 3 other service connected disabilities... between the 4 conditions, 3 are a minimum of 50% so I will get 100% from the VA one way or another, and have completely all the testing requirements for said conditions.

I can use voc rehab because of the arguement that infantryman with sniper training is not valid work experience and training for the civilian sector since I cannot work in security or for a police force due to disabilities... I don't know if I plan to use voc rehab because of the "pain in the ass" factor....

I have 36 months of benefits under the post 9/11 GI bill, which my BAH or Stipend will be over 1300 per month for my home area... I also have access to other education benefits, and state tuition for decorated combat veterans. One way or the other, my college is payed for, and what isn't covered I'll take out in a very small studen loan... shouldn't need one, but preparing myself to need one... I also have a fair amount of cash (4 deployments worth) put away for a rainy day....

As far as bridge programs, they sound interesting. My issues is that RN's generally working a couple years pick up alot of knowledge and experience that helps in various areas, especially diagnostics. I don't want to lose out on that knowledge and end up being some idiot who THINKS he can care for patients individually. I want to know I'm offering my patients the best extended medical care that I can possibly offer....

ADN to MSN programs? I havn't seen a single one in my research. That's interesting. I also thought PA programs were master's level programs only. I have never heard of an associate's in PA. I'd also be interested in seeing the sources for this information please....

I'll google around, thanks ALOT for all the useful information that all of you have given so far. I'm very impressed by the prompt replies!!

[DirtyBlackSocks]

I know the rating for the army and VA is different. I have 1 med board condition that is 30% minimum from the army (I expect the cheap skates to give me the minimum). I do however have 3 other service connected disabilities... between the 4 conditions, 3 are a minimum of 50% so I will get 100% from the VA one way or another, and have completely all the testing requirements for said conditions.

I can use voc rehab because of the arguement that infantryman with sniper training is not valid work experience and training for the civilian sector since I cannot work in security or for a police force due to disabilities... I don't know if I plan to use voc rehab because of the "pain in the ass" factor....

I have 36 months of benefits under the post 9/11 GI bill, which my BAH or Stipend will be over 1300 per month for my home area... I also have access to other education benefits, and state tuition for decorated combat veterans. One way or the other, my college is payed for, and what isn't covered I'll take out in a very small studen loan... shouldn't need one, but preparing myself to need one... I also have a fair amount of cash (4 deployments worth) put away for a rainy day....

As far as bridge programs, they sound interesting. My issues is that RN's generally working a couple years pick up alot of knowledge and experience that helps in various areas, especially diagnostics. I don't want to lose out on that knowledge and end up being some idiot who THINKS he can care for patients individually. I want to know I'm offering my patients the best extended medical care that I can possibly offer....

ADN to MSN programs? I havn't seen a single one in my research. That's interesting. I also thought PA programs were master's level programs only. I have never heard of an associate's in PA. I'd also be interested in seeing the sources for this information please....

I'll google around, thanks ALOT for all the useful information that all of you have given so far. I'm very impressed by the prompt replies!!

Voc Rehab isn't too much of a PIA to get into, it just takes time. Everything with the VA takes time on initial entry into the system.

After your initial seminar at the regional VA's office for Voc. Rehab - you're generally looking at an additional 6 months to be accepted into the program. That's about how long it took me. All in all it took me just over a year to get into school through Chapter 31 - between waiting for the VA to recognize my disability rating, to applying into the program itself.

After that you're golden. Every Voc Rehab counselor I've ever had is an advocate for the Veterans themselves, not the Government. They will do everything in their power to make sure you succeed, even if that means calling the school's Dean to pull strings for you. I have not had any bad experience with the Voc Rehab advocates themselves, the system is simply a long process.

Just making sure you're prepared for it, hurry up and wait doesn't just apply to being active anymore, haha. Good luck in what you choose to do! I would definitely take advantage of everything made available - especially Chapter 31 after you exhaust your GI Bill. Do not get overwhelmed when you're transitioning back into civilian life - it can be hard - just remember that you've earned every benefit available to you out here in the world.

You can fight back and forth with the Army med board all you want - and it usually results in a higher disability rating, but you're already well aware of how slow they move. In the end, as long as you show over 30% (I think that's the percentage that's requested to be considered medically retired vs medically disabled in the Army?) on your DD214 I would not fight over it too much.

EDIT: Also when you're out - especially if you've seen combat - you'll likely get a PTSD rating from the VA. That in itself is reason enough to be admitted into the Chapter 31 program. You do not need to show a PTSD rating through the VA to be accepted into Chapter 31 - you simply need to visit a VA Hospital for an intake screening, where there is a mandatory psych screen - and report those findings to a Chapter 31 counselor.

Hook up with one of the Veterans Of Foreign War Advocates that are in each VA Hospital to learn a lot more about what's available to you - but make sure you speak with an actual representative of the VA as well. The VFW Advocates will be a lot more honest with you, the true VA rep's are the ones who know what paperwork to file and how to properly file it.