how does MSN/NP compare to BSN/NP

Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Dec 20, 2014

It's a different type of time commitment but overall I found the NP program was less overwhelming. That's despite working full time during the NP program versus being a full time student when I got my BSN several years ago.

Part of it, at least for me was there were fewer tests and quizzes at the masters level, and more papers/ case studies. I'm the type of person that plans ahead and likes to write papers early, so I was rewarded.

I would guess each program varies, but at least for me I found getting my MSN to be much less stressful.

allnurses Guide · Dec 20, 2014

I just recently graduated and want to become a PNP. I haven't decided yet if I want to do primary care or acute care. I am obviously going to work for a couple of years before I start but I wanted to know more about what NP school is like.
Is it as hard as undergraduate nursing school? My program was pretty tough, I did well (above a 3.8) but I am wondering how possible it will for me to do well in PNP school. I am used to nursing school questions now so I assume it will be a little easier?
If I do the primary care program I think I would want to do it part-time (IN PERSON, I am vehemently against online courses). How difficult will that be?
If I do the acute care PNP program I want to do a program that's full-time in person (such as UPenn's program). Again how intense will it be? Will I have a life?
Do PNP schools want you to be successful or do they try to weed you out like they do in undergrad? Do most people get generally good grades in NP school?
School kind of burnt me out. And I barely had time for other things and it was just so hard and sometimes I felt like an idiot and it was not a very supportive environment.
How does NP school compare to RN school in terms of time commitment, difficulty of courses, work load, etc. I would love to hear any and all comparisons!
Opps my title was supposed to say BSN/RN!

A quality grad program will be significantly more academically and clinically rigorous than undergrad. All that time you spent learning NCLEX-style questions is lost in grad school where the questions should be much more straightforward and less gimmicky. You either know the material and pertinent info or you don't.

Part time is easy to do in grad school but any way you slice it your final clinical semesters will be demanding in your time. A quality program, even part time, will require 30-40 hours of dedicated time a week in the final semesters.

Depends on your program. It should be competitive and many grad programs have a higher standard of passing than their undergrad programs.

Plan on at least 50% more of a commitment than undergrad if FT compared to FT.

Sent from my iPhone.

MikeFNPC, MSN · Dec 20, 2014

My MSN/NP program held me to a higher level of accountability than my BSN did. For example, independent study that was expected to be reflected in formal papers almost weekly was required. There was less oversight allowing for an increased level of individuality in our assignments. We had far less testing, and much more reading and writing exercises.

The instructors treated me more like a peer than a student. It seemed that undergrad weeded out while graduate cultivated. Our instructors tended to push/nudge us in the general direction instead of telling us where to go. For sure it was more abstract, which I really enjoyed. I think graduate school was less work but most of the courses were enjoyable because they were all related to my degree. My wife likes to joke about my undergrad requiring me to take an art course (It was awful).

Recognizing the controversies regarding online courses, I chose to go that route due to family issues. Having had B&M and online, my opinion is the online was more challenging due to the sheer amount of papers. I’m sure there are a plethora of opinions on that topic. I had to drop back to part time (one day a week) during my clinical year due to the amount of work.

When you get a short list of schools try to ask active students, that’s what I did and it helped me narrow the field. Good luck!!