Gonzaga University PMH-NP, Spokane WA (online)

[algebra_demystified]

I just finished up this past Friday. Here is what I have to say about the program.

The quality of the student body is excellent. I studied with nurses who have decades of experience in various specialties. All of the students in my class were fluent in English. The discussion board was energetic and engaging. There was the same kind of peer support in the online program as there was in my Associates program at Glendale Community College (Go Vaqueros!). When we got together face-to-face at the immersion sessions I felt very comfortable discussing work issues and future plans. While we didn't spend ten hours a week together at coffee shops, we sure did have a facebook group that served as our coffee shop.

The instructors are excellent. They were flexible, approachable, knowledgeable, and demanding. Feedback on papers was timely, informative, and fair. If there was a problem with a quiz or test question, they were fair about grading. In the toughest two classes in the program (600 and 563), the materials provided were sufficient for anyone with the energy and ambition to earn an A. For example, I turned in a monster paper for 563. It was so big and strange that the instructor took two whole calendar days to grade it. She gave me a 100% on it even though it was two days late. I think it was apparent to her that I did everything in my power to get that ship into shore, so she didn't dock me any points on it. My final grade was a 94.9%. At Gonzaga, a 95% is an A. She gave me the A-, because I didn't make it to 95%. I think that's tough, but it's fair. She is going to help me with submitting that paper for publication. That's awesome.

You have to book your own preceptors. This is not easy. It takes time. It's similar to looking for a job. You have to sell yourself to potential preceptors. The good news is I learned a great deal about myself and had to risk rejection. The bad news is that I had some work to do. I should have started sooner, but it all wound up working out well.

I am completely satisfied with Gonzaga and would recommend it to anyone.

[A&Ox6, MSN, RN]

That is wonderful!

I was wondering whether you could share some more. Did you work while you were in school? How often do you go to campus? Is there any support for finding preceptors? Are there restrictions for some states?

[algebra_demystified]

I worked some of the time while I was in school. During the EBP class, there was no way I could have gotten as much out of the class as I put in during that time while still working. It was a transformative experience and I would suggest that anyone looking into the program decide whether they want to work during that time. If I had worked during that time I would have passed the class, but I would have missed out on the research I did in that time.

It really changed everything for me.

I changed my course 180 degrees with great confidence.

I went to campus once each semester.

There is no support finding preceptors. There are +/- to this approach. If you make it on your own, you are much more likely to have a job waiting for you at graduation. There will be quite a few of you who will compete for the lowest-paying jobs right out of school, undercutting each other for a piece of the bottom line.

Try to do what you want to do, and negotiate a rate that is in line with what you want. That practice requires call 7 nights a week for three years? No thank you. They want you to take overflow calls of theirs? No thank you. On call only? Let's see what that looks like. You decide what works for you.