Are NP online degree frowned upon?

Specialties Advanced

Published

With the increase in NP online programs, would an employer hesitate to hire a NP that graduated from an online program? In addition, what is the likely hood of this 2015 doctorate law will be enforced? If this is enforced what if any effect will this have on the MSN NP in the job force? Thanks

Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

No offense but as you are not a NP, it is difficult for you to understand. The school means little in regards to how good a clinician you will be. The ONLY way to tell is to have the person do a 2 week or month locums before hiring. I recommend this for all NPs. It lets you see how they are and they see how you practice. That is the ONLY way to truly judge.

Reviewing prior "schools" the person attended will tell you nothing about how prepared the practitioner is. It will tell you nothing about how well they diagnose and treat. It will tell you nothing about their capability to see 20-30 patients or only 10. It will tell you nothing about their capability to intubate, place a line or run a code.

Great post, people (not necessarily trauma) tend to take personal offense when this issue is discussed. You choose the level and quality of education you want, you don't always get what you are paying for. Just as in anything else, some things (schools) are better than others. For profit schools don't see you as a future provider carrying their namesake, they look at you with the mindset, "how can we help them pass a test, and capitalize financially?" For profits view students as a dollar sign.

I also found it hard to believe that employers do not review prior education. Facilities are going to want the best trained candidates, to properly treat patients, maintain patient satisfaction and increase revenue. If an ill prepared practitioner comes in and cant accurately diagnose and treat, patient satisfaction drops, revenue drops, and you then become a liability.

Bottom line, as was stated, unless you have a position lined up and just need the piece of paper, a traditional university will be employed over a for profit diploma mill.

Walden's acceptance rate is over 98%. If you have a pulse and two years of experience than you get in. That makes it a poor academic institution. Diploma mills for NPs are dangerous and take away from our profession.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

@elkpark- yes of course on my CV I list all my schools. I should have been clearer and stated that no one has ever said anything negative about University of Phoenix BSN and MSN. I have two post MSN certificates and I obtained them from a local college of nursing affiliated with the large hospital system where I worked. It is actually online too. And..since I completed two programs, I did 1100 hrs of clinicals.

@16semesters - again I ask on what do you base this opinion? I'm considered a very competent APN and care for very complex pts. None of the 15 MDs in the practice have any issues with my education. They just want to ensure I am certified and licensed.

Potential employers don't have to ask where you went to school -- or are you saying that your CV and the job application forms you've filled out over the years don't have sections listing your education?

Hi elkpark,

I would like to know to what school you went to become an NP. In a previous post you mentioned you didn't have to worry about finding a preceptor because your school provided you with one. Can you please tell me the name of the school you attended.

Thanks!

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Walden's acceptance rate is over 98%. If you have a pulse and two years of experience than you get in. That makes it a poor academic institution. Diploma mills for NPs are dangerous and take away from our profession.

A) Just because one gets accepted does not mean one will successfully graduate.

B) Those schools have to get accredited too.

C) All schools are for profit. No one is giving away a free education.

D) The future of education will most likely become more reliant on technology- distance education, online education, etc. In fact, the BSN completion program at the local college will only be available online beginning this semester. The MSN program under development will be online as well.

Surely then, if they accept 98% of people, then many people should be failing out correct? If they are taking everyone then naturally many people should be doing very poorly if their problem is truly academically robust.

Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

Wow, I'm going to really try to say this nicely as I don't want my hand slapped, truly.

How can you make the rational leap from 98% acceptance --> many people should then fail.

Critical thinking is a good thing. This just does not make sense.

You are supposed to be a scientist. Show us some evidence.

Where did the 98% acceptance rate come from? Can we have your cite?

Are the Walden students failing boards? That is the test, not the acceptance rate. LOL

What do you think about this?

Faculty Credentials

The award for best online master’s degree in nurse practitioner for faculty credentials goes to Walden University. Walden ranked among the top online graduate nursing programs for faculty credentials and training, according to U.S. News & World Report. The publication reported that 87% of faculty have at least two years of experience teaching online, and training in online instruction is required before faculty can teach. The school pays for that training, U.S. News reports. In addition, 100% of the faculty who work in Walden’s School of Nursing hold doctoral degrees, according to the university’s website.

Surely then, if they accept 98% of people, then many people should be failing out correct? If they are taking everyone then naturally many people should be doing very poorly if their problem is truly academically robust.

Medical schools have been around for hundreds of years, and yet there is a total of ONE for-profit medical school in the entire country, and many physicians and pre-meds are quite unhappy about that and it had issues getting accreditation. If medicine can have such strong standards, why can't nursing? Everyone recognizes that for-profit schools diminish a profession.

Please, what is the highest ranked for-profit school on ANY ranking website? USNews, Times World Higher Education, etc. I've never seen a for profit in the top 500.

Medical schools have been around for hundreds of years, and yet there is a total of ONE for-profit medical school in the entire country, and many physicians and pre-meds are quite unhappy about that and it had issues getting accreditation. If medicine can have such strong standards, why can't nursing? Everyone recognizes that for-profit schools diminish a profession.

Please, what is the highest ranked for-profit school on ANY ranking website? USNews, Times World Higher Education, etc. I've never seen a for profit in the top 500.

There is a reason why nursing doesn't get the same respect as medicine, law, and other disciplines. These kinds of schools are a huge part of that reason. I would not want a surgeon who went to a school that accepted everyone who applied and then didn't even bother to train him or her clinically to operate on me. Why it's acceptable for NPs to be trained in that fashion is absolutely beyond me. It's embarrassing.

Also, Walden's 96% acceptance rate is from US News and World Report, a very credible source. It is currently "unranked", which says a lot.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/walden-university-25042

Also, Walden's 96% acceptance rate is from US News and World Report, a very credible source. It is currently "unranked", which says a lot.

Walden University | Best College | US News

96% acceptance to me, means they take anyone willing to pay even if they can tell from past academic performance and essays that they are not cut out for graduate work and will likely fail. That says everything about how much a "for profit" school cares for their students success. The 4% rejected are probably the ones who the school literally COULD NOT take without losing their accreditation, like people applying to graduate programs without bachelor's degrees.

How anyone doesn't understand why acceptance = better education experience is beyond me. Being selective means ensuring an intellectually sound student body.

Yeah, I have to agree, the idea that selectivity doesn't matter is a bizarre phenomenon I have only seen on this forum. In every other field, top universities are at the top for a reason, they attract the best candidates, research funding, etc., and are a pinnacle force in moving the field forward. Think Harvard medicine, Yale Law, Wharton, etc. It's only nursing where I have seen people insist that if a person is licensed, it doesn't matter what institution they attended. I think it has to do with nursing being seen as a "trade" and not an academic discipline of its own. Fortunately, I think this perception is changing as more nurse scholars make meaningful additions to healthcare science and policy. These scholars tend to attend top schools - this is not a coincidence.

I'm guessing most people would not feel fine with a MD operating on them who attended a for-profit online school with a 96% admission rate that didn't even bother to train them, but allowed them to choose their own people to learn from (for better or worse). Somehow I have a feeling most of us would not want that surgeon coming near us with a scalpel, even if they did pass their boards. Especially if we could choose a surgeon from a well-known, selective institution with standards instead. How is it okay for NPs to do the same? My mind is boggled every time this topic comes up.

+ Add a Comment