Duke NP graduates.... worth it?

Nursing Students NP Students Nursing Q/A

I am (excitedly) looking into nursing programs to hopefully enroll in within the next year. I have been intrigued by Duke, not only for it's ranking but for the fact that I could add some specialty education, which isn't easy to find!

Things I'm worried about:

1. COST. I'm guessing its going to be between 75-100K for me to complete this degree at duke... and I recently learned FASFA doesn't have any grants for grad school So whether or not having the high profile degree is worth the extra money is a concern of mine.

2. TIME. I've reached out to the program with no response so far, but I'm having a hard time seeing what the part time options are like for distance students. Does anyone know how long this program is when done part time?

3. COMPETITION. I know I'm not alone in this, but when I went through nursing school 10 years ago I was on the tail end of some pretty intense bullying from my professors. I have a TERRIBLE taste in my mouth from nursing school, but still have a huge desire to advance my education and professional experience. I worry a bit that a school as high profile as Duke would be hugely competitive and leave me feeling a bit beaten down again. This is the topic I get most nervous about!

Thank you to anyone who finished reading my tome ?

I appreciate the advice!

Specializes in N/A.

How long are the np programs...full time or part-time at Duke please?

Specializes in retired LTC.

Please what is FQHC?

I can't seem to keep up with all the abbreviations.

Specializes in MH.
9 hours ago, kiwi_80 said:

Hi. I'm a Duke grad. I did the AGNP and WHNP tracks. I graduated in May 2018. My GPA was 3.93. I LOVED the program. I can't speak highly enough of the program. I worked full-time the first year of the program, but then I went part time to finish. Once clinical started, I couldn't continue to work my 9-5 job. A Duke education is unparalleled. I have since taken a post graduated course at another online university and the instruction was so bad I've decided not to continue. I will be starting my DNP with a PMC in PMHNP in August.

I received the Nurse Corp Scholarship so I had very little debt from the program. I will have a lot of debt for the DNP and PMC, but I think it's worth it. I have worked in a rural FQHC for the last two years and have had a great experience, mostly due to the great education I got at Duke.

Don't be fooled. Not all NP programs are created equal. Duke is highly ranked for good reason.

Woah, how did you receive the nurse corpse scholarship? I live in nevada and there are zero opportunities here...

I just applied and was fortunate enough to get it. It is very competitive. It was time intensive to apply. But clearly worth it. I was fortunate ate that the clinic less than a mile from my house qualified as a site.

13 hours ago, amoLucia said:

Please what is FQHC?

I can't seem to keep up with all the abbreviations.

FQHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center

15 hours ago, Sun1 said:

How long are the np programs...full time or part-time at Duke please?

Depends on your matriculation plan. Around 2 years. I did two tracks in 2.5 years - full time.

Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
15 hours ago, JZ1 said:

Woah, how did you receive the nurse corpse Scholarship? I live in nevada and there are zero opportunities here...

You apply for it. It is a federal program, so it doesn't matter what state you are in. I don't know why you say there are no opportunities in Nevada. Most of Nevada is medically underserved. Many states also have equivalent programs to the federal Nurse Corps scholarship, so do some research on what is available in your state. Both the federal and most state governments also have loan repayment programs for NPs. There are also employers that offer loan repayment, like the VA. You need to do research.

Specializes in retired LTC.

kiwi - TY. I figured the HC.

Specializes in MH.

Does anybody know how much people are admitted into the program respective to their speciality?

They have changed the program so there arent part time and full time options. They now just have one plan that's called "fully enrolled". The MSN NP timeline is now 3 years. Those of you that completed the program and loved it, do you believe that your Duke education helped to get you employed faster? Also, do they actually help you with clinical placements? I've only seen mixed reviews

7 minutes ago, kittymulv said:

They have changed the program so there arent part time and full time options. They now just have one plan that's called "fully enrolled". The MSN NP timeline is now 3 years. Those of you that completed the program and loved it, do you believe that your Duke education helped to get you employed faster? Also, do they actually help you with clinical placements? I've only seen mixed reviews

Yes, I do think my Duke education afforded me more interviews and thus more offers. I had a job before I finished school. Yes, the helped with all clinical placements.

thanks for the insight! I'm just concerned since I live in the LA area and I'm across the country from Duke

5 minutes ago, kittymold said:

thanks for the insight! I'm just concerned since I live in the LA area and I'm across the country from Duke

I can definitely understand that. Another thing to consider is the travel expense to come on campus each semester. For the physical assessment class you have to come three times. We had students from all over in the program, but I was glad I could just drive to campus instead of travel a long distance.

I do know they will find you a preceptor, but I do know it's more challenging for out of state students to find placement sometimes

Yeah ? that's been a concern too. I got accepted to a school near where I live but their program is brand new so I'm hesitant. kinda wild to apply and want to get in so badly but when I do I just start having second thoughts.

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