Frontier FNP program

mtfnp · Jun 3, 2005

Does anyone have experience with the Frontier School's FNP program (not the CNM program)? Also, how is distance education viewed when looking for a job?

I graduated from the Frontier FNP program in August 2004. What in particular would you like to know? Don't go into it as a full time student and expect to be able to work full time and have a family life, too. There is a part-time option available also. Like any program, there is an occasional weak spot, but the administration is constantly working to improve the program. And where else can you sit down and have lunch with the President, program chair, and the endowed Mary Breckinridge chair on the same day?

I didn't have any problems due to the distance education label when finding a job. It seems to be the "experience required" part that causes more problems when job hunting.

Please ask any questions. I'll be happy to answer if I can.

NVM · Jun 5, 2005

Thank you for responding to my question. I really appreciate it. I have several questions for you. Did you do the full time or part time option? Did you work while taking classes? What did your typical week look like while in school? What were the flaws to the program? How do your clinical skills compare to your fellow FNPs from other programs?

mtfnp · Jun 6, 2005

Thank you for responding to my question. I really appreciate it. I have several questions for you. Did you do the full time or part time option? Did you work while taking classes? What did your typical week look like while in school? What were the flaws to the program? How do your clinical skills compare to your fellow FNPs from other programs?

I did the full time option. I thought that since I worked 32 hrs/wk and did my BSN, I could do Frontier and work 32 hrs/wk. Wrong! But I also have a husband and three children. I started in August, and by December I knew that I had to give something up, so the job went. Thank goodness for student loans.

My typical week while in school was school work from 8 am to 4pm, sometimes 5 p.m. We all did our homework together. I tried not to do schoolwork on weekends, and that worked out pretty well. Exams are proctored, I did mine at the local library.

As for flaws, the biggest hurdle for most is that you have to find your own preceptors and arrange your own clinicals. The preceptor has to have a master's degree and preferably two years of experience. You can have an M.D. or D.O. for a preceptor but only for a maximum of 6 wks (I forget the percentage) of your clinical time. The idea is to learn your role, hopefully within your home state or the state you will practice in, from an FNP. If you visit the school's website, you can find the required types and numbers of patient visits and for my class it was 675 clinical hours. The preceptor has to go through the credentialing process with Frontier and a site visit is required before you can start clinicals.

One weak spot for my level 3 group was in orthopedic assessment. We had a new instructor...I am not sure how many hours other FNP programs spend on learning to interpret xrays, but I know I don't think we spent enough time on that. Funny enough, there was nothing on boards about it...If you do Frontier, you are more than well prepared for boards. And a little help from Margaret Fitzgerald doesn't hurt either ;-) The best part about the didactic portion is that you are always learning the latest information, the instructors stay current! I can honestly say that when I went to the AANP conference in 2003, I really didn't hear anything new regarding HTN, lipids, or women's health, headaches, otitis, diabetes etc. A very few new items in the CAM session.

I really can't say how my skills compare to other FNP program grads, I am in a one provider practice right now. I do know that physical assessment skills are an important part of the program, and by the time you check off in this you are very well prepared to do a complete physical in 45 minutes. You spend time on suturing and how to do an excisional biopsy, pap smears, pelvic exams, wet preps, walk thru IUD insertion and learn about endometrial biopsy, pelvimetry, Leopold's, --other procedures are not covered as this is basic foundation for entry into practice. I think what can make or break you is your preceptor and whether they are a teacher or not.

Sorry so long winded. Let me know if you have other questions.

shadowflightnurse · Nov 11, 2005

I too appreciate all of the information you have shared. What was the typical on-line course like? Were you mostly reading on your on and writing paper after paper. Or was it more of a traditional class with on-line lectures, reading and testing. Many people have mentioned that they are writing a lot of papers in the on-line programs, but the ones who are in a traditional program seem to rarely have a paper assignment. Did you have a lot of trouble finding a NP to be your mentor and getting them to do the necessary work to get the school's approval. Thanks for any info.

mtfnp · Nov 18, 2005

There is a lot of reading involved. There are lectures both online and in the syllabi. There are also learning activities to be done for each section--these are best done by dividing them up among study group members and then sharing the info. Divide and conquer. There are papers to write, and forum assignments to post, but there are also out in the community experiences you have to do--giving a presentation about NPs to some group, going into a local provider's office to observe (not related to clinical experiences), and online presentations to post in the school's bulletin board system.

Finding preceptors in my area was difficult. I wish I could have found one FNP who covered all the required experiences, but the one I did find didn't have a Master's degree, so couldn't use her. There isn't a lot for the actual preceptor to do, except provide proof of credentials and go through a pre-clinical site visit. The school would like it if the preceptor would do their online preceptor course (CEU's are provided) but I don't think many do it. None of mine did, anyway. There is a daily feedback form the preceptor needs to sign, and hopefully write some comments on.

The courses are very current, there are always links to articles, websites, or other pertinent information within the class syllabus. there are also online chats with students and instructors. If you have any more questions, I am happy to try to help. Have you checked the school's website?

scholartype · Dec 23, 2010

this school sucks! i applied for it and they sent me an email telling me i was admitted. the next day the FNP director called me and asked me lots of mean questions. 5 days later they told me i was not admitted. the whole process made me feel "it's unprofessional." another reason you should NOT attend this school is: they requires much more clinical hours than other FNP programs; they are labor and delivery clinical experiences.

like i said before, this school sucks! the attitude is bad! i will NEVER consider this school!

Spacklehead, MSN, NP · Dec 24, 2010

another reason you should NOT attend this school is: they requires much more clinical hours than other FNP programs!

Wow, really? A reason not to attend a particular NP program is because they require MORE clinical hours? That's a pretty poor attitude to have - plus 695 hrs is a lot less than what my program required us to have in order to graduate. I actually looked for schools that required more hours because IMHO, the more experience you get, the better practitioner you'll be.

mtfnp · Dec 24, 2010

The school does not require labor and delivery experiences for the FNP students. And I can honestly say that when you get into practice 695 hours won't seem like it was nearly long enough.

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Dec 27, 2010

Re: scholartype: LOL @ they wouldn't accept you (and I don't think entry to Frontier is very competitive) so you won't consider them. I don't go there, but I really considered it. I do feel bad that you got your hopes up only to be disappointed. I remember the angst about applying to grad school, and I'm sure that was a blow. But frontier has a good reputation in CNM circles; no reason to suspect the FNP cohort to be weak. And a raised eyebrow at 675 clinical hours being too many. It isn't enough by 1/4 if you ask me. My program required 850 and I would have happily done another 4000 if I could.

I do know 2 people who went there. although both were for CNM. One of them was already a NP when she went, and she had gone to Vandy for her NP, so I think she had a good yardstick for comparison. She found it to be much easier than Vandy, less rigorous, BUT (and I think this is a big BUT) she was a first time NP student when she went to Vandy, and was an experienced NP (about 8 years of adult primary care practice) when she went for her post masters CNM at Frontier, so it is logical that it would have seemed easier.

In any event, she found it to be a solid program and passed her boards of course, and has done very well for herself. The other person went to Frontier for CNM straight from her BSN program with no experience except as a Pt care tech on a L&D floor, and she too seems to have done well since finishing, and I will tell you she gushes about her program. She was so disappointed when I didn't choose Frontier! She thinks I made a life altering mistake.

I am not aware of anyone making any distinction b/w didactic courses completed online vs in the classroom. Anyone looking to hire a NP knows that clinic hours are done in person, not in a virtual classroom or with sim mannequins, lol, and if you pass the boards you are ready for entry into practice.

canchaser, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2011

Linearthinker,

What school did u choose to go to??