Online program recommendations

Specialties NP

Published

I am thinking of doing my FNP at Rutgers I live in NJ. Any recommendations for programs in my state or online programs?

TY

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I am thinking of doing my FNP at Rutgers I live in NJ. Any recommendations for programs in my state or online programs?

TY

As an experienced NP who precepts NP students from a 100% online program...I don't recommend it! I've been very disappointed in the preparedness of my students and the majority of them have years of nursing experience. All that hospital experience has NOT prepared them for outpatient practice! I'm sure online programs are great for business degrees, but certainly not for our profession. It always surprises patients when they find out these NP's are taking all their classes online. It would be very easy for them to submit papers someone else has written and have someone else take their tests. I'm floored that there isn't more oversight.

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Specializes in CTICU.

That may be the case with the program you're involved in, but you should probably be careful of overgeneralizing about the quality and rigor of online programs.

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Specializes in PNP, CDE, Integrative Pain Management.
as an experienced np who precepts np students from a 100% online program...i don't recommend it! i've been very disappointed in the preparedness of my students and the majority of them have years of nursing experience. all that hospital experience has not prepared them for outpatient practice! i'm sure online programs are great for business degrees, but certainly not for our profession. it always surprises patients when they find out these np's are taking all their classes online. it would be very easy for them to submit papers someone else has written and have someone else take their tests. i'm floored that there isn't more oversight.

as the world of technology advances, almost every area of life is affected, including education processes. i graduated in may with my msn, pnp track. i was in an online program. in my program there were many modalities. these included lectures with powerpoint with the professor's voiceover, online synchronized chats, asynchronous chats, small group projects and assignments in all classes weekly, and 2 on campus days per semester. this is my third degree, my first online. this program was certainly rigorous, and i must say more time demanding than my previous 2 classroom style degrees. one must have the ability to articulate very clearly in written form when there is no inflection or body language to assist. the amount of collaborative work is extensive. when online in class, it is necessary to be posting throughout the entire session. unlike a classroom where one can theoretically sit in the back and be uninvolved, active participation is mandatory online. interaction with and feedback from the professors is frequent. it seems as if the online master's degree programs are sometimes confused with self-paced, "workbook" style formats with no lectures and no interaction. i assure you nothing could be further from the truth.

"it would be very easy for them to submit papers someone else has written and have someone else take their tests."

very easy? please! can you even imagine taking a timed test online for another person? who would do that? it was so anxiety provoking, i can't imagine doing that! (besides the fact that clearly it is just ridiculously wrong. most of us who have suffered through this much school would not give it up for another student!) okay - i spent 15 months on my master's thesis; from conception, to the pilot study, to the extensive lit research and writing. not very easy to submit someone else's! the interaction with the advisor from the concept, through the various checkpoints, well, it's just not realistic to even consider cheating. besides, if they even thought for a second that you cheated, you would be out on your ear in one second. not worth the risk for anyone! by the way, it would be just as "easy" to turn in someone else's work in a classroom setting, no? even in traditional brick and mortar programs, work is submitted by email.

as far as clinicals, i feel my experiences were fairly rich and varied. if clinicals took place in a relatively small college town, there would not be nearly enough clinical sites available. with each student doing clinicals in his/her own area, it was entirely possible to gain a variety of experiences and "custom-focus" within each course to the student's particular areas of interest. of course, some precepted experiences were better than others. as far as my hospital experience not preparing me for outpatient practice, that is why i went to np school, and i wasn't expected to be an "independent" practitioner until the last semester.

i apologize for this lengthy post. i'm afraid i'm reacting to the raised eyebrows i've gotten over the past 3 years of grad school whenever i mentioned "online program." thank you for letting me get that off my chest! ;)

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dansingrn,

You took the word right out my mouth.

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As an experienced NP who precepts NP students from a 100% online program...I don't recommend it! I've been very disappointed in the preparedness of my students and the majority of them have years of nursing experience. All that hospital experience has NOT prepared them for outpatient practice! I'm sure online programs are great for business degrees, but certainly not for our profession. It always surprises patients when they find out these NP's are taking all their classes online. It would be very easy for them to submit papers someone else has written and have someone else take their tests. I'm floored that there isn't more oversight.

You know that you're also describing many students of brick and mortar programs, don't you?

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Specializes in OB/Gyn, Post Partum, Antepartum.

I agree with everyone else's comments. I have 2 degrees. The first was typical classroom style. I learned nothing. I got a degree that I did not use and did not learn much (IMHO). And I got the degree from one of the top colleges in country.

Then decided to be an RN. Got my associates degree. Typical classroom and clinical. I think that the students not being prepared is found in many avenues of learning.

Did an online BSN offered through the same school I got my ASN. I learned so much. For me, online classes were the way to go. I was more involved. I was really able to be excited about what I was learning.

So when I get my MSN, I will be doing an online program.

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Specializes in women's health, NICU.

I am looking to do the PNP program online myself. I feel that an online program would fit well with my lifestyle. Any suggestions for this??

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Specializes in ER; CCT.
As an experienced NP who precepts NP students from a 100% online program...I don't recommend it! I've been very disappointed in the preparedness of my students and the majority of them have years of nursing experience. All that hospital experience has NOT prepared them for outpatient practice! I'm sure online programs are great for business degrees, but certainly not for our profession. It always surprises patients when they find out these NP's are taking all their classes online. It would be very easy for them to submit papers someone else has written and have someone else take their tests. I'm floored that there isn't more oversight.

Very curious. As a distant FNP student I will become the first to pass from a preceptor with 25 years of experience in precepting FNP students who has never passed one student. It was so bad that these schools stoped sending him students. 10 consecutive failures in a row from students from Standford, UCSF, Davis and Merritt--all of which were from brick and mortar schools you hold in such high esteem.

Your overgeneralization is as disturbing and repugnant as it is lacking in any form of evidence that supports the notion that an inferior outcome is produced from distant education programs.

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Specializes in PNP, CDE, Integrative Pain Management.
I am looking to do the PNP program online myself. I feel that an online program would fit well with my lifestyle. Any suggestions for this??

bayouchick2: Try this link to University of Missouri, Sinclair School of Nursing. http://nursing.missouri.edu/academics/msn.php

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Specializes in ICU, ER, RESEARCH, REHAB, HOME HEALTH, QUALITY.
as the world of technology advances, almost every area of life is affected, including education processes. i graduated in may with my msn, pnp track. i was in an online program. in my program there were many modalities. these included lectures with powerpoint with the professor's voiceover, online synchronized chats, asynchronous chats, small group projects and assignments in all classes weekly, and 2 on campus days per semester. this is my third degree, my first online. this program was certainly rigorous, and i must say more time demanding than my previous 2 classroom style degrees. one must have the ability to articulate very clearly in written form when there is no inflection or body language to assist. the amount of collaborative work is extensive. when online in class, it is necessary to be posting throughout the entire session. unlike a classroom where one can theoretically sit in the back and be uninvolved, active participation is mandatory online. interaction with and feedback from the professors is frequent. it seems as if the online master's degree programs are sometimes confused with self-paced, "workbook" style formats with no lectures and no interaction. i assure you nothing could be further from the truth.

"it would be very easy for them to submit papers someone else has written and have someone else take their tests."

very easy? please! can you even imagine taking a timed test online for another person? who would do that? it was so anxiety provoking, i can't imagine doing that! (besides the fact that clearly it is just ridiculously wrong. most of us who have suffered through this much school would not give it up for another student!) okay - i spent 15 months on my master's thesis; from conception, to the pilot study, to the extensive lit research and writing. not very easy to submit someone else's! the interaction with the advisor from the concept, through the various checkpoints, well, it's just not realistic to even consider cheating. besides, if they even thought for a second that you cheated, you would be out on your ear in one second. not worth the risk for anyone! by the way, it would be just as "easy" to turn in someone else's work in a classroom setting, no? even in traditional brick and mortar programs, work is submitted by email.

as far as clinicals, i feel my experiences were fairly rich and varied. if clinicals took place in a relatively small college town, there would not be nearly enough clinical sites available. with each student doing clinicals in his/her own area, it was entirely possible to gain a variety of experiences and "custom-focus" within each course to the student's particular areas of interest. of course, some precepted experiences were better than others. as far as my hospital experience not preparing me for outpatient practice, that is why i went to np school, and i wasn't expected to be an "independent" practitioner until the last semester.

i apologize for this lengthy post. i'm afraid i'm reacting to the raised eyebrows i've gotten over the past 3 years of grad school whenever i mentioned "online program." thank you for letting me get that off my chest! ;)

i can appreciate that!:yeah: got my msn online now .. yes i could not agree with you more and i know i wrote more papers than most of my friends going to traditional schools..people critical of things they don't fully understand..

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Very curious. As a distant FNP student I will become the first to pass from a preceptor with 25 years of experience in precepting FNP students who has never passed one student. It was so bad that these schools stoped sending him students. 10 consecutive failures in a row from students from Standford, UCSF, Davis and Merritt--all of which were from brick and mortar schools you hold in such high esteem.

Your overgeneralization is as disturbing and repugnant as it is lacking in any form of evidence that supports the notion that an inferior outcome is produced from distant education programs.

Disturbing and repugnant? Those are strange words to describe a comment made regarding online nursing programs (?).

So, your preceptor had 10 students precept with him/her during a 25 year period and you are the only one who passed? Are you stating that it's because they were from brick and mortar schools?

I'm certainly not the only one who has denounced 100% online programs and I won't be the last. I know docs, NP's & PA's who feel the exact same way I do.

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