BSN to DNP Schools

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Hello everyone! I am in my senior year of my BSN program and expect to graduate and take the NCLEX in May 2019. I am looking into BSN to DNP (I don't have a certain specialty in mind) and am looking for advice on schools to apply to. I would like to apply to enter Fall 2019, which means I need a program that doesn't require X years of nursing experience and would allow acceptance with the understanding that I will earn my license before attending class. My friend did this with Arizona and it worked great for him, but does anyone else have suggestions for schools that may fit with me? GPA shouldn't be an issue, but I would like online (or mostly online) programs. Thanks!

Thanks! I had never considered this school. Do you have experience with this school or program?

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As far as I know their family NP program is ranked 12th in the US. It's a very prestigious nursing school. I applied for their ABSN program. I don't know much about their NP program.

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Specializes in Psychiatric and emergency nursing.
You can apply for Rochester Nursing School Family Psych Mental Health NP which is offered as a distance program and does not require experience. You can take it both as a full-time or a part-time student.

To sate my own morbid curiosity, why on earth would you recommend this to someone that has zippo in the realm of nursing experience outside of clinical?! I agree with MMJ in that before pursuing the DNP, one should really have some experience under their belt so that 1.) S/he knows where a preferred focus may lie, and 2.) S/he is taken seriously by peers. Personally, higher degree or not, I have no patience for people that try to direct me or tell me how to do my job if he or she has no relevant experience in the subject matter; a BSN to DNP with no nursing experience simply means you have more patience for fluff courses than I. Not to mention that you have recommended a focus in what is arguably the most vulnerable patient population to someone with NO practical application in psychiatric nursing (or nursing period, for that matter). So, no. Just no.

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To sate my own morbid curiosity, why on earth would you recommend this to someone that has zippo in the realm of nursing experience outside of clinical?! I agree with MMJ in that before pursuing the DNP, one should really have some experience under their belt so that 1.) S/he knows where a preferred focus may lie, and 2.) S/he is taken seriously by peers. Personally, higher degree or not, I have no patience for people that try to direct me or tell me how to do my job if he or she has no relevant experience in the subject matter; a BSN to DNP with no nursing experience simply means you have more patience for fluff courses than I. Not to mention that you have recommended a focus in what is arguably the most vulnerable patient population to someone with NO practical application in psychiatric nursing (or nursing period, for that matter). So, no. Just no.

As he mentioned before he is not looking for an opinion if he should pursue the NP route or not. Do PsychDs have experience before they start working as psychologists? How about lawyers? Look at doctors. As soon as they finish their MD they start working and pursuing a residency at the same time.

Maybe you are one of those people who needs experience to learn. There are people who actually study and know what they are supposed to know. Besides, he can get experience while he is pursuing the NP route. He can work 4 12 hour shifts a week and study part-time. He could easily get his NP in 3-4 years and have 3-4 years of experience as a nurse. Of course this would not be possible if you have kids and a family to take care of.

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Specializes in Psychiatric and emergency nursing.
As he mentioned before he is not looking for an opinion if he should pursue the NP route or not. Do PsychDs have experience before they start working as psychologists? How about lawyers? Look at doctors. As soon as they finish their MD they start working and pursuing a residency at the same time.

Maybe you are one of those people who needs experience to learn. There are people who actually study and know what they are supposed to know. Besides, he can get experience while he is pursuing the NP route. He can work 4 12 hour shifts a week and study part-time. He could easily get his NP in 3-4 years and have 3-4 years of experience as a nurse. Of course this would not be possible if you have kids and a family to take care of.

I understand that s/he is not looking for NP recommendations. I'm just trying for the life of me to figure out why you would recommend an NP program and not a BSN to DNP in administration, where the OP stated their interest lay. You're comparing apples and oranges with nurses and doctors of any sort (medical, law), as they spend generally 8-10 years (or more) in school immersed in general studies, and then their specialty. I think it also might behoove you to look up the design of medical school.

I don't necessarily need experience to learn, but I do prefer it, especially with a gray science like psychiatry. And for what it's worth, I am currently an NP and achieved this going to school full time while working full time, while caring for a family. This is my 6th year as a nurse, so yes. Yes, it can be done.

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I hope you did not take it the wrong way. May I ask how long it took you to finish your NP in Psych? This is exactly what I am planning to do. To work full-time and study full-time. Do you think it's possible to finish the NP program in 2 years?

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Specializes in Psychiatric and emergency nursing.
I hope you did not take it the wrong way. May I ask how long it took you to finish your NP in Psych? This is exactly what I am planning to do. To work full-time and study full-time. Do you think it's possible to finish the NP program in 2 years?

I finished mine in seven semesters, so yes, you can finish in two years. I did the program full-time while working full-time. Just be prepared for many sleepless days and nights, and to pretty much be the poster child for self abuse for a while.

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Thank you all for your replies. I didn't mean to get anyone ruffled, I am just looking for advice. I understand experience is always a plus, but I also want to earn my DNP directly after my BSN and work as an RN during this time. I don't know any specific route I want to take other than knowing I want to enter the administration side of the field. During my BSN program, I have also earned 2 associate degrees out of pure boredom. I know myself good enough to know that if I wait to return to school, life will happen and I'll probably never get to go back.

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