abva17

Hello, I am a Family Nurse Practitioner who has been in primary care for three years. I am considering applying for a position with a nephrology practice. For those of you who have experience in this specialty, what do you like and/or dislike about your job? Do you have a good work/life balance? Is it hard to transition from primary care into nephrology? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for the recommendation!

Hello, I am interested in becoming certified for DOT physical exams. I need to sign up to take a NRCME training program. There seems to be many training courses available online and I am not sure which one to take. My employer does not recommend any particular program and they will reimburse me for whichever one I decide to take. For those of you who are already certified for DOT physicals, which program (NADME, Oakstone, NRCME Training Institute, etc.) do you recommend? Thank you!

Thank you all for your comments. It would certainly make it easier if there was no choice, just one exam.

Thank you for responding. I feel like my program prepared me well for either exam. I am leaning toward taking the AANP exam since I am a student member. I just wanted to find out if anyone has had any problems when they applied for jobs due to having one certification over the other.

Hi Everyone, I will be graduating from my FNP program in May and am still undecided on whether to take the ANCC or AANP exam. I have not noticed any job postings in my area that specify one certification over the other. I just wanted to know which exam those of you already practicing recommend, or if it really matters which one I take. Also, has anyone noticed a preference of one over the other when applying for jobs. Thank you for any advice that you can provide.

I am in the part-time program and will not start clinicals until next year. I have started making a list of potential sites in my area. Depending on your area, it may be wise to start looking for sites.

Mluer001, I was accepted to both GW and GU. After weighing both options, GW ended up being the better choice with my work and personal life. GU's classes are synchronous each week. I believe that students must attend each class online twice a week. GW's classes are asynchronous. GU finds your clinical sites, although I am not certain how close the clinical sites are to the student's home. With GW, the students find their own clinical sites. The students at GW seem to network well. I have been provided leads for potential clinical sites in my area by students who are ahead of me in the program. Both programs have required on-campus components. Tuition is also different for each program. These are just a few things that I learned through the process. I hope that this helps.

Congratulations to both of you! I am currently in my second semester at George Washington University in the part time FNP program. So far, I am happy with the program. The student is responsible for finding their own clinical sites. That part is my biggest concern. I have already started on a list of potential sites. Being that I am in the part time program, my clinical rotations will not start until next year. Good luck to both of you!

Hey cw1029, Congratulations on getting accepted! I have already registered for fall classes through GWeb. I used the sample curriculum on the web site to determine which classes to register for. I'm looking forward to getting started and will be "seeing you" online.

Congratulations Kstout!! After paying my deposit, I received an email with my student ID. I have already registered for fall classes. There was a live video chat about a month ago that provided more information. They told us that we would not be assigned an advisor until summer. I have not heard anything about background checks. We were also told that orientation would be online later in the summer. There is also a Facebook page for students in the GW graduate nursing program. Good luck!

Thank you all for the comments and advice. It does make me feel like I am not alone in this new journey. It's encouraging to hear from all of you who have made it through and those of you who are also considering going back to school.

Thank you all for responding to my post. It's encouraging to hear your stories and advice.

Congratulations! I also received mine earlier this week. I believe that my email notification came about a day later than the acceptance on the website.

Christy, Did you apply for the BSN to MSN or DNP?

Thank you so much for the reply. I don't really feel like I am an "advanced age" - still feel about 30 and I plan on working for a long time to come. If you don't mind me asking, are you into the clinical portion of your program yet? If you are, how is it going and are you still working full time during the program?

I am an older nurse (48 year old) with a BSN who has been accepted into an MSN FNP program. I have almost 8 years of nursing experience (5 years med-surg/tele; 2.5 years ER). Once I graduate, I would like to either work in a rural small family practice setting or an urgent care setting. I have several questions, so here goes. Did anyone else go back to school at a more advanced age and how did it work out for you? Do you have any regrets about going back to school? Did you have any problems finding a job once you graduated? After you were hired as an FNP did your employer offer any assistance with loan repayment? Any advice, thoughts, or personal experience that anyone can share with me on this topic would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi ZariaJ, I applied for GWU's BSN to MSN FNP program for Fall 2018. My admission decision came this week. You can always call the admissions office and ask when they expect decisions to be sent out for the DNP program. They were very helpful when I called to check on my application status. Good luck!

Thanks for the information. I do not know anyone who has completed GW's program, but I saw that it is highly ranked. Are George Mason's courses all online?

I live in central Virginia. Did you apply for the early decision last fall? I applied around Christmas and hoping to hear something soon. Was GW the only place that you applied?

Congratulations!! How exciting! Hopefully, I will find out something soon. Did you apply for the online program?

Congratulations!! How exciting! Hopefully, I will find out something soon. Are you located in the D.C. area?

I have applied to the George Washington University BSN to MSN (FNP) program for Fall 2018. They sent me an email stating that my application was complete. According to the email, they will start reviewing applications after the closing date (January 15) and notifications will be sent out after about 4-6 weeks. I have also applied to Georgetown University's FNP program for Fall 2018. Good luck to you!