Hey everyone, I need some advice concerning a new online BSN and FNP program. This program is allowing RN's and chiropractors direct entry into their BSN program. After one year the student will sit for their boards and if they pass, they continue with the NP Program for one year. The program is through Mid America and Hardin-Simmons University in Texas.
I have been a chiropractor for 11 years and I am looking to leave the profession. I am planning to go back to school to become a NP or PA. I am a little concerned about the online BSN and NP Program. Is a student adequately trained by an online course compared to learning in a classroom? You have some hands on training and you have to go through your rotations, but I am not convinced the student is ready to care for patients without more on the job training.
My goal as an NP or PA is to work in orthopedics or emergency medicine. How many NP's work as first assistants in the OR or the the ER? While I am taking some prerequisites classes, I am planning to get my paramedic certification and get some experience outside of the chiropractic field.
I too am a chiropractor in school to become a NP. I researched many schools to achieve my goals, but the best solution for my family, work schedule and bank account, was the community college route. It will take 6years this way to become a NP, but I refuse to take out more student loans.
Many of my classes from my bachelor's in biology transferred, but I still have to take some classes to get admitted into the RN program. I am currently working full-time while taking classes. I expect to start this August or next January. It takes two years and i'll still be able to work. I like this route as well as there are so many ADN-BSN or ADN-NP out there and many are affordable. I looked into that new online school in texas, but a felt it was too expensive and I didn't want to travel there. My entire RN degree from the cc will be under $5000. Can't beat that!
I found making appointments with the schools helped greatly in decided which road I would take. I did come across many schools that would not accept my prior classes as they were over five years old, so that narrowed down my list.
Thanks everybody for your responses. What's your advice for someone who loves chiropractic and the natural alternatives for healing it has to offer, but hates that you have to "sell" it?
As an associate I was asked to keep patients coming back for care long after they should have been discharged. I just couldn't take it. Having to sell chiropractic care in order to survive financially was horrible.
I feel that nurse practitioner allows me to provide a more complete healthcare experience for patients. If they need medicine or a holistic approach I will be able to provide it.
Will you continue to work as a chiropractor? I am in business for myself with heavy patient days being Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am hoping to continue to practice while in nursing school.
chiros2005 - yes, I do plan on continuing to practice while in school. That is another reason why I like to slow route of cc. It seems like it will be easy to rearrange patient's appointment to allow me to go to school or the hospital. I currently work part time for a chiro three days a week and I see my own patients the other days. When I become a RN, I plan to quit my job if I get a nursing job working 3 12hr shifts, but I want to keep my practice. I'll be making the same amount as money working as a nurse full time as an associate chiro part time but atleast i'm getting the necessary nursing experience for NP.
Where are you in this process? I have been lurking on this website for months and only decided to become a posting member when I discovered this thread. Let's keep this up as I am sure it will help many others.
I work 3 1/2 days a week as an independent contractor and am taking pre-requisites for the 2 cc college programs I plan to apply to. I met with advisors and everything would transfer except biology and chemistry. The CCs of Chicago require that biology and chemistry be taken within the last 5 years. Mine were 7 years old. I didn't argue with the advisors, just signed up to take the classes so I can get the ball rolling.
Yes I agree with keeping the thread going. I know a few chiros looking to expand their practice to include Nurse Practitioner. I currently have a friend and previous chiro classmate who is currently in the nursing program at Ohio State.
I'm really excited about this process!!! I love new challenges:yeah:
Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac/Renal, Ortho,FNP.
Well, I guess I'll chime in on the old thread. First Mid-America seems to have bitten off more than it can chew for the time being. Have friends who finished the BSN portion and passed NCLEX so it worked that far. The NP portion fell through the hole b/c they tried to link it to a chiro college (deal killer right there).
Most have gone on to other schools for the NP portion. There's lots of programs out there after you get your BSN anyway so it's your pick. If you're grades are decent and not too old you CAN get some advanced standing credit in the NP programs, just make your case and submit your documents.
I'm about to make the switch. Just waiting to take the NCLEX and then I'm dumping chiro altogether. I'd rather put my time/focus into nursing where time/focus will pay off. Chiropractic (to me) seems like trying to make a living like a poker player: maybe you strike it rich but probably won't and even if you do...you're still a poker player. What difference did you make? But that's just been my experience.
There are more programs opening up all over, online and brick & mortar so just look around and look hard. Lots of them don't advertise. Make calls and talk to people in admissions b/c they do bend the rules to get the classes filled. In general your D.C. degree and a dollar will get you a bag of chips meaning the "DC" portion is academically worthless as a whole but the parts & pieces can transfer to get you something. It helps with admissions I guess proving you can handle graduate work. Mostly though it's the undergrad record that counts.
At last! A chiropractor who sees the real benefit to becoming a NP. Kudos to you. I have been thinking of how to get prescription rights etc, without having to become an MD. I think as Chiros we should have the option of doing maybe a couple of semesters of pharmacology etc, and be good to go. Especially as there is and will be a shortage of medical doctors, I became a chiropractor 4 yrs ago in midlife. I love the work we do and the benefits patients recieve from getting out care. However, I get frustrated when I have to refer a patient out to get something simple like pain meds or a cortisol shot. Plus I could use the money!!!! I am currently working as the clinic director in a practice in So California. After three years seeing seeing 150pva;s for someone else I'm ready to make some moves. FNP hopefully one of them. Where do you practice? All the best. Mike
Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac/Renal, Ortho,FNP.
RE: AccessNDEX
At last! A chiropractor who sees the real benefit to becoming a NP. Kudos to you. I have been thinking of how to get prescription rights etc, without having to become an MD. I think as Chiros we should have the option of doing maybe a couple of semesters of pharmacology etc, and be good to go. Especially as there is and will be a shortage of medical doctors, I became a chiropractor 4 yrs ago in midlife. I love the work we do and the benefits patients recieve from getting out care. However, I get frustrated when I have to refer a patient out to get something simple like pain meds or a cortisol shot. Plus I could use the money!!!! I am currently working as the clinic director in a practice in So California. After three years seeing seeing 150pva;s for someone else I'm ready to make some moves. FNP hopefully one of them. Where do you practice? All the best. Mike
DC1st the real benefit to becoming an NP is that you don't have to be a D.C. at all anymore. As it was explained to me by Dr. Scott Wofford of MidAmerica Nurse Practitioner School (A D.C.-R.N. program) an NP can perform everything a D.C. does already and more. Just like with P.T.'s you just don't call it CMT it's Joint Manipulation or whatever cockamamy word somebody dreams up next. In fact, by 2015, the push is for the minimum practice degree for Nurse Practitioners will be the DNP. Recently, there is a huge push to get 100% equal paring with M.D.'s for reimbursement and expanded practice rights. With healthcare now in the spotlight and supposed cost reductions I doubt if this will not occur - even if the Healthcare bill gets repealed or pared down the expanded practice rights will remain. 28 states right now are pushing for those rights. I see more being done on behalf of NP's and as usual nothing being done by the chiropractic profession to expand practice rights. We'd rather quibble over being able to use the term "physician" in Texas instead of real issues that might make us irrelevant in less than 10 years. Unless someone is just in love with the term "chiropractor/ic" then becoming an NP will allow you to practice whatever way you want and whatever amount of holistic healthcare you want to provide w/o the stigma of chiropractic hanging around your neck. It's not about changing our practice...it's about changing our public perception-just be a D.C. in NP's clothing.
I too have been contemplating continuing my education to NP level. I have a question for those who have researched the schools for DC's to obtain the RN and subsequently MSN/NP. I have been a DC for many years and thus my undergraduate degree is back to a 1978 graduation date. When I applied thru Mid America (via Wayland Baptist University), WBU told me I would have to complete 8 humanities courses (english writing/reading, American lit., World lit., two history of the bible courses, history of the U.S.- 1874 to present , and two additional foreign language courses) by the third semester of the nursing program in addition to the nursing courses in order to graduate. Evidently, because my Bachelors from Cal-State University Fullerton is so old, they would not accept certain courses. In addition to my bachelors, I of course hold a DC degree from Cleveland in L.A. In 2009 I also graduated with a Masters in Health Science/Health Education from TUI University (summa cum laude). I hold licenses to practice chiropractic in two states and a nursing home administrator license in California. I have been in continous chiro practice since 1978 and recently started teaching health education part time at a community college.
My question for those who have researched, are there any colleges with MSN/NP nursing programs out there that will accept ASN/RN holders (if I decide to do the community college route) that already have a Masters and bachelors degree that is not specifically in nursing? Or if I obtained a ASN/RN degree/license, would I have to do the BSN degree before entering a MSN/NP program?
Thanks for the help and wish all of you pursuing this route the best.
Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac/Renal, Ortho,FNP.
B Hart. Yes there are programs. No you don't need a BSN. There are plenty of RN-MSN programs out there and many FNP concentrations. You can also do an alternative entry MSN-NP but might have to relocate in which you do not need a nursing degree for entrance. You have many options but moving/location is an issue. You do not need all those background courses that's just for Waylan (b/c they are a Baptist school). Do an internet search for alternative entry MSN...UT Austin has something I believe. There are many RN-MSN programs and most are online/distance ed. You're not dead in the water although getting an ADN will require community college or moving. No distance ed programs yet-there were two but they are not available at the moment to you. (I'm working on that for us D.C.'s). What state are you in? Can you move? Also, CLEP out of those extra courses...just cram & exam if you need to.
Thanks ChiroMed0. Unfortuantely, I can not relocate because of multiple obligations at this time. Therefore, it looks like the ADN/RN community college route would be just as fast and alot less expensive than the WBU BSN/RN for DC eduation for me. I am in Oregon, where are you? Are you currently in a program? If you ever hear of a hybrid online initial RN degree for DC's that is not WBU, please let me know. I am more than willing to fly to another city for my clinicals. However, it just doesn't seem very productive to take 8 humanities courses for WBU when a local community college said all I had to do was to repeat two A/P courses (5 year limit requirement) to be considered in their ADN/RN program.
Specializes in ICU, Telemetry, Cardiac/Renal, Ortho,FNP.
University of Portland has a direct entry MSN, no previous nursing needed. Full time though. I just finished my ADN, taking my NCLEX in June. I was the last D.C. admitted to Excelsior College's nursing program-I hope to change that in the future. I do think it's a huge mistake for them to not admit D.C.'s but they do have their reasons. I won't approach that argument until I'm actually working as a nurse and in an MSN program later this fall though. It's no use preparing a business case w/o credibility. If I'm already in a Master's program working as a nurse it's hard to argue D.C.'s don't have what it takes to pass their program. Right? Anyway, it would be your answer...it's 1 of 2 such online programs currently in the U.S. (the other is rural North Dakota). For a D.C. the exams are very, very doable...the clinical CPNE is another story and what usually has killed chiro's getting through the program. Some have, like me, but many, many haven't. I think I know the reason why and it can be solved. I would suggest pursuing a local LPN/LVN program that's usually less than a year, then gain direct entry into Excelsior's program under that criteria. You could still be an RN in less than 2 years w/o doing the CC route. This way you could also get the nursing skills down with other nurses. I don't know what exposure you've had to nursing but it's really different-not harder/easier-just different. As chiro's we tend to assume like MD/DO's that nursing is basic medicine but it's not...they have their own field with a different way of looking at things. Once in Excelsior you can go from ADN to MSN and pick up an FNP certification online somewhere else. Just getting in the door is the issue. You can call the school if you'd like, they weren't too receptive when they made the policy change in 2006. Maybe things have changed but their stated policies haven't yet. I'm going the route of preparing a business case for them to look at sensibly. After all if other schools are already in existence, obviously D.C.'s have what it takes. Anyway, look around for the LPN/LVN training, you might be able to get credit and coast through that in less than a year (I don't know the licensing criteria for educational standards in Oregon) and jump right into Excelsior. Unless you plan on practicing in California, Excelsior would be an option.
chiro-ann
7 Posts
I too am a chiropractor in school to become a NP. I researched many schools to achieve my goals, but the best solution for my family, work schedule and bank account, was the community college route. It will take 6years this way to become a NP, but I refuse to take out more student loans.
Many of my classes from my bachelor's in biology transferred, but I still have to take some classes to get admitted into the RN program. I am currently working full-time while taking classes. I expect to start this August or next January. It takes two years and i'll still be able to work. I like this route as well as there are so many ADN-BSN or ADN-NP out there and many are affordable. I looked into that new online school in texas, but a felt it was too expensive and I didn't want to travel there. My entire RN degree from the cc will be under $5000. Can't beat that!
I found making appointments with the schools helped greatly in decided which road I would take. I did come across many schools that would not accept my prior classes as they were over five years old, so that narrowed down my list.