Please Help! Best way to become a FNP/CNM?

[futurenpwa]

I currently have a B.S. in Public Health from a university. I did fairly well in school (3.6 GPA overall) but did badly (2.5) in a couple of the prereqs for nursing school (micro and anatomy, did very well in the other ones).

I really want to become a FNP or CNM (or maybe a FNP with CNM certificate). I am trying to figure out the best way to do this, basically in the quickest amount of time. I am worried that my grades aren't good enough for how competitive direct entry programs are. I know I could retake the prereqs I did poorly on and 4.0 them at a local CC.

I have worked at a hospital in admin and currently volunteer at a clinic. I am in the PNW (Portland) and would ideally like to stay in this area. OHSU would be my dream school. Need help figuring out the quickest way to accomplish my goal of being a FNP, be it a RN->BSN -> MSN, or ideally finding a way to get into a direct entry program. Please help, could really use advice/experiences/guidance! Thanks :)

[zmansc, ASN, RN]

A&P and Micro are the core knowledge that all your education will be built upon. Understanding them gives you the background to understand the pathophysiology that is occurring. Without it, you can memorize alot, and get by to some extent, but you will finally run into a brick wall where you have to understand the processes that are going on inside the body to treat it properly. I would strongly suggest you retake for the knowledge, the change in your GPA would just be icing on the cake.

As for the program you want to take, it sounds like you have found one that is local, I would try to talk to them personally and see if you can get advice from them on exactly what they think would make your application stand out. They will be the only ones who can actually give you that advice. If they give you negative advice, then and only then would I suggest you look into alternative routes.

Good Luck!

[nurseylove25]

Vanderbilt has a dual program. Although I think you need to be local in Nashville to get your BSN and then able to distance for your MSN!

[ICURN7]

I would go by what each individual school requests and not necessarily retake the classes (If your overall GPA is 3.6). Some school required that you have an overall GPA of 3.0. So, find out from each school you are interested in and ask what their requirements are. If you meet their requirement, go ahead and apply. Even when you get into the graduate school, some courses like patho are so intense that people just pray to make a B and move on. Your B does not mean you don't know it and therefore repeat it or make you feel like you know less and therefore won't pass your boards.( sometimes, the time is not quite enough and you are being trained to think fast). I have had to finish a test and saw where i missed it, (things like "all of the following except"). Does that mean i don't know it, no. It only means i have to pay more attention and read through everything. And you know, the harm has been done, so i strive hard to make it up on the next test. Although Patho is the backbone of everything, you just have to brace up and work extra hard for more understanding of the concepts.

So, my advise is to find out from schools you are interested in and ask what their requirements are and apply. I believe you can save yourself some precious time and money than going to repeat the classes. That is not to say the classes are not important. It's only you that knows where the shoe pinches. So, go back and read through those again.I remember the clinical microbiology made ridiculously simple was and is still very helpful for me now in the graduate school. I have a bunch of them (clinical cardiology made ridiculously simple, clinical pathophysiology made ridiculously simple , etc) I can't tell you how much these has helped me in the graduate school. It is up to you though to repeat, but i won't. Good luck and let us know! :)