Are Online MSN-FNP Programs Legit?

[kmgrn09]

Is it looked down upon to get an MSN-FNP from an online school? Would it be better to get one in person? What about a DNP? I know it would be a lot easier to go and do it online, with the exception maybe being that I would need to find my own preceptor. I graduate nursing school this year and am just looking into my options for the future. I do plan on getting a few years of experience before going back, but I am just super curious about the whole online MSN thing and if it is worth it. If so, does anyone have any schools they recommend that are well-respected? I have decent grades, so I'm not worried about getting into a school, I just want to make sure I choose the right one! Thanks for all your help!

[Buyer beware, BSN]

This is a great question.

The answer depends on your particular leaning style.

In other words, your comfort zone.

I believe that if you go to a reputable school the initial courses you need to take can be done online.

Towards the later part of the program, and they're all slightly different, you may want to be in a ground school, as they're referred to, to take research and the precepted courses. This approach will afford you somewhat more give and take and rigor with the instructor and fellow students.

Know that unless you are well connected with the preceptor community, both NPs and physicians, any school that tells you you have to go out and find them yourself is trying to pawn-off on you a service they for the most part should be providing. This goes double for males. (Why?)-OB/GYN.

There is intense competition for preceptors (teachers) in most localities. You must know that in this area you are competing not only with your fellow students but other NP, PA and medical schools.

Some of these schools have contractual relations with preceptors which puts you at an incredible disadvantage if you go to a school that doesn't. So you have to have this issue nailed down ahead of time.

You will generally need 5 preceptors to include, and this requirement may vary from program to program: assessment, adult, ob/gyn, peds, and a specialty of your choice.

So you're looking at around 700-720 hours and that's a lot of free time given by providers to allow some NP school to reap the benefits of your high tuition.

Remember these practices are businesses and for the schools to ask others to train their students for free is not only ballsy but unseemly for the student.

So if your grades are good, thoroughly explore all credible options and make them prove to you they can deliver a complete, quality, respectable educatational experience.

One more thing. Do not attend any school online or ground run by South University or University of Phoenix.

If you go to (collegescorecard.ed.gov) you will see that at least on the undergrad level they have sub-par graduation and retention rates.

In the case of South University (Savannah), you will find that their online graduation rate is a whopping 2%, making them one of the best apparent loan generating businesses there is.