I NEED the impossible in an online school !!

Nursing Students Online Learning

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.

If anyone out there knows how to find this magical university, let me know! I have done an extensive spread sheet to find the program I need, and I can't find it, so my last hope is to put it forth to all of you!!

I need my FNP. I live in Washington State, I want to go straight online. I know independent learning, this is how I achieved my BSN. What I need now is a program that:

Does not require that #$%$6 waste of time GRE.:angryfire (I've studied for it, sure, but how does this make me a better clinician?

Is self-paced

Does not cost the MOON to be working in

Is accredited through nationally recognized boards

Can either get my MSN and or FNP and or Doctorate (or qualify me to go onto FNP), from the BSN

Can be done in a reasonable amount of time (not a ridiculous number of classes)

No more than 700 (please!) practicum hours:yawn:

Can be done online, with very few (say four days per semester) on-campus days

At a school that has a record of onlline learning (not a newbie, that's just too painful)

Has a reasonable number of classes but must include Assessment, pathophys and pharmacology:up:

Has at least two entrance semesters/terms per year so that I don't have to wait a year to get in

Actually has openings for new students

Has educators who know online learning:cool:

IDeally, but not mandatory, online textbooks!! oh these are fantastic !!

And, a really good library, that helps a ton, and

... last but not least...

NO thesis. I want to be come a clinician, and not an research clinician, I want family practice, so no wasted year doing a thesis. :yeah:

Ok, so that's quite a list, anyone think of anything I missed,definitely add to the list, but wouldn't this be just a fantastic program for those of us with kids and job and ... and ... and... but need to advance our careers?

Best,

Cindy1ou:eek:

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Can you give us a run-down of which schools you've looked at? That might be helpful. However, I think the "self-paced" requirement may not be realistic at any school.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I don't have any ideas, but it sounds like you have done your research! I would love to get my hands on that spreadsheet you made. My main factors are accredited, online, and low cost, although I do not want to sacrifice quality. I have a very hard time even finding cost per credit hour information from many of the programs I have looked at!

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.
Can you give us a run-down of which schools you've looked at? That might be helpful. However, I think the "self-paced" requirement may not be realistic at any school.

You know... the self-paced thing is tough, and you probably know exactly what I"m talking about, but when you are already working in the clinical area that you are going to be doing coursework in, you have an advantage and can work through the objectives more quickly, then when you approach areas you aren't as familiar with, it would be nice to be able to slow down and really focus on those new concepts and skills. Still, that would be the ideal and not very easy to find.

If I can find a program that fits most of those criteria, I'd be very interested.

I've got a breakdown for:

University of PHoenix Online

University of Cincinnati

University of Nevada Las Vegas

Western Governer's University

Western University, Pomona

Regents Online Program

Kaplan University

Walden's University

Washington State University

Granted, some of these have really done a good job setting up their programs but each one has a major flaw, and if it wasn't a deal-breaker, I'd have enrolled by now !!

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.
I don't have any ideas, but it sounds like you have done your research! I would love to get my hands on that spreadsheet you made. My main factors are accredited, online, and low cost, although I do not want to sacrifice quality. I have a very hard time even finding cost per credit hour information from many of the programs I have looked at!

:yeah: Ha ha! Thank you for recognizing how much work a project like this was. I so wish I had started it when I began my search more than a year ago. I had so many great notes and things, eventually I just lost track of them. I should have begun the spreadsheet and kept better notes, but at the time, I also thought I had found my school. Wrong!!

I will publish it, actually, I think that would be a real service, so when I'm finished... you bet, it's out there !! Of course, some of it is absolute data, some of it is my opinion, like the pro/con columns!! so, a little disclaimer there, anyway.

thanks,

Cindy1ou

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Great thread. I'm on the same quest. I'm looking for a program that meets the OP's criteria with the exception that it requires perhaps only one or two campus visits, if any at all.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

One of our members, ivanh3, has had great success with Graceland's RN-MSN program -- http://www.graceland.edu/nursing/4777/ -- he had to make just a few campus visits, I believe. Might be worth checking out! Since you already have a BSN, I'm sure your journey would be a little shorter. I don't believe it requires the GRE, but I could be wrong. I'll dig around in my bookmarks and see what else I find.

I made a similar spreadsheet for RN-BSN. I posted it here last year, and it was helpful to many! I'm sure yours would be, too.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Also, this one has been recommended to me, but I haven't looked too closely at the particulars:

http://www.southalabama.edu/nursing/postbsn.html

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.
Great thread. I'm on the same quest. I'm looking for a program that meets the OP's criteria with the exception that it requires perhaps only one or two campus visits, if any at all.

Seriously, wouldn't you just love to design your own program? I think I could do a pretty good job!!

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.
One of our members, ivanh3, has had great success with Graceland's RN-MSN program -- http://www.graceland.edu/nursing/4777/ -- he had to make just a few campus visits, I believe. Might be worth checking out! Since you already have a BSN, I'm sure your journey would be a little shorter. I don't believe it requires the GRE, but I could be wrong. I'll dig around in my bookmarks and see what else I find.

I made a similar spreadsheet for RN-BSN. I posted it here last year, and it was helpful to many! I'm sure yours would be, too.

Great! checking out Graceland then!! ANY lead is a good lead, thank you so much and really looking forward to hearing from you again, if you find anything else at all!:loveya: I'll post what I find out about Graceland.

Cindy!ou

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Did you try Samuel Merrit University in Oakland California. They have an online MSN program for FNP. They're pricey, and I know that you're looking for low cost but sometimes that just might not happen. You already have your BSN so that's great. You might want to check it out. As far as I know I haven't seen anything regarding a thesis, and I didn't see anything regarding the GRE. But if there is no thesis, then they may require an exit exam like most universities out here in California. I was thinking of doing their ELMSN (I have a BA already) program, but I'm unsure since I just might do the LVN-ADN and then do MSN from there. Good Luck

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.

Wow, this is a totally new one, thank you so much, I will definitely look into this one too. And, you're right, I won't find the perfect combination of every criteria, it's going to be a trade-off, some things are more important than others and hopefully I'll find a combo that is do-able.

If you've already got a BA, you could do a BSN bridge program where they just add the science and nursing piece, added to your general BA. You should get through pretty quickly and with a BSN, I would think. It seems like there are quite a few bridge courses.

good luck to you too, and thanks for the tip !!

cindy1ou

Did you try Samuel Merrit University in Oakland California. They have an online MSN program for FNP. They're pricey, and I know that you're looking for low cost but sometimes that just might not happen. You already have your BSN so that's great. You might want to check it out. As far as I know I haven't seen anything regarding a thesis, and I didn't see anything regarding the GRE. But if there is no thesis, then they may require an exit exam like most universities out here in California. I was thinking of doing their ELMSN (I have a BA already) program, but I'm unsure since I just might do the LVN-ADN and then do MSN from there. Good Luck
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