Owlgal

I guess I don't see what the big deal is. Honestly. I'm in the Midwest. Boards should weed out those who truly don't know what they're doing. And the vast majority of NPs that I see in my area have graduated from an on-line program; they're all employed. I've been a nurse and in nurse management a long time (currently knee-deep in my FNP program). I have never hired anyone solely based on where they went to school or decided against an applicant based on that criteria, either. It's just not happening where I live.

Student loan debt for a career such as nursing or becoming an NP is an excellent return on investment, even with student loan interest. Starting salary is minimum $90k for a NP. Maximum length of time to pay off a student loan is 10 years. Even if she were to have $80k worth of student loans, she'd have 10 years to pay it off; that would be less than $1,000 a month in payments. That's not too much. You seem to either be assuming that the OP is young and not established (ie doesn't own a home) or very near to retirement. Regardless, it doesn't take much to save/pay $12,000 a year for student loans when you're making $100,000 a year (or even $90k). I guess I'm kind of wondering about your lifestyle, that $12k a year (for less than 10 years) would prevent you from buying a house or retiring when you're making that kind of money. When I graduated with my BSN, I had $65k in student loans (thanks to irresponsible spending). My monthly student loan payment was about $650. I was making low $60k a year, starting out. Not that big of a deal. I bought my house without a problem. Put money into my retirement. Raised my kids. And I paid my student loan payments until the loans were paid off. It was so worth it.

I think the vast majority of NP students have student loans. Of course, it would be great if you had a big pile of cash to fund your education. We'd all love that. Education in a field such as nursing (or anything medical) is a great return on investment. The interest you'll pay for unsubsidized loans is a small price to pay for a better career with an average salary of $100k/yr. I've got loans for my FNP program and did not bat an eye about taking them out. Sure, it's a chunk of money -- well worth it, though. After all, my career is something I'm going to be spending 40+ hours a week doing for the next umteen years. Just don't take out foolish loans that fund your lifestyle rather than your education. That's where people get into a fix. Tuition is $5k and they take out $7k to fund their lifestyle. My advice would be to take out what you need for tuition, only.

Really? Because I really don't care. It's a known quantity that it's going to cost me a ton of cash. I don't really care how much. Money isn't something that I focus on. I make plenty and save plenty and the things that I truly want and put effort into -- yeah, I don't care how much they cost. I know how much they cost, obviously, but it's not something that is factored into my decision making at this point. I would hate to have my world revolve around money. Obviously, yours does to a far greater extent. Seriously, I'm on track to make less as an NP than I am in my current career path. Money doesn't motivate me. Doing something that I enjoy, that I can do part-time when the time comes, that doesn't involve the stressors that I currently have. Yeah. That motivates me. I'm not a twenty-something newbie. Making good money isn't my life's goal. I've done that. Now, I've got a different focus. You seem to have a very narrow focus -- and that's okay. But people are individuals and to paint with so broad a brush as you seem to typically on these boards, is probably going to lead you to miss a whole lot of the nuances that make life worth living.

This whole discussion kind of cracks me up. The truth is that there are going to be good and bad RNs, NPs, PAs, MDs, and DOs. It's a crap shoot, really. I've been treated by doctors as a patient that simply were not good physicians. How'd they get through medical school? -- IDK. But they did. Same thing goes for the rest of the health care world. I believe my NP program is for profit. I didn't ask. Primarily because I really don't care. I really don't care about what my tuition costs. I think I'm in for around $60k for my NP program. It's about 10k more than the state school, but I really don't care. What I did care about was the ability to further my career goals while supporting my family and having a good quality of life. Seriously. Let's look at things here. If normal, run of the mill nurses are making 60-$80k all across the country, what's to incentivize them to become NPs? An extra $20k, maybe? They could pick up a few extra shifts and make that much. And if one is expecting them to quit their jobs to go to a B&M school full-time, and let's say we want them to also take classes on par with medical schools (as some are recommending), so that they can graduate and make $100k ... yeah, that's not happening. If you want an NP to "go to medical school" -- they are going to expect to make bank. $100k is not "bank". The reason that PAs are content with this type of thing (and their curriculum is not on par with medical school) is that they were making $14/hr working as an aide/phlebotomist somewhere before they got accepted into PA school. They weren't making $80k in healthcare as a professional nurse. Seriously. You think these online students are stupid? -- I think we're brilliant. I'm making mid 80k while going to school. I'll walk out with the same credentials behind my name as the B&M NPs, having passed the same boards. Sure, I'll have more debt; there is a trade-off there. And, I'll have an additional 2-3 years of real world health care experience that "traditional" students won't have. That's 3 years of seeing patients, networking with physicians, and learning about the newest medications and treatments first hand. I'll have to work harder for my degree. Much of my studying will be alone. I won't be coddled by professors who know and like me (because I'm charming like that) rather than earning my grade through hard work and retention of knowledge. I'll choose my own preceptors -- one's that fit my needs and career aspirations, rather than progressing through the student mill of pre-arranged "career" preceptors. Yeah. I'm super satisfied with my terrible-on-line-for-profit-education.

Talk about scary. I'll take the person who's actually licensed and passed boards rather than the guy, who, mid-way through his course of study, already thinks he knows it all. Maybe they'll just let you skip the rest of your program, since you've got this thing in the bag?! You should talk to your professors and tell them what you just wrote here. I'm sure they'll be as impressed as I am.

I wouldn't call them "scary" -- because, you know what, they've passed boards -- and one can assume that you have not. I always like to reserve judgement until I've been in that same place/situation. It seems a wise course of action.

I find this odd. Because all of my online exams are either proctored and timed or simply timed. Are they really taking exams between going into patient rooms? -- that seems highly exaggerated to me.

As someone had previously mentioned, new NPs may need to exhibit a willingness to move in order to practice in a way that fits their professional goals. This is no different than physicians who move for medical school or residency programs (and often jobs). If one chooses to stay local, then they may have to compromise on some aspect of their preferred job.

I haven't told my employer that I'm in a Master's program. I can't imagine that it's any of her business, unless I make it her business. I did submit paperwork for tuition reimbursement through HR -- though, I'm not even sure my Executive Director receives that information, as I work for a large healthcare system and I imagine that tuition reimbursement is handled by another department. I work in management and I definitely don't want any of the assumptions about my work performance that people could make, once they know that I'm not making a career of this gig. As a salaried employee who is responsible for the performance of my departments, I keep my personal life well-away from my work life. It's all great when things are going well and everyone is happy-happy-joy-joy; but if something goes amiss (which eventually happens when you're dealing with 100's of patients and 30+ employees), they'll crucify you with any information they have about you. It's the joys of middle-management. I am carefully considering discussing my educational needs with my executive director this spring, as I anticipate having to adjust my work schedule to accommodate clinicals. I fully expect that I will have to let this job go and find a bedside nursing gig; but it doesn't hurt to ask.

This whole discussion reeks of elitism. Which is something I find distasteful and usually find only on physician forums. You know, where they bemoan the fact that they aren't treated like gods anymore and that those upstart NPs are stealing all their thunder. There is not an oversaturation of NPs -- Sure, at some point in the future, there might be -- but then again, maybe the profession will evolve to meet whatever practice environment we'll be facing at that time, then. I remember 7-10 years ago when everyone was predicting that there would be an oversaturation of the RN market -- this was quickly followed by the realization that there was, in fact, a shortage. And for the few who are sneering at the "low" pay some NPs accept -- that's okay. Not everyone lives in California or has the desire to bust ass for $180k. I'd suggest that you do you and be content with that.

Best response ever! Seriously, though. I've gone over to the NP Student forum and there are far too many "I didn't pass boards" threads. This blows my mind. I seriously want to know what schools these people are attending. At this level, anyone who is getting their MASTERS degree as a Nurse Practitioner should be qualified to pass boards. This isn't LPN school or an ADN program. Boards should filter out the one's who really shouldn't practice. Of course, I go to a different forum that is geared mostly towards doctors and I see all sorts of posts about how individuals have failed out their first year of community college and are hoping to go back to school and get into medical school -- if its that easy to get into medical school, I might have tried that route.

Yes. It does pertain to your question. If you were going for an MBA and FNP, for example, it would be an entirely different question (and answer). You should check with your school (I'm assuming you're going to Vanderbilt), but I highly doubt you can board certify before you actually get your degree.

dual in what?

RVU's are better, IMO, than a set salary. They've basically guaranteed you a base salary plus bonus based off productivity. It's the best of both worlds. --Janet