Advice Requested PLEASE!!!

allnurses Guide · Mar 26, 2014

I didn't go to an online program so I can't help you there.

I would urge you to consider a few things:

1. You are married with kids. By the second half of your program to can reasonably expect to have 10+ hours of didactic per week, 30 hours of clinical per week, plus (very conservatively) 10 hours of outside-of-class work per week. If you think you can work 36+ hours in your full time RN job, do the additional 50+ hours of graduate school, and have time for your spouse and family then more power to you.

2. Online vs B&M is a very individualized debate right now; take the responses you see here with a grain of salt, as this is a personal issue for many and their advice isn't so much advice but a defense of their own belief (and may not even be NPs). You can, and should, talk to local NPs in practices you would like to work and ask who they hire, if there are preferred programs, etc. You can, and should, talk to local grads of the online programs you are interested in and see how they have done with employment. Leave the debate about online vs B&M be as, for now, it is only an academic debate.

3. Preceptors. These will make or break your competence as a novice NP. You need to be very confident that either you or your school can secure quality and experienced NPs to precept you.

Best of luck.

dollikoe · Mar 31, 2014

I am attending Arnp school full time and I work full time and am a single mom raising 2 children with a 97 average. Bottom line is whether u attend online or at a physical location school it is all about how driven you are. I have friends who are attending school "brick and morter" and end up with one day a week in class and the rest online. They say they feel like going to class wasted time. So I chose a highly recommended online school where I will fly out a couple of times, and occasionally drive to a physical satellite school. I had no problem finding a preceptor. I called until I found one. Decide you are going to go, research a school that fits and then tell yourself nothing will stop you. You will be fine. Excuses are open doors for failure

dollikoe · Mar 31, 2014

Agreed. It's unfortunate that we seek only to throw rocks In front of each others feet to trip on as a profession, rather than help and be supportive. I'm doing it and she can too. Bottom line

dollikoe · Mar 31, 2014

Why must everyone be so discouraging

dollikoe · Mar 31, 2014

I am attending Arnp school full time and I work full time and am a single mom raising 2 children with a 97 average. Bottom line is whether u attend online or at a physical location school it is all about how driven you are. I have friends who are attending school "brick and morter" and end up with one day a week in class and the rest online. They say they feel like going to class wasted time. So I chose a highly recommended online school where I will fly out a couple of times, and occasionally drive to a physical satellite school. I had no problem finding a preceptor. I called until I found one. Decide you are going to go, research a school that fits and then tell yourself nothing will stop you. You will be fine. Excuses are open doors for failure

Look at south Alabama

University of south florida

And chamberlain

All have tuition total cost

2BFNP29 · Mar 31, 2014

@dollikoe which program did you decide on? Thank you for the encouragement. I would gladly go sit in class if I could, but in my rural area-- the closest program to go to is almost 2 hours away. The question wasn't should I-- which is what some are telling me I shouldn't-- the question was which program. Thank you again for your encouragement.

dollikoe · Mar 31, 2014

I researched about seven schools extensively. Some in my area and some out. It came to two. University of south Alabama, which was recommended by my former professor to attend. They are running a huge online program and u have to fly out maybe twice. It opens enrollment only a couple of times a year but had specialties like acute care geriatric and family etc. the other recommended hitch I narrowed down to was chamberlain. I have friends who attended and felt like it was very manageable yet still you were very prepared for boards. Again flyin out once or twice to Illinois but the satellite campus in my area will suffice for any other attendance requirement. The advisors are extremely helpful and will even look for scholarships for you. I researched schools for about six months, from the recommendations. Chamberlain runs one class at a time, each lasting 8 weeks. This is great for me so I can focus completely and the theme changes fast. Hope this helps you

IrishIzCPNP, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Apr 1, 2014

I am attending Arnp school full time and I work full time and am a single mom raising 2 children with a 97 average. Bottom line is whether u attend online or at a physical location school it is all about how driven you are. I have friends who are attending school "brick and morter" and end up with one day a week in class and the rest online. They say they feel like going to class wasted time. So I chose a highly recommended online school where I will fly out a couple of times, and occasionally drive to a physical satellite school. I had no problem finding a preceptor. I called until I found one. Decide you are going to go, research a school that fits and then tell yourself nothing will stop you. You will be fine. Excuses are open doors for failure
Look at south Alabama
University of south florida
And chamberlain
All have tuition total cost
Chamberlain can't have a reputation for "good turnout" if you mean they have well prepared FNPs...they have how many FNP graduates?
I like chamberlain for their RN to BSN but..let's be careful about suggesting something not yet happening.

futureeastcoastNP · Apr 1, 2014

Chamberlain is a for profit business. I'd look elsewhere first...

dollikoe · Apr 1, 2014

everyone has their own opinion. show me any single school which is not a "for profit" business. they all are. this is disappointing because I thought this site would contain professional productive conference. same old nursing behavior.

The negativity is not productive or progressive. its sad actually.

Drawing from 125 years of educating extraordinary nurses, Chamberlain’s MSN degree program was ranked among the best online graduate nursing programs for 2013 by U.S. News & World Report. The MSN degree program is accredited by the CCNE. The FNP program is fairly new, but they have a longstanding history of nursing education, and if any "new" programs are not attended by new students, they don't develop and grow. Bottom line is, you get out of it only what you put into it. I have friends who attended university state and said they felt completely unprepared and had to take an additional 6 months to cram, attend seminars and study. Curriculum must be fulfilled per standards of the ANA. the schools provide that. its all generic. What we do with it is our own choice. That's all there is.

futureeastcoastNP · Apr 1, 2014

everyone has their own opinion. show me any single school which is not a "for profit" business. they all are. this is disappointing because I thought this site would contain professional productive conference. same old nursing behavior.

There is nothing negative about informing a potential student about a school being for profit, but I apologize if it offended you. Most schools are not for profit - the best schools in the country are not for profit. Schools such as Harvard, Yale, ect. are not for profit, as evidenced by the fact that they provide full tuition to anyone who cannot afford it. Contrast this with for profit schools, where they have no reason to give full financial aid as the only reason they exist is to make a profit. They are first and foremost about shareholders and maximizing profit. They do not invest in top professors or equipment, or spend money on research and new libraries for their students. There is, and always will be, a difference between for profit and not for profit schools. Yes, they both charge tuition and I could see how that would make you think they are "all" for profit, but the difference is that at a not for profit that tuition goes to covering instruction, research, and financial aid programs - the money goes back into the school. At a for profit, the vast majority of a students tuition money goes into the pockets of investors.

It is each students choice what type of school they wish to attend, but for profits have long had documented problems and there is nothing negative about helping a confused potential student understand that.

dollikoe · Apr 1, 2014

here is some productive and developmental information to put a positive spin on things for this uplifting conversation.

go to Best Online Nursing Programs | Online Nursing Rankings | US News

this site ranks online msn/fnp programs and there are hundreds, so this helps a lot. The one thing I looked at was how choosy the school is, and the student satisfaction rates etc. starting there is good. I have a friend attending Merryville, she said there is a lot of group work if you don't mind that, and she is paying a pretty big tuition, but likes it. South Alabama is another good option and came recommended by a DNP professor I studied under at another school.