FNP Graduate from Chamberlain College of Nursing Dec 2015

asanteke · May 4, 2016

Thank you for replying. Im just worried im not on the right track with my case study so far i am in week one I did the part one of week one and I am working on part two and I just bit overwhelmed that I am not on the right track so I wanted to see an example or I can send you what I have done so far and you can tell me if its ok please. My professor has not critiqued the part one yet and the part two is due 2mr but i work from 6:30am -7:30p so I wanted to complete the part two today

chamberlainFNP2015 · May 5, 2016

Asanteke,

The mother is there for a well child visit for both her children so for part one focus on what makes up a well child examination. Also several behavioral issues were noted and you can use some of those for creating your list of differential diagnoses ex: adjustment disorder, behavioral insomnia, acute stress disorder, second hand smoking etc. For the family assessment tool whenever it asked that question I would go to google and see what tools there were and then look them up using chamberlains library. Again I would focus on the changes the family is going through. I used the FACES IV or family adaptability and cohesion evaluation scale.

For part 2: for Riley focus on what the assessment revealed about his mucosa. Also focus on his age of 18 months and what language development should be at this age. Delay in vocabulary? Is this a developmental delay, hearing problem etc?

For jo: focus on what her vision exam revealed as well as her being unable to hop on each foot. 20/40 is not normal for a 5 year old. Does jo have a developmental delay since she is unable to hop on each foot? You can also include the diagnoses that focus on her sleep problem as well as all the changes that have occured recently in the family.

What I always found helpful too is after everyone posted on part 1 I would read what others listed for their differential diagnoses to get ideas from as well as to see if I was on track with everyone else in the class. Remember you can change your final soap note from part 2 when you submit it for grading after reading other classmates posts.

I hope this helps you.

asanteke · May 5, 2016

thank you lots it helps

rogerss3 · May 10, 2016

I am having difficulty securing a clinical sight for Sept. 2016. Any advice on how to find a location or how to make this process a little smoother?

chamberlainFNP2015 · May 10, 2016

Rogerss3,

If you have already gone through the clinical coordinator at chamberlain and they have not found a clinical site for you then the next step would be to look up clinical sites in your area via google and either call them or visit the site and ask if you can shadow there. Explain who you are, dates you need as well as that you can only shadow nps or mds. You may also be able to apply to shadow a np at a minute clinic (cvs). You can go to their website and look into that. I'm not sure where you are working currently but you could always ask HR about clinical opportunities at your work place or ask the doctors you work with if you can shadow them at their clinic. Lastly if you have connections with other nurses you know at other facilities you could always try and see if you could attend clinicals there.

Always remember that whatever clinical site you go to, chamberlain and that site need to have a contract in place. Try and find different sites like peds, ob/gyn, family medicine, acute care/minute clinic, etc as well. The clinical sites you attend can have an impact of future job opportunities. When I was applying for jobs many places asked where i attended clinical and what i learned.

Unfortunately chamberlain offers little assistance in finding a clinical site and you will have to do a lot of groundwork to find and secure the sites on your own. I'm glad you are doing this well in advance. I wish you the best of luck. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Ayamideh · May 26, 2016

@ChamberlainFNP2015

Are you sure you are not a PR rep from Cha

mberlain? You should be paid for the free not to mention positive advertisements. I finished the program in April so I am happy for your comments. I have one issue. According to many sources the NP new grad rate start at the bottom. I have 23 years in so my salary is at the top... I might be looking at a break even or a pay cut.

chamberlainFNP2015 · May 26, 2016

Ayamideh,

No, I'm not a PR rep from Chamberlain. I attended Chamberlain as a student and after graduation a lot of nurses I work with were asking me about Chamberlain's program so I realized there was a need for more information to be provided. I then decided to create this article to help others.

There are advantages and disadvantages of going to chamberlain that I have addressed in several of my posts but I can sum them up here.

Advantages: Chamberlain obtains your past school records, easy to reach representatives at chamberlain for questions/concerns, classes are every 8 weeks, can attend Chamberlain year round, convenience of online program (except clinicals of course), no tests or papers to write during the FNP track courses (exception is capstone class r/t APEA review pre and post tests), chamberlain provides online library of scholarly sources and e-books (included in tuition), all 8 weeks of each class is typically open during preview week which is 1 week prior to the start of the class, APEA review course is included in the program (during capstone class) to aid in passing the AANP or ANCC exam,

Disadvantages: Expensive-The total cost for the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner specialty track is $38,160 (according to their website as of 2016), chamberlain lacks and gives limited help in finding and obtaining clinical practicum sites, currently there is a wait list, for the immersion weekend you have to travel to the Q-center located in St. Charles Illinois (you are responsible for these costs),

To address your concerns about salary- From the hospital interviews I had new graduate pay was determined by the years you were a nurse and years you are a FNP. Now other facilities can determine what they want to pay you on their own criteria- I found that private practice paid the worst and had the worst benefits, medicaid only paid the best (but had the most unreasonable hours and work expected and okay benefits), and hospitals paid average for the area based on salary.com ranges and had the best benefits.

Whenever you are given an offer for a position always negotiate. Do not be afraid to ask for what you want for pay including a sign on bonus. Also factor in the benefits the job is offering like 401K matching, tuition reimbursement, vacation time, money towards continuing education, not working holidays or weekends, etc. As a new NP you should aim for making at least $85,000 plus.

Ayamideh · May 26, 2016

@ChamberlainFNP15

Thank you so much. I hope I will fair off well in Connecticut. I really don't want to work in the hospital setting ...trying to run from that..but one step at a time right. Boards first.

chamberlainFNP2015 · May 26, 2016

Ayamideh,

You can work for a hospital but not in a hospital setting by working in the hospital clinics in the surrounding area. The clinics have better hours, still pay great, and get the benefits that the hospital has to offer without having to step foot in the actual hospital.

Good luck on boards!

Smils3333 · May 27, 2016

Hi, I am starting the FNP program at Chamberlain in Nov 2016. I was wondering if you can give me some insight on the first few classes. I see they are eight weeks in length what should I expect during these course with work and a newborn?

chamberlainFNP2015 · May 27, 2016

Smils3333,

The following was my school schedule along with the work I was required to complete- your classes may be different based on the teacher and if Chamberlain has changed some of the material.

I completed advanced pathophysiology as a student at large at the local college prior to starting Chamberlain. If anyone is looking to get done with school faster, but is on the wait list at Chamberlain, I would recommend looking into classes at local colleges that you can take that would count towards Chamberlain's FNP classes.

For the core classes, not the FNP track classes, you can expect discussion boards and papers. When I went to Chamberlain I also had tests for the pharmacology class. Each week 8 has 1 discussion board that is a reflection of the class and the class objectives. For each discussion board for both the core and FNP track classes, the teacher writes on your post and can ask you a question in which you need to respond using scholarly sources. In addition, you need to write on 1 peer discussion board using scholarly sources.

2014 Spring Semester

January 2014 (Jan 6- March 2)

Nursing 500 Foundational Concepts & Applications

-Expect 2 discussion boards per week that require scholarly sources to support your response and a few worksheets. This class is basically teaching you about evidence based practice and how to look up information in the Chamberlain library. This is the easiest of the core classes.

March 2014 (March 3 - April 27)

NR501 Theoretical Basis for Advanced Nursing Practice

-Expect 2 discussion boards per week that require scholarly sources to support your response and 3 papers to write (week 2, 4, and 6) using APA format. This is a more difficult class.

NR512 Fundamentals of Nursing Informatics

-Expect 2 discussion boards per week that require scholarly sources to support your response and 2 papers (week 3 and week 6) to write using APA format. This is an easier class.

2014 Summer Semester

May 2014 (May 5 - June 29)

NR506 Healthcare Policy (Pre-requisite: NR500)

2 discussion boards each week that require scholarly sources to support your response, 2 papers to write (week 3 and week 5) using APA format, and 1 power point (week 7). This is a more difficult class.

NR505 Advanced Research Methods

-Expect 2 discussion boards per week that require scholarly sources to support your response and 3 papers (week 3, week 5, and week 7) to write using APA format. This is a more difficult class.

July 2014 (July 7 - August 31):

NR-503: Population Health, Epidemiology, & Statistical Principles

-Expect 1 discussion board per week that require scholarly sources to support your response, worksheets, and 2 papers.

2014 Fall Semester

(Sept 1-Oct 26) 2014

NR-510: Leadership & Role Development of the Advanced Practice Nurse

- Expect 1 discussion board per week that require scholarly sources to support your response and 3 papers to write using APA format.

2014 (Oct 27-Dec 21)

NR-508: Advanced Pharmacology

Expect 1 discussion board per week that require scholarly sources to support your response, 1 quiz per week, midterm, and final exam- This is a very difficult class

(Jan 5-March 1) 2015

NR-509: Advanced Physical Assessment (L=25)

- Expect 1 discussion board per week that require scholarly sources to support your response and a weekly quiz- Learn SOAP note format

-Have to go to the Q-center located in St. Charles IL to complete the in person training/exam- you are responsible for paying your way.

(March 2-Apr 26) 2015

NR-511: Differential Diagnosis & Primary

Care Practicum (C=125)

2015 Summer semester

(May 4-June 28) 2015

NR-601: Primary Care of the Maturing &Aged Family (C=125)

(July 6-Aug 30) 2015

NR-602: Primary Care of the Childbearing & Childrearing Family (C=125)

2015 Fall semester

(Aug 31- Oct 25) 2015

NR-603: Advanced Clinical Diagnosis & Practice Across the Lifespan (C=125)

-All FNP track classes listed above NR-511 through NR-603 have 1 discussion board posted on Sunday, which needs a response by Wednesday, 2^nd discussion board is posted on Tuesday or Wednesday which needs a response by Friday. Each discussion board requires scholarly sources and written in SOAP note format. Some discussion boards have multiple patients which require separate SOAP notes for each patient (Twice the work). You also need to respond to a peer on each discussion board and respond to the teacher when they write on your post on both discussion boards each week using scholarly sources. In addition, you have to attend clinical for 125 hours over a span of 8 weeks. Each of these FNP track classes are difficult. Preview week only shows the first discussion board for each week, the second discussion board does not become visible until the week of that discussion board.

(Oct 26-Dec 20) 2015

NR-661: APN Capstone Practicum

-APEA review course by Amelie Hollier. Watch videos each week, 1 discussion board per week which is a reflection of how you feel you are doing with learning the material. Pre test is not graded, but post test is graded and you need a passing grade to pass the class. This class was very easy and helps you prepare for the national certification exam.

Smils3333 · May 27, 2016

Thanks so much. I just finished my BSN so doing discussion post are very familiar to me. How is the online library at CCN are articles up to date and easily accessible?