Happy818

The classes that are part of the curriculum cannot be taken in advance. I was a dietitian before entering the program and still had to take the nutrition course :)

As for a safe place to stay, there are some nicer apartments in Lake Mary, Altamonte, or Longwood. Those are all close to the campus. A lot of clinicals are in the downtown area so I’d try to stay between Lake Mary and Winter Park, and close to I4. If you want to study ahead, you might want to ask what books will be used in term 1 and see if you can purchase a PDF copy from EBay. I’m not sure if they’re using hardcover or PDF books now. The best way to stay successful is to stay on top of everything. The year will fly by- you’ll be very busy. Best of luck to you. Once you’re able, PM me with your email address and I’ll send you some books that might be helpful.

Feel free to PM me here.

This is not the program for you then. TONS of writing. If there are quizzes, they are irrelevant to the class content. The teachers don’t teach anything- just grade papers. Outdated books. And they don’t assist with practicum placement at all.

They have a forum where students post questions and they are generally answered within a day, however I find that many times the questions aren’t answered thoroughly. Many of us are on our own group discussion and we can usually figure things out.

10 weeks in- all online except 2 weekends in VA for 15 hour residency. So far it's been all discussion board writing and additional papers/projects each week. I can't say it's hard, but time consuming. I definitely spend 20-30 hours per week on the class, but I am not a writer so it takes me a bit longer. Plus they really only grade on APA format and grammar, so if you do well with following those guidelines, you'll get A's. I'm not really seeing the benefit of the classes- Nursing Theory, Politics in Nursing, and now Informatics--but this is more of a BON issue. Considering that MD's don't like NP's because they feel our education and experience is lacking, you'd think they'd focus the curriculum more on actual practical studies.....

Mark Klimek, Uworld. Everyone I know that used these passed.

So you think a preceptor should be paid? How much did you pay? How much do you think you should be paid? Just curious since you tend to mention this often....

I really haven't done anything yet. I'll start the orientation next week. I PM'd my email address to you.

I ended up choosing ECPI for my FNP and start in May. I did my ABSN there and even though the faculty there will not be teaching the FNP classes, they are well connected in the area and can hopefully help with preceptors. I did speak with a few that graduated from South and they were not pleased with their experience (but I think you'll see this with any program).

I will be attending the program, starting in May. Tuition is about $28k, 22 months, and they require a BSN with at least 3 months nursing experience. I completed my BSN through their accelerated program in Orlando. The FNP is all online, you can find more information here: https://www.ecpi.edu/college-of-nursing

I've applied to the May class. I did my BSN with ECPI in Orlando.

I'm sorry that you haven't found what you like within the nursing field. Myself, I've been a dietitian and recently went back for my RN because I wanted to do more holistic care with patients, and am now planning to do my FNP. I never have wanted and never will be a hospital RN. I'm not one for the political BS you see in these facilities. But I will tell you that another reason that I got my RN was to do consulting work. As an RD, I was able to fill some positions, however most wanted an RN. This can be pretty lucrative, and while you're still doing patient education and care, your doing it on your own schedule. Maybe this article will help you with some ideas on other areas in nursing that you can explore: https://americannursetoday.com/Digital/CareerWatch_2018/ I wish you the best!

Here is the study guide. You can download it from here, I will not email it. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JsY6x5OMdR8fJrNYtxeEF9eibVMzFnF_

Have you listened to Mark Klimek? That along with UWorld works great for most people. If you want to message me your email, I can send some info to you.

You can add these to the list: Herzing: 48 credits---$815/credit plus some fees---$42k St Thomas (Miami): 47 credits---$27,500 South University---62 credits---$780/credit---$34,370 (online and on campus option in Orlando) ECPI: 49 credits---$29k total (2.5 GPA req) If anyone has attended these schools, it would be very helpful if you could provide some feedback on your experiences.

I'm considering the school but will start in May. I haven't heard a lot of positive feedback on the Orlando location, have you researched them?

I'm in the same boat. I just graduated, taking NCLEX in 2 weeks, and want to start an NP program right away. St. Andrews University in Miami doesn't require exp and it can be completed in 18 months if you work through it full time. ECPI originally did not have a requirement but now they've changed their stance and want at least 3 months. I believe Herzing has a direct entry program as well. My husband is helping me look into this while I study for NCLEX, if he finds more, I'll post. What I find peculiar is when speaking to some programs, when I ask exactly what they mean by experience, they just want to see that you are employed as an RN. I'm an RD/CDE and work for some diabetes companies as a trainer. I could use that as my experience once my RN comes through. So for those saying that "experience as an RN" is important, the schools aren't specific on what that experience has to be. Besides, after working in private practice for years as an RD, I see very little of the clinical/practicum experience obtained in my RN degree being applicable. I truly wish that I could have done my practicum in public health because that would prepare me more for an NP program than working in a hospital. Not to mention that the world of nursing is really focusing on prevention, and you really don't get that experience in a bedside position. My rant is done ? Keep me informed if you find any programs as well.

What type of "nursing" did you do before starting your NP? I'm a recent BSN grad and have no interest in working in a hospital, but seeing that the NP programs are requiring a year of experience, I'm curious to see what most of you have done. (BTW- I've been an RD for 15+ years.)

I couldn't disagree more with the above comment. You do receive quite a bit of clinical skill education, however when you enter your clinical rotations you are limited on what you can and cannot do. This is not the fault of ECPI, these are the hospital's regulations. Another point to consider: most new RN's now have to do a nurse residency program when hired at a hospital. Why? Because the education provided at every institution differs and this helps to standardize care based on the specific hospital policy. This is where you'll get most of your hand's on experience. On another note, I did not choose ECPI because "I had to"....what a lame comment! Most in my class did so because of the 1 year (vs 18 mth) commitment and being able to join a class twice per year vs just once. Many in my class were honors graduates in their prior degree. Many students that we have spoken with from other schools are envious at the amount of clinical time we have, while they have a lot more simulation experience. And lastly, most people who leave the program either fail out or can't hack the schedule. The schedule is tough, and not being able to succeed says nothing about one's ability to be a nurse, however you need to be realistic about the time necessary for the 1 year period if you want to complete the program.

A patient asked for a condom because his girlfriend was coming by for a visit. :)

You'll see mixed reviews from every program :) The program is good, you'll get a lot of good experience, but it isn't easy. Most students from other schools in the area (Seminole, Valencia or UCF) don't have the variety of experiences that we do- our clinicals include rotations in public health, geriatrics, peds, maternity, med surg and mental health. Some of these are pretty lame and some require overnighters (which NONE of the other schools have to do), but at least you get to see a variety of practice applications. The classes themselves are challenging, you have to study a lot to keep up with all the exams. For $42K, I wish our school provided a little more "professionalism", which is sorely lacking. Teachers make comments that are inappropriate, and some have never taught before and are very green. Regardless of all of this, if you're looking to get an education to pass the NCLEX exam and not have a lot of hoops to jump through to be accepted, this is the school for you. There was a coupon for free application/fee waived floating around somewhere.....

This was our first quarter: M: Pharma 8-12, lab either 1-3:30 or 3:30-6 for the first 6 weeks of school, no labs after T: Essentials 9-3 W: Health Assm't 8-12, lab either 1-3 or 3-5 Th: Patho 9-1, need to pick up patient info on Thurs afternoon once you start at the hospital F: full day lab, 8-5 for first 6 weeks, then start hospital clinical 6:00-3:30 This could change, and we have provided feedback to the school on organizing lab time to be more efficient. Q2 is: M: Med/Surg 9-4 T: Public health clinical, only 4 days for the whole quarter W: Topics 9-12, and Pharm Apps bi-weekly 1-5 Th: Public Health 9-12, pick up hospital patient in afternoon F: hospital clinical 6-6:30 I will say the first quarter is crazy busy- don't expect to have too much of a life. But if you can keep your sanity and make it through, it does get much easier in Q2. I'll let you know about Q3 soon. ;-)

If I may provide a suggestion for those moving here from out of town. It's very easy to find a place in the Lake Mary area and be close to school, however, when you start clinical, they are not all located in Lake Mary. In fact, most are not (I believe only 16 spots are), most are in the Winter park/downtown or South Orlando area--and traveling to these areas from Lake Mary is very time consuming (tons of traffic). Remember that you will need to pick up patient information the afternoon/evening before and then be there at 6am on Fridays. Also, driving to Lake Mary from Maitland/WP is going against usual traffic and only take about 15-20 minutes to and from. Consider Maitland or Winter Park areas close to I-4. This really will make your life easier. I'm a local and will be happy to help you identify a safe area to live, just let me know.

I'm going into Q2. After our first quarter, we lost 9 people (they didn't pass one of the classes). We haven't lost anyone due to burnout, etc. The cohort before us has lost 12, I believe, but I know that 3 retook the course they failed and will be joining our cohort to continue. Tmulholland, you are in school every day for the first 6 weeks, starting at either 8 or 9 and ending anywhere from noon to 6. There is a lot the school can do to organize the afternoon labs to be more efficient with time, but I seriously doubt that will happen. After the first six weeks, you will still be participating in something every day, but your Friday will be at a hospital from 6-3:30, and you'll need to go to your hospital on Thursdays to obtain your patient information. Most students who have kids either have older children, some have nannys, and some others have husbands that have a flexible job. This was my schedule for the first six weeks, M/W labs change bi-weekly. M: Pharma 8-12, lab either 1-3:30 or 3:30-6 T: Essentials 9-3 W: Health Assm't 8-12, lab either 1-3 or 3-5 Th: Patho 9-1 F: full day lab, 8-5 The next cohort to take NCLEX from ECPI will be graduating in July. The problem with the last cohort that did so bad on the NCLEX is (as we were told by the dean) they waited too long to take the NCLEX after graduating. The school encourages students to take the NCLEX soon after graduation. Why? You will find that school nursing vs real life nursing is very different, and the NCLEX is based on school nursing. If you start working and take the exam, you will likely answer questions based on experience. I made all B's in my classes and just missed A's in 2 of them. I spent just about every evening and weekend studying, as did most others, but students try to help each other out by sharing study guides, etc.