Long-time lurker (reader but never poster) here, and I figured it was time that I got on here to glean some wisdom from the endless oceans of it here. :)
So I'm a pre-nursing student right now with almost all my pre-requisites done and a 4.0 pre-req GPA so far -- overall GPA is about 3.35 though from earlier classes/years. To clarify, I still have to do A&P this next academic year but have been already studying, and I have straight A's in all of my more recent terms and in all other pre-reqs (Bio, Microbio, Chem, Nutrition, Stats, Human Dev, Sociology, Philosophy, etc)....basically I've had a 4.0 ever since I really, really knew I wanted to go into nursing.
I know I want to be an NP, very likely an FNP, I'm 25 and just want to be DONE with school as fast as possible! At the same time, when I do one day finish school, it is way more important to me to be as employable as possible. I don't want to risk coming out with a degree from a school that isn't looked highly upon or to take any path to get my terminal NP degree that isn't looked highly upon. All that said, would it be bad to take an "entry-level masters" NP program like this one ( https://www.seattleu.edu/nursing/msn/apni )???? I KNOW I have the drive for an intense program like that, and the possibility of trimming off 3 years of schooling -- if it prepares me well for my career -- is incredibly appealing.
I have an associates degree right now (NOT in nursing), but I could complete just a few more credits at my school I attend for pre-reqs and wind up with a bachelors degree to then go on and apply for something like this. Bad idea? Is there a reason why this sort of program is (seemingly at least to me) really rare? If not something like this, then I've been looking to get into a very competitive BSN program from OHSU here in Oregon...great, great school that I'm drooling over...and then hopefully take their DNP FNP program after. I think I could do this for sure, but this would take me till 2021 or 2022 to complete. If I did go the fast track option, which I assume would grant me a masters NP degree at the end, it'd be cool to be eligible to go back and finish a DNP at some later point.
Any thoughts on these options -- or other ideas you might have -- would be fantastic!!! Also, if it's helpful or relevant, I'm a male, very motivated, and am ready to up and move anywhere in the country or world for this dream of mine. Most importantly to me though, it would have to be a really reputable program, and it is important to me that I be able to fully practice as an FNP in Oregon (my home state) and California once all is said and done. Thoughts?? Open to any and all ideas!
Thank you for the input! Sincerely -- I really mean this -- I appreciate all of you, any of your input, and what you each add to this community; hopefully I can add to it as well!
