I just enrolled in Herzing University!

Nursing Students NP Students

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Specializes in ER, Med-surg.

Does anybody have any advice. I was officially enrolled for the January start as of today for the FNP program. I'm so excited but also really nervous. My main issue going forward is acquiring FNP's to precept me. I work in an ER and it seems that they don't really want ER FNP's precepting. How have you all gone about finding preceptors? It seems to be a common trend that the student finds their preceptors with both online and brick and mortar schools. Has any body had any issues with Herzing online?

HI WannaBNursy,ADN,RN, I happened to see you post and thought I would respond. I am not a student at Herzing; however, I am the chair of the program. My name is Dr. Lauer-Pfrommer and if you have specific questions or anything I can help with please feel free to email me at [email protected]

Welcome and congratualations on your decision to enter into advanced practice. I can relate to your post because I too completed graduate degrees online and know first hand how you feel. One thing I would suggest is to save your welcome email that you received from your Grad advisor. In that email you will see the links to the Clinical Resoucses site on Blackboard. This site has many suggestions for securing solid clinical sites and preceptors. The clinical guide is also in that email and on the Blackboard site. Any one of our team members can assist you as well. Besides me, we have two regional clinical coordinators, a clinical support specialist, and over 60 clinical faculty who can assist you and advise you about sites that are appropriate for the clinical courses in the concentration. We also host orientation meetings for the concentration and clinical orientations that really help solidify what is in the handbook and what is required. Feel free to reach out and I can connect you with our team or if you would like to speak to one of our students who are in or have been through the program I am happy to connect you. Congratulations again, you made a great choice:)

Specializes in NP, ICU, ED, Pre-op.

I have a friend who recently graduated from Herzing...Don't have much to offer except to tell you that he enjoyed the program.

Good Luck!

Specializes in GENERAL.
HI WannaBNursy,ADN,RN, I happened to see you post and thought I would respond. I am not a student at Herzing; however, I am the chair of the program. My name is Dr. Lauer-Pfrommer and if you have specific questions or anything I can help with please feel free to email me at [email protected]

Welcome and congratualations on your decision to enter into advanced practice. I can relate to your post because I too completed graduate degrees online and know first hand how you feel. One thing I would suggest is to save your welcome email that you received from your Grad advisor. In that email you will see the links to the Clinical Resoucses site on Blackboard. This site has many suggestions for securing solid clinical sites and preceptors. The clinical guide is also in that email and on the Blackboard site. Any one of our team members can assist you as well. Besides me, we have two regional clinical coordinators, a clinical support specialist, and over 60 clinical faculty who can assist you and advise you about sites that are appropriate for the clinical courses in the concentration. We also host orientation meetings for the concentration and clinical orientations that really help solidify what is in the handbook and what is required. Feel free to reach out and I can connect you with our team or if you would like to speak to one of our students who are in or have been through the program I am happy to connect you. Congratulations again, you made a great choice:)

OP: Cut to the chase on this issue. Ask the good doctor if the school can actually obtain the preceptors for you and would they kindly put that guarantee in writing. That will not happen.

If it does, ask for documentation. (not heresay)

I am suspicious of any representative of any school "who knows first hand how you feel."

Notice that there are "over 60 clinical faculty who can assist you and advise you about sites."

This line scares me even more. Again, that's meaningless in lieu of a signed on the dotted line guarantee that they will line up agreeable preceptors for you to train with for free on a contractual basis.

The "congratulations you made a -not good- but great choice" sounds more than a little biased considering the source. But not unexpected. Marketing prevails these days.

Although this is a non-profit school, they use the same come-on techniques as the for-profits.

There are so many red lights here I frankly know where to start but don't know where to finish being suspicious.

I would reconsider strongly going to this school. The reason is this: Once you do enroll you will take all the fluff ring up the cash register courses most schools offer. It's not until the last third of the program that the preceptor issue comes into play. Most schools credible or not require approximately 700-720 hours of training by preceptors to include Assessment, Adult, OB/GYN, PEDS and a specialty of your choice. There may be a slight variation on this theme from school to school.

The real problem is that once you get to this point, its called the point of no return. If you don't get any one or two or three, etc. of the required preceptors in the bag and you are forced to delay completion of the program and cool your heels till next time around, if there is one, you are going to be left behind.

This situation is called "the theory of the sunk investement."

What this means is that since you have so much time and money hopes and dreams invested into becoming a NP you will literally throw good money at bad to recoup your loses. Most folks in this situation become desperate. They post on "allnurses" frequently. This means that a 50K NP degree could turn into a 75K NP degree and take 3 or four years instead of the usual ~ 2 years if you graduate at all. And remember the loans! In 6 months they come due.

This is why the preceptor situation needs to be taken seriously and not be left to the Dept of Clinical BS at the school to "help and advise" you.

And don't sign ANY arbitration agreements if they have one as a condition of enrollment. If you do this you will not be able to sue the school when or if you find out they soft-soaped you.

You know, I really wish peolple with advanced academic degrees would be more an advocate for the student instead of their own bottom line.

In very many instances those days seem to be long gone. What an incredible shame.

Specializes in GENERAL.
I have a friend who recently graduated from Herzing...Don't have much to offer except to tell you that he enjoyed the program.

Good Luck!

And one shill guy who enjoyed the program doesn't attest to anything substantive about the program.

Remember. Get it in writing!

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