Advice Requested PLEASE!!!

Would have to know your state?

It's totally doable to work full time during your first year. End of second year, clinical hours are increased with heavy didactic. I went on campus 2-3x (skills labs, comprehensive exam, etc) and had two site visits. Site visits were toward the end of the program.

Mississippi-- guess I left that part out. FNP is really what I want to do, I always have-- I have put it off too long. I really need help with deciding on the right program though, any advice is really appreciated.

Do not start an online program until you know for sure you have preceptors lined up. You will need a couple NP preceptors, depending on the program, OB, FP, do some internal med and ER. Online programs do not help you find preceptors and this has caused a lot of problems for folks doing an online degree. Also check with your state BON to make sure they recognize online programs, and check with the school to make sure they are on your BON's list of approved programs. If not, find another program or do brick and mortar. Several folks went through the same program as me only to be told the program was not accepted in their state. Not a good situation!

Zenman is right - the not finding preceptors thing is not limited to online programs. Many brick and mortar programs have started to do the same thing, unfortunately. In addition, not all online programs force you to find them yourself - there are many online programs that line up your preceptors - Georgetown, Duke, Simmons, etc. Rather than an online vs B&M division, I'm finding it is more of a top school versus lower ranked school issue (in general).

There are hundreds of online FNP programs. Start looking through and decide which best meets your needs. Some things to look at:

1. Look at the curriculum. Does it seem challenging enough?

2. Cost - can you afford it?

3. Preceptors - do they help line up preceptors?

4. Campus visits - how many, when? (You don't want NO campus visits as you don't want a program that doesn't evaluate their students. Two or three visits is usually optimal)

5. Part time vs full time - do they offer the enrollment status you desire? I've found it is harder to find full time programs than part time. Ask specifically if they are taking full time students.

6. Reputation - not for profit schools tend to have the better reputation. I would avoid the for profits (Walden, Phoenix, Chamberlain) as there are a lot of strong opinions about those schools and it COULD hinder your job search

I am going to be a fly in the ointment here....hopefully respectful and advise you:

1. if you need to work full time, you are not ready to commit to being a FNP student.

2. A brick and mortar school though no guarantee of success offers a more professional and successful process to be a competent

Provider. My opinion is that online programs are not in anyway a plus for our profession.

i am sure there are NP's who have been successful with online programs, and NP's that go to B/M schools that have not. I however personally remain very skeptical of them as many do.

cordially, with respect

a

I do respect your opinion, but with that being said-- this is what I truly want to do, which is why I asked for advice on the best way to accomplish it. I know it will be difficult, but never attempting is a bigger failure than not trying. Me having to work-- is not an indicator of commitment, but an indicator of responsibility. There will be plenty of people who don't suggest it, and plenty that do-- and the ones that have is what I am looking for. But yes, I thank you and appreciate your opinion.

Now-- if anyone else has additional school suggestions would be a great help. Thanks!

well stick with it! I have no ability for precognition here!

and sorry I have no advice on schools.

cordially

a

I am going to be a fly in the ointment here....hopefully respectful and advise you:

1. if you need to work full time, you are not ready to commit to being a FNP student.

2. A brick and mortar school though no guarantee of success offers a more professional and successful process to be a competent

Provider. My opinion is that online programs are not in anyway a plus for our profession.

i am sure there are NP's who have been successful with online programs, and NP's that go to B/M schools that have not. I however personally remain very skeptical of them as many do.

cordially, with respect

a

many of the B and M programs still offer the majority of their classes online. There are definitely online programs that I think prepare more competent providers than some B and M programs. Examples would include those I mentioned above, such as Duke, Vanderbilt, etc.

1. But...I worked fulltime during my NP program and with the stress of being in Bangladesh with riots, embassy lockdowns, rickshaw robbings, no good Tex-Mex, etc., and I think just the opposite. If you have to work FT and still want to be an NP, then you are probably a very motivated individual. 2. Why, why, why do you guys keep coming up with these blanket statements? Why, why, why don't you look at the research about distance education? This is the 21 st century the last time I checked and with the advances in technology there should be corresponding advances in education. I went to Rush by the way and I'm sure you've heard of that school. Some of our assignments were online assignments from very well known medical schools bu tdon't let anyone know that! Slap therapy.[/quote']

This is awesome, dying here. ? I love how you casually throw in "no good Tex-Mex" with riots, embassy lockdowns, etc.