Credibility of Walden University

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I am looking into FNP programs and have heard good things about Waldens program, but I am just interested in the credibility this University has when employers look at at your resume? I am tossing up Concordia University WI (which is completly online except a 2 week assessment course and you find all of your own clinicals. The cost is 570-620/credit.) and Walden Univerisity, which I am aware is entirely online and you find your own clinics. I am unaware of the cost of Walden, if anyone knows that would be great information too!

Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
Check out www.collegiatetimes.com/database/salaries, you will be amazed at how much some educators are paid. To the second part of your question, I did not get into great detail with any of the professors I talked to. I can tell you that one of the professors I spoke with has her DNP from the Louisiana State University, She is a tenured professor at Tulane University, an adjunct professor at Loyola of New Orleans, and an adjunct professor and Walden University. Or was this a rhetorical question that you were try to stump me on, or make me appear foolish? I didn't think to ask any of them what they felt like the curriculum strong points were. My question to all was, "in your experience, how do you feel that Walden University's curriculum compares to other schools". The for mentioned professor told me that if she didn't think that the curriculum was up to par she would not at all, be associated with the university. I guess the question now begs to be asked, did any of your professors have any of those topics of discussion with you when you inquired about the quality of your education?

Your link didn't work.

I am sensing a tone of defensiveness here. Look, we all have our reasons why we choose one school over the other. I lived in Michigan when I was going to grad school and at the time, I was within a 40 mile radius of 2 universities with ACNP programs. One was a nationally renowned public university. The other, the school I went with, is a regional state university with a long history of educating professional in the health sciences (medicine, pharmacy, rehabilitation sciences, and nursing). When I spoke with the program director, I asked about the curriculum, what the content of didactics involved, what clinical placements I will get and how they will be arranged.

The program strengths sealed the deal for me: an urban health mission, the opportunity to provide care in diverse populations and the underserved, the extensive network of tertiary hospitals the school is affiliated with, the large concentration of physician and nurse practitioner alumni in the area, faculty from the school of medicine and pharmacy teaching some courses. I spoke with practicing NP's where I worked and many were graduates of the program and had good things to say.

It is not uncommon for grad school faculty to have degrees obtained from other institutions across the country, it enriches the diversity of perspectives in a given institution. The director was not an alumni of the ACNP program but after pointing to me the strengths of the program, she did not go as far as to say "I've taught in other programs in the country and our current program here is the best I've seen". That sounds too much like a sales pitch.

I now work in California. My NP colleagues graduated from nationally ranked programs like UCSF, Columbia, Yale, Case Western, Penn. Our fellows and residents are graduates from well known medical schools because of the competitive nature of our GME programs. Yes, there are settings where people will judge based on the school one graduated from.

I agree that a certain type of student will achieve from a Walden education. That would be someone who can learn in an online format for didactics. That would be someone who already have a network of nurse practitioners and physicians who have agreed to precept them for clinicals. That would be someone who are adept at making connections by selling themselves to potential employers. Part of successful job hunting is knowing people who can make it happen for you. Not all NP hopeful fit that profile.

I also want to point out that for the benefit of being forthcoming, Walden students here should make it clear that only 30 or so states accept a Walden degree for state NP certification. Sure, national certification only requires the school to be CCNE or NLNAC accredited but states have their own requirements too. This harks back to the Excelsior "issue" where one can be an RN in a state that recognizes their program but can not endorse to states that do not.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

Pardon my ignorance, but Tulane has NP programs? I know of their medical school but for some reason can't find a link to their nursing programs. I also didn't find Tulane in the list of CCNE accredited programs in the AACN website.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
I tried to check out the salary website, the link does not work. I found the website and used nursing to refine search, did not find the same results. The work load of the prof you refer to with a DNP appears heavy? A tenured prof at Tulane (unusual for a DNP education), and adjunct at two additional universities ( I am thinking as an adjunct she is teaching at least one course at each?)

I cant comment on how many classes she teaches, but she did mention that she was very busy most all of the time. I can only tell you what she told me...I have nothing to verify her comments, but cant think of any reason she would lie about it.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
Pardon my ignorance, but Tulane has NP programs? I know of their medical school but for some reason can't find a link to their nursing programs. I also didn't find Tulane in the list of CCNE accredited programs in the AACN website.

I looked up her profile, and I misspoke. She is a professor at Southeaster Louisiana University, and not Tulane. The Loyola and Walden are correct though. Also, she was not teaching a specialty class, nor was she an NP.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

There is a difference between feeling personally defensive, and feeling the need to defend the school you attend from people who would make uneducated, blanket statements about a school that they have not attended. My point in all of this is, when people inquire about online education such as that from Walden, they have the right to hear both sides of the story. I don't need to defend myself personally from a professional or academic standpoint, but I will anyway I have been and RN for 20 years, working almost exclusively in ICU and ER. I already have a job lined up after school, and I do learn very well in an online format. I do agree that online learning is not for everyone, and I never suggested that it was. Not everyone will thrive or even succeed in this setting. I also contend that if one is a relatively new, or inexperienced nurse, it would certainly be better to attend a brick and mortar university. Unlike you Juan, I live in a very rural underserved area for education and healthcare. I don't have the option to go to a "better" university. The small private university I attended for my BSN is over an hour away and dos not have an NP program. I also contend that the quality of nurse, or nurse practitioner is not a product of the school they attend, but more so of the drive and desire to succeed based on their own principals and internal fortitude. I have worked with providers from all walks of life, those who graduated from well known schools and those from virtually unknown schools (MDs and NPs), and I have seen good and bad from both. I think there is a significant amount of academic bigotry in the medical field, as in many professions. Ill give an example. My brother graduated from a very small law school here in Mississippi (Mississippi College), it took him many years (given NO breaks because he graduated from an unknown school), but he eventually broke into corporate law with Wal-Mart, moved up the ranks, eventually became the head of quality and compliance. From there he went on to be the head of quality and compliance with Toys R us. Now he is a vice president with Restoration Hardware out of California (San Francisco to be exact). If he had listened to others he would have stayed in Mississippi and succeeded at very little because of the school he went to. He did not succeed or fail based on the school he attended. He succeeded because he refused to fail. I do not believe for one minute that where I attend NP will have any bearing on what kind of NP I will be. If that is the case, then no kid in the US who attends less than superior schools will ever make it? Surely that is not what anyone is insinuating? We all cant go to Yale or Harvard, nor would we choose to if we could.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
I tried to check out the salary website, the link does not work.

Google Collegiate times database salaries and the site will pop up, then you will be able to acess info that looks like this:

[TABLE=class: table_data, width: 100%]

[TD]Dennis B Erickson[/TD]

[TD]Head Coach Football[/TD]

[TD]Ica Administration[/TD]

[TD]$1,275,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Herbert J Sendek[/TD]

[TD]Head Coach Men's Basketba[/TD]

[TD]Ica Administration[/TD]

[TD]$900,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Shay Marie Masterson[/TD]

[TD]Student Worker V[/TD]

[TD]Res Life Rha[/TD]

[TD]$520,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Michael M Crow[/TD]

[TD]President[/TD]

[TD]Office Of The President[/TD]

[TD]$475,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]George Henry Poste[/TD]

[TD]Dir AZ BioDesign Institut[/TD]

[TD]Biodesign Institute[/TD]

[TD]$456,825[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Robert Mittelstaedt[/TD]

[TD]Dean[/TD]

[TD]W. P. Carey School of Business[/TD]

[TD]$456,502[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Charli Turner[/TD]

[TD]Head Coach Women's Basket[/TD]

[TD]Ica Administration[/TD]

[TD]$400,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Elizabeth D Capaldi[/TD]

[TD]Exec V Pres & Provost[/TD]

[TD]Office/Exec Vp/Provost Of Univ[/TD]

[TD]$385,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Jane Catherine Christie[/TD]

[TD]Student Worker V[/TD]

[TD]Res Life Rha[/TD]

[TD]$353,600[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Robert Greenes[/TD]

[TD]Chair (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]Biomedical Informatics[/TD]

[TD]$330,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Jeffrey Coles[/TD]

[TD]Chair (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]WPC Finance[/TD]

[TD]$326,482[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Lisa Lee Love[/TD]

[TD]V Pres University Athleti[/TD]

[TD]Ica Administration[/TD]

[TD]$325,306[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Sethuraman Panchanathan[/TD]

[TD]Director, F (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]School Computing & Informatics[/TD]

[TD]$321,515[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Carol N Campbell[/TD]

[TD]Exec V Pres & Chief Finan[/TD]

[TD]Exec Vp Business And Finance[/TD]

[TD]$320,882[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Richard H Stanley[/TD]

[TD]Sr V Pres & University Pl[/TD]

[TD]Srvp & University Planner[/TD]

[TD]$313,857[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Jonathan Fink[/TD]

[TD]Dir Global Inst Sustainab[/TD]

[TD]Institute Of Sustainability[/TD]

[TD]$310,500[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Subhash Mahajan[/TD]

[TD]Director, F (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]School Of Materials[/TD]

[TD]$301,790[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]James Arvid Ohlson[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Accountancy[/TD]

[TD]$301,001[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Deirdre Ruth Meldrum[/TD]

[TD]Dean[/TD]

[TD]Fulton School of Engineering[/TD]

[TD]$300,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Alejandro M Manelli[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Economics[/TD]

[TD]$294,999[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Richard D Rogerson[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Economics[/TD]

[TD]$294,724[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Patrick T Murphy[/TD]

[TD]Head Coach Baseball[/TD]

[TD]Ica Administration[/TD]

[TD]$294,218[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]David A Young[/TD]

[TD]Senior VP for Academic Af[/TD]

[TD]Office/Exec Vp/Provost Of Univ[/TD]

[TD]$294,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Michael Tracy[/TD]

[TD]Dir Strategic Planning[/TD]

[TD]Biodesign Institute[/TD]

[TD]$291,601[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Edward C Prescott[/TD]

[TD]Regents Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Economics[/TD]

[TD]$283,244[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Patricia Denise White[/TD]

[TD]Dean[/TD]

[TD]College of Law[/TD]

[TD]$282,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Anthony Bown Sanders[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Finance[/TD]

[TD]$273,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Crocker H Liu[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Finance[/TD]

[TD]$273,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Gerald Villanueva Bohulano[/TD]

[TD]Student Worker V[/TD]

[TD]Res Life Rha[/TD]

[TD]$270,400[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Christopher Matthew Gast[/TD]

[TD]Student Worker V[/TD]

[TD]Res Life Rha[/TD]

[TD]$270,400[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Hayley Roxanne Umphrey[/TD]

[TD]Student Worker V[/TD]

[TD]Res Life Rha[/TD]

[TD]$270,400[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Vikram K Nanda[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Finance[/TD]

[TD]$268,022[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Christine A Wilkinson[/TD]

[TD]Sr V Pres & Secretary of[/TD]

[TD]Senior Vice President[/TD]

[TD]$261,695[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]George Hynd[/TD]

[TD]Dean[/TD]

[TD]Fulton College of Education[/TD]

[TD]$260,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Robert E Hoskisson[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Management[/TD]

[TD]$259,434[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Robert John Kauffman[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Information Systems[/TD]

[TD]$256,366[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Dennis L Hoffman[/TD]

[TD]Assoc Dean[/TD]

[TD]WPC Seidman Research Inst[/TD]

[TD]$252,424[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Luc E Anselin[/TD]

[TD]Dir, FA (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]Geography[/TD]

[TD]$252,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Philip Roger Regier[/TD]

[TD]Exec Dean[/TD]

[TD]W. P. Carey School of Business[/TD]

[TD]$251,640[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]James A Rund[/TD]

[TD]V Pres Univ Student Initi[/TD]

[TD]Univ Student Initiatives[/TD]

[TD]$250,502[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Vincent Kerry Smith[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Economics[/TD]

[TD]$246,809[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Mernoy E Harrison[/TD]

[TD]V Pres & Exec V Provost[/TD]

[TD]VP/Exec Vice Provost DPC[/TD]

[TD]$245,080[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Sunil Wahal[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Finance[/TD]

[TD]$242,026[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Robert Eugene Page Jr[/TD]

[TD]Dir School of Life Scinc[/TD]

[TD]Sols Administration & Faculty[/TD]

[TD]$241,662[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Ajay Shreekrishna Vinze[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Information Systems[/TD]

[TD]$240,224[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Quentin Duane Wheeler[/TD]

[TD]V Pres/Dean College Lib A[/TD]

[TD]College Of Lib Arts & Sciences[/TD]

[TD]$240,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Charles W Christian[/TD]

[TD]Dir Sch of Accountancy (F[/TD]

[TD]WPC Accountancy[/TD]

[TD]$240,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Kip Vernon Hodges[/TD]

[TD]Dir, FA (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]School Of Earth & Space Explor[/TD]

[TD]$237,500[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Anne Shuk-Ying Tsui[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Management[/TD]

[TD]$236,635[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Keith Alan Crnic[/TD]

[TD]Chair (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]Psychology[/TD]

[TD]$236,540[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Lee R McPheters[/TD]

[TD]Assoc Dean[/TD]

[TD]WPC Seidman CCPR[/TD]

[TD]$236,331[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Luis R Gomez-Mejia[/TD]

[TD]Regents Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Management[/TD]

[TD]$235,753[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Blake Edward Ashforth[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Management[/TD]

[TD]$234,785[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Ker-Wei Pei[/TD]

[TD]Assoc Dean[/TD]

[TD]W. P. Carey School of Business[/TD]

[TD]$234,041[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Angelo J Kinicki[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Management[/TD]

[TD]$232,405[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Ruth N Bolton[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Marketing[/TD]

[TD]$232,000[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Stephen Michael Nowlis[/TD]

[TD]Professor[/TD]

[TD]WPC Marketing[/TD]

[TD]$231,160[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TD]Amy Julian Hillman[/TD]

[TD]Chair (FSC)[/TD]

[TD]WPC Management[/TD]

[TD]$231,063[/TD]

[TD]2008[/TD]

[TR=class: odd]

[TD]Paul Carr Johnson[/TD]

[TD]Exec Dean[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

Mark, I'm not trying to be argumentative. But here's a question to you. Couple of my colleagues are adjunct faculty members in an online NP program - a well known brick and mortar institution in the Southwest US. One swears by the quality of their online program (which is offered alongside a classroom based program) and claims the school will assist their online students find placement even if they're out of state. Why Walden then when you have other distance options? UAB, Arizona, Vanderbilt, Rush.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
I cant comment on how many classes she teaches, but she did mention that she was very busy most all of the time. I can only tell you what she told me...I have nothing to verify her comments, but cant think of any reason she would lie about it.

Just Google Collegiate times database salaries, and you will be able to access many salaries of several state universities, as well as others. For example the lowest pain prof. at Arizona State University makes over $158,00, and the lowest aid prof. at Iowa State University makes over $157,000 per year and they all go way up from there.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
I cant comment on how many classes she teaches, but she did mention that she was very busy most all of the time. I can only tell you what she told me...I have nothing to verify her comments, but cant think of any reason she would lie about it.
.

Just Google Collegiate times database salaries.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
.

Just Google Collegiate times database salaries.

Just did Mark. I searched UCSF (only because I could easily associate the names of professors with their specialty). The top 250 salaries are professors from the medical school except for one person (the CEO of the medical center). Only 3 people make salaries that crossed the million dollar mark - 2 Dermatopathology professors and a Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery professor, both high-paying fields to begin with. I can tell you the rest of those physician professors are Neurosurgeons, Vascular Surgeons, Solid Organ Transplant Surgeons, etc. Only two intensivists made that top 250 and both have been with the system for over 30 years. These physicians would make a lot more in private practice. The professors in the nursing school are not even in the top half just so you know.

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

Juan, I originally applied at a university here in Mississippi after taking the GRE and jumping through all of the hoops and was subsequently placed on a reserve list, and would have to wait until this August to begin school (it was also an online, hybrid program). Not wanting to do that I decided to check out strictly online schools. I did however research Georgetown, and was told the cost would be $78,000 with 3 trips to Washington DC on my dime. I felt a little rushed at the time and after researching Walden, taking all things into consideration, I chose them. I had my own concerns initially, but I have had no problems getting preceptors or job offers after graduation. It also bears mentioning that the University I applied to originally spent several years on academic probation for low pass rates of the state nursing board, so in retrospect I am kind of glad I didn't get in. Although I have several NP friends who graduated from there, some are good NPs and some are not so good.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

I would also like to add that academia has a pyramid approach to salaries. The very few senior professors who make the big bucks are chiefs of departments. The vast majority of faculty are on the low end of the salary scale. It takes a lot of time invested in the institution and a lot of national and international reputation to reach the top.

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