ONLINE ASN TO PMHNP PATHWAYS

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Mar 2, 2021

Please look at reputable schools. Walden is under investigation by the US Dept of Justice and is a for profit diploma mill school. Trying to go to easy route to the school with no admission requirements might come back to bite you later. Contact the professors at your local state schools and ask them about the best way to prepare for the program.

PsychNurse24, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2021

Most people in this forum are going to bash Walden University. My daughter just graduated and is interviewing for a job before even passing the boards. I have a year left. Walden is accredited and graduates have to pass the boards, just like everyone else. School is what you make of it. By all means, look into the lawsuits against Walden. I personally don’t care about the people who call Walden a diploma mill. I know I am getting a good education. This is not an “easy route” as a previous critic claimed. As the critics on the site will readily agree, they have no data, it’s just their own feelings and opinions.

I quit my full-time job to go PRN so I had more time to study. I would say I study 20 to 25 hours a week per class. The professors at Walden provide detailed syllabi. Generally for each week you have to write a discussion post, read the other students’ discussion posts, and choose 2 to 3 to respond to. Your responses must use at least two journal articles and are in APA style. People will also criticize discussion posts, but I actually think they are much harder than in-class learning. In classrooms, not every student has to give his or her opinion and also does not have to respond to 2 to 3 classmates—each week!! With online learning, I interacted a lot more with my classmates and learned a lot from their different posts and their different specialties.

There is also generally one paper per week on the assigned reading. Throughout the courses there are quizzes, a midterm, and a final, depending on the class. Be advised that frequently when doing assignments you will provide a 360° video of your room with your computer to ensure you are not cheating.

I would suggest getting a good APA manual, spending a lot of time right when school starts to learn how to navigate the site, and becoming very familiar with the on-line library. You will spend a lot of time online in the library. Luckily, one of the courses you will take is Nursing Research, which will help immensely in finding articles and critically thinking about them. I suggest the Walden-bashers provide data to prove that Walden PNHNP graduates are “less than” other graduates, but their information is just anecdotal. I’m sure as Providers they change their practice based on anecdotal information, NOT, and I’m still waiting for the hospitals to change their processes and procedures based on anecdotal data. LOL!

I would also suggest that you develop good relationships with the Providers and Therapists where you work. I have worked 6 1/2 years at my company, and the Therapists and Psychiatrists have already agreed to precept me in clinicals. Also, the FNP at my site mentored me and allowed me to use her office to learn about the equipment needed for the Physical Assessment class. These contacts where you work can hopefully precept you in the last year, which is all clinicals. So, finding clinical sites was no problem at all.

Good luck!

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Mar 5, 2021

The problem of course is that it is anecdotal as no studies have been completed...however it is an "anecdotal" opinion held by many, many people and especially physicians and others who will ultimately make the hiring decisions.

Will you pass boards? Probably.

Will a Walden degree put your resume at the top of a pile of 20+ applicants? No.

djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 5, 2021

2 minutes ago, MentalKlarity said:

The problem of course is that it is anecdotal as no studies have been completed...however it is an "anecdotal" opinion held by many, many people and especially physicians and others who will ultimately make the hiring decisions.

Will you pass boards? Probably.

Will a Walden degree put your resume at the top of a pile of 20+ applicants? No.

Not to mention the risk should it lose accreditation thanks to questionable educational practices. If they lose in that justice department review, ACEN could easily pull their support leaving current students in limbo and putting former graduates into a questionable certification territory.

PsychNurse24, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2021

You unfortunately make these broad statements but you should realize that every person has unique circumstances. My daughter and I have worked at the same company for approximately seven years. They know us, they encourage us, they have been our mentors and our preceptors, and not once have the eight Providers or the Medical Director asked where we are going to school. I anticipate my daughter will have an offer from them in the next couple of weeks.

There are surely similar people in similar circumstances. I spent $6100 getting my RN from a community college in Wyoming. I’m sure most of you would scoff at that, but I passed the NCLEX on my first attempt with 75 questions. I got a great education for $6100, and I would not trade that for the prestige of going to a “top-tier” university.

To me you come across as smug, superior individuals who enjoy criticizing your diploma mill university such as Walden and Chamberlain and Phoenix. Let’s support each other and not judge each other based on the University’s we attend!

djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 5, 2021

Nobody is judging YOU based on your university or the money spent. But we do judge the university based on stated and readily identified lack of academic rigor. Mentioned countless times in these forums over years. I went to a small state school in the middle of nowhere NY for my RN and paid 7g a year, but it has a regionally recognized and well liked nursing program. It wasn’t SUNY upstate or a big 10 school, but it has the respect of many of those more expensive programs as well as all of the regional hospitals.

The problem here is you persistently take our critiques of your school’s business model personally and then launch into personal attacks and insults. This is a consistent theme in your responses. Yes people pass boards. But what’s the board pass rate of your school? What’s the actual graduation rate of its students and what’s the rate of attrition? I can clearly articulate those numbers for my NP Program, but have yet to find that for Walden. And that’s the crux of what the feds are concerned about. And every applicant should be aware of going in.

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Mar 6, 2021

3 hours ago, PsychNurse24 said:

You unfortunately make these broad statements but you should realize that every person has unique circumstances. My daughter and I have worked at the same company for approximately seven years. They know us, they encourage us, they have been our mentors and our preceptors, and not once have the eight Providers or the Medical Director asked where we are going to school. I anticipate my daughter will have an offer from them in the next couple of weeks.

There are surely similar people in similar circumstances. I spent $6100 getting my RN from a community college in Wyoming. I’m sure most of you would scoff at that, but I passed the NCLEX on my first attempt with 75 questions. I got a great education for $6100, and I would not trade that for the prestige of going to a “top-tier” university.

To me you come across as smug, superior individuals who enjoy criticizing your diploma mill university such as Walden and Chamberlain and Phoenix. Let’s support each other and not judge each other based on the University’s we attend!

No one's attacking you personally, but you need to understand that the for profit schools are bad for the profession and make us all look bad.

You're giving bad advice telling people that because your daughter was able to get a job somewhere where she already works and knows people that they should go to Walden too. In this case it was the connections that will get her a job, not the Walden degree. For people without those connections ba Walden degree will likely be a hindrance to getting a good job after graduation. You need to accept that recruiters and physicians view Walden and other for profits as lower tier and when they're reading 50+ resumes it's a quick way for them to weed out what they may see as lower quality applicants.

umbdude, MSN, APRN · Mar 6, 2021

On 3/1/2021 at 6:14 PM, MellowYellow0914 said:

Hi everyone,

I graduated ASN in June of 2020, work currently in a psychiatric hospital on the Dual unit. I work periodically on the adult psych and adolescent units. I want to continue my education. I am 52 and basically "starting over in life." I want to not only help people but I also need to make the most money for my time (I know money isn't everything but it is an important factor here). I"m thinking PMHNP school online. My GPA in school was a 2.8, this limits my choice with online schools. It looks like Walden may be the only one that would work for me.

I'm looking for input from others. Input regarding Walden, other school suggestions, different routes in nursing to achieve my goals, etc.....

Thank you so much in advance.

I am concerned about someone prescribing with this level of GPA without a lot of remediation. Are you really going to be able to grasp advanced and nuanced concepts in psychopathology, medical knowledge, and pharmacology? How was your science and clinical nursing GPA?

It's understandable that you don't want to start over in life. But a low GPA combined with a program that's known to have the worst academic standards will only result in a sub-par (if not dangerous) prescriber.

I would suggest re-taking many of the science courses you did poorly in, and take 1 or 2 advanced 3P's from a reputable program.

If you truly want to help patients, be the best provider that you can be, and one of the ways to do that is to get a strong NP education.

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · Mar 6, 2021

22 hours ago, PsychNurse24 said:

I spent $6100 getting my RN from a community college in Wyoming. I’m sure most of you would scoff at that, but I passed the NCLEX on my first attempt with 75 questions. I got a great education for $6100, and I would not trade that for the prestige of going to a “top-tier” university.

I have not seen anyone on this forum criticize community college RN programs. These are generally excellent, reputable programs.

What people on this forum criticize are for-profit schools like Walden, U of Phoenix, etc. Community colleges are nonprofit if they are run by the state. There are also plenty of great private colleges that are also nonprofit.

For a PMHNP, just look at the best schools and whether they have online options. Most do. Johns Hopkins, Rush, Vanderbilt, Frontier, etc., all have an online PMHNP. These schools are often cheaper than for-profit schools, as well, and will offer better financial aid.

There are 2 things you have to keep in mind:

1. You will have to find preceptors for school, and it is a lot easier if you are going to a reputable school. Many preceptors are now only accepting students from reputable schools. No preceptor, no degree.

2. Once you have a PMHNP, it will be a lot easier to get a GOOD job with a degree from a reputable school. It is generally MDs that hire NPs, and they definitely care about a school's reputation.

Good luck

PsychNurse24, BSN, RN · Mar 6, 2021

1 hour ago, FullGlass said:

I have not seen anyone on this forum criticize community college RN programs. These are generally excellent, reputable programs.

What people on this forum criticize are for-profit schools like Walden, U of Phoenix, etc. Community colleges are nonprofit if they are run by the state. There are also plenty of great private colleges that are also nonprofit.

For a PMHNP, just look at the best schools and whether they have online options. Most do. Johns Hopkins, Rush, Vanderbilt, Frontier, etc., all have an online PMHNP. These schools are often cheaper than for-profit schools, as well, and will offer better financial aid.

There are 2 things you have to keep in mind:

1. You will have to find preceptors for school, and it is a lot easier if you are going to a reputable school. Many preceptors are now only accepting students from reputable schools. No preceptor, no degree.

2. Once you have a PMHNP, it will be a lot easier to get a GOOD job with a degree from a reputable school. It is generally MDs that hire NPs, and they definitely care about a school's reputation.

Good luck

I have already found my preceptors, who already work at my company. They have worked with me for years and have never asked where I’m going to school. And my daughter has already graduated from Walden, and she had no trouble finding preceptors. She also has her first interview, just weeks after graduation. I don’t think either point you made are valid.

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Mar 6, 2021

1 hour ago, PsychNurse24 said:

I have already found my preceptors, who already work at my company. They have worked with me for years and have never asked where I’m going to school. And my daughter has already graduated from Walden, and she had no trouble finding preceptors. She also has her first interview, just weeks after graduation. I don’t think either point you made are valid.

You're once again trying to assume that everyone will have the same connections as you and your daughter. In that case, your daughter was able prove herself for SEVEN YEARS. Of course her school doesn't matter at that point.

The typical job applicant does not get to spend 7 years with the hiring manager proving they are more competent than their Walden degree would imply. They get 30 seconds while the recruiter scans the resume and that's it. The Walden degree will definitely lead to some missed interview chances that a more reputable school will not. You seem to be trying to generalize a very specific situation (you and your daughter already working in a psych practice) to other people who might not have those connections. It is leading to bad advice. It is not fair to other potential NPs that you act like Walden is "just as good" as any other school when the reality is that it is not, and NUMEROUS posters have already commented about the difficulty of finding jobs and preceptors with that on a resume, and how many hiring managers and preceptors have stopped accepting Walden graduates.