NP online schools

Neuro Guy NP, DNP, PhD, APRN · Nov 23, 2020

Again with online. I know this will spark a debate, but if you absolutely must attend an online school, make sure it is reputable. A good starting point (though nothing is 100%) is to start with state universities. Plenty of program are hybrid, with evening in person and synchronous online lectures. Maybe you could look into those as well, as networking is invaluable. When seeking letters of recommendation, I can't imagine what an online only instructor could possibly say about you other than what grade you got in the course. And many institutions for credentialing do want someone to recommend you based upon APRN competencies developed.

happynurse23 · Nov 24, 2020

I just read a great blog post on this topic. The post discusses onlin vs brick and mortar schools. I'll leave the link, its a great read and very informative. it helped me to solidify my decision on picking a school!

Here's the link: https://thenicenurse.com/2020/11/24/nurse-practitioner-school-online-vs-brick-and-mortar/

sleepwalker, MSN, NP · Nov 24, 2020

8 hours ago, happynurse23 said:

I just read a great blog post on this topic. The post discusses onlin vs brick and mortar schools. I'll leave the link, its a great read and very informative. it helped me to solidify my decision on picking a school!

Here's the link: https://thenicenurse.com/2020/11/24/nurse-practitioner-school-online-vs-brick-and-mortar/

and your decision was....what??

JBMmom, MSN, NP · Dec 5, 2020

I will be finishing my online NP Program in the Spring. For many of the people in my program a M-F job would not allow for enough time for clinical rotations unless you have a lot of vacation time available. My program required 80 hours of clinical in health assessment and 250 hours of clinical in each of the last three semesters. That comes out to 2 8-hour days per 16 week class for the last three semesters. You would need to have a lot of time off to be able to complete the hours. If there's some flexibility to your job you might be able to swing it.

To happynurse23, thank you for posting that article you read. I have been disappointed in the overall quality of my on-line program, but through my clinical rotations, three of my preceptors have indicated that they would seriously consider hiring me after I finish my degree. So while I think the overall quality was lacking, my clinical time and ability to use my pre-existing skill set to indicate competence has overcome whatever negative impression providers may have of an online program. And in all honesty, the three MDs that encouraged me to apply for positions never really asked much about the school itself, they were more concerned with my ability to complete assessments and develop appropriate plans of care for patients.

Neuro Guy NP, DNP, PhD, APRN · Dec 5, 2020

3 hours ago, JBMmom said:

To happynurse23, thank you for posting that article you read. I have been disappointed in the overall quality of my on-line program, but through my clinical rotations, three of my preceptors have indicated that they would seriously consider hiring me after I finish my degree. So while I think the overall quality was lacking, my clinical time and ability to use my pre-existing skill set to indicate competence has overcome whatever negative impression providers may have of an online program. And in all honesty, the three MDs that encouraged me to apply for positions never really asked much about the school itself, they were more concerned with my ability to complete assessments and develop appropriate plans of care for patients.

And this concern about quality is why students should not be pursuing these programs. I'm not throwing hate, really I'm not! But as an educator it really concerns me when I meet colleagues who choose these programs. Either they haven't done the homework about the quality of the program or are more concerned about flexibility. Nothing wrong with flexibility, but I always say this should not be the driving factor.

Lack of quality, if students are honest with themselves, will do them a dissertation in the long run. I'm one thats all about facts so for a while I decided to teach online at Walden to get a feel for what all the controversy was about and let's say I was mightily disappointed with the caliber of students and the rigor of the program, though it did seem to get better with time. I urge candidates to find a way to attend a school with at minimum half time synchronous education because you need that face to face.

School is a sacrifice and if you can't properly invest the time needed to truly get a quality education one must really think twice about the pursuit. I'm a proponent of online education, just not for healthcare degrees leading to professional licensure.

JBMmom, MSN, NP · Dec 6, 2020

15 hours ago, Neuro Guy NP said:

And this concern about quality is why students should not be pursuing these programs. I'm not throwing hate, really I'm not! But as an educator it really concerns me when I meet colleagues who choose these programs. Either they haven't done the homework about the quality of the program or are more concerned about flexibility. Nothing wrong with flexibility, but I always say this should not be the driving factor.

Lack of quality, if students are honest with themselves, will do them a dissertation in the long run. I'm one thats all about facts so for a while I decided to teach online at Walden to get a feel for what all the controversy was about and let's say I was mightily disappointed with the caliber of students and the rigor of the program, though it did seem to get better with time. I urge candidates to find a way to attend a school with at minimum half time synchronous education because you need that face to face.

School is a sacrifice and if you can't properly invest the time needed to truly get a quality education one must really think twice about the pursuit. I'm a proponent of online education, just not for healthcare degrees leading to professional licensure.

I agree with you to a large extent. But, to defend my initial choice, I did research before I decided to further my education. The program I chose was rated highly on what appeared to be reputable websites, like US News and World Report. And since the program was affiliated with a brick and mortar school I figured they had an established program. I also personally knew three graduates that were working in the field and recommended the program.

The first few courses were fluff anyway, but they would be fluff in person or online. Things like role development, ethics, health care models, etc. So I invested a few semesters before I got to Pharm, pathophys and the clinical courses where my disappointment set in. By then I had invested too much money to lose it and I just made it my responsibility to educated myself beyond what was required for a 40 point multiple choice test. The pass rate of the licensing exams for graduates from my school is 89% and 92% depending on the exam, so they are graduating candidates that are knowledgeable enough for the licensing exams, therefore I don't think they can be considered entirely worthless.

My criticism is based on things like the class format. The format of discussions is such that most professors never even interact, it's students teaching other students. I've seen some inaccurate posts by classmates but I'm not going to be the jerk that points it out. For my care plan notes, my professors have been more likely to take points away for grammar errors, but no one has ever looked at my proposed interventions and made changes or suggestions. These are supposed to be comprehensive care plans for critical patients, I did my best but I'm sure that something could have been improved. But the professor was more worried about the fact that I didn't bullet point the list. And then group work it useless. Why as a working professional in a collaborative field, do I have to try to coordinate with people all over the country working different schedules so that I can do the work for some slacker that doesn't feel like putting in the effort.

I do feel with my years of experience, my education and my continued learning that I will be a competent provider. You may disagree and you have every right. I agree that school is something to sacrifice for, but with a family to provide for and no programs within any distance that wouldn't require uprooting all of us and moving, I did my best with what I have. Thanks for your perspective.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Dec 6, 2020

17 hours ago, Neuro Guy NP said:

I'm one thats all about facts so for a while I decided to teach online at Walden to get a feel for what all the controversy was about and let's say I was mightily disappointed with the caliber of students and the rigor of the program, though it did seem to get better with time.

It would be interesting to hear more details about your experience there. Compared to students you had coming from more reputable programs, what differences did you see in academic preparation of the NP students and the educational rigor of the program itself?

DrCOVID, DNP · Dec 6, 2020

First and foremost, most programs are mostly online. I just completed a DNP program, we had class every other week on Thursday (all day) so it was very flexible and the first year we didn't have clinic. Years 2 and 3 you have clinic and it is at least several days a week you have to go. It is very hard to work and do school because of CLINICAL hour requirements and the capstone (for DNP), not the school work or papers. Most of my cohort worked PRN or quit their job in the last year or few semesters.

I would recommend the DNP for several reasons: 1) you get the equivalent of 2 more years of practice/learning time. Though as people have beaten to death here, there is no standardization of curriculum, the rigor of most programs is low, and the masters is still the entry to practice. I can tell you even in 3 years, if you do FNP you will probably feel like you are not prepared for practice when you finish. There are residencies though and I don't think we ever feel "ready" 2) For anyone that does not want to go back to school or the threat of additional schooling in the future for nursing. 3) You have leveraging power over other MSNs and have more options (DNPs teaching at the doctoral level) which nursing needs.