Is there anyone out there who knows if there is a comprehensive list of Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Programs (MSN) in the U.S. that offer 100% online learning? There are quite a few programs out there who present themselves as an online programs, but when you look at the fine print, you still are required to travel to campus from time to time. (very deceptive marketing indeed!)
I have found two potential programs so far: University of Southern Indiana and University of Southern Alabama. Like many working nurses, I do not have the time nor the money to climb on a jet and travel to some faraway campus every couple of months. Anybody else out there like me? Are the nursing school administors listening to people like us? Not everyone out there is single, 25 years old, footloose and rich.
I agree. I purposefully chose a school with multiple on campus weeks. But, you have to remember the type of people that choose programs like Kaplan and Walden. They are actively seeking the easiest route possible. It's a different mindset. And that's why we need minimum requirements for accredidation. To keep those types of people out of the profession. That's why the average MD and PA are higher quality than the average NP. It's unfortunate.
The NP program I'm attending has 1,080 clinical hours minimum. They encourage us to seek extra hours in specialties (radiology for xray/CT/MRI interpretation, cardiology, pulmonology, nephro, etc.) if we can. I much prefer hands-on experience as opposed to learning from books. While I agree that a good knowledge base from book learning is valuable, it shouldn't be the sole focus on learning, like some NP programs seem to be.
SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP
3,152 Posts
The NP program I'm attending has 1,080 clinical hours minimum. They encourage us to seek extra hours in specialties (radiology for xray/CT/MRI interpretation, cardiology, pulmonology, nephro, etc.) if we can. I much prefer hands-on experience as opposed to learning from books. While I agree that a good knowledge base from book learning is valuable, it shouldn't be the sole focus on learning, like some NP programs seem to be.