CANURSE999

They stopped allowing it I believe, but I believe these were my first-year classes finished in 6 months.

I just saw this if it helps anyone out....

I agree with you that the level of education from a state run or for the sake of this post a more "reputable" university would be preferential to most. Prior to nursing I received a BA from UCI and a MS from Cal State Long Beach so I feel competent to discuss the issue of higher education both onsite and online even going as far as writing my master's thesis on andragogy. My 2 cents is this and take it or leave it as the decision is entirely yours. 1) There are 27 MSN-FNP programs in the entire state of California that are CA-BRN approved and USU is one of them. Is USU a UC, Cal-State, or a super reputable private University, such as Loma Linda or USD? I would not argue that it is but if becoming an FNP is your goal, it is a decent option. https://www.rn.ca.gov/education/apprograms.shtml 2) Rural communities need NP's at a much higher rate than LA, OC, SD, SF, etc. As you will learn in your MSN program there is a significant shortage in these communities and they need you most of all. Its not a scholarly article but it justifies your importance. Do you think patients in your rural area are going to ask if you went to an online for-profit university like USU and will subsequently refuse to be seen by you since it was not USC/UCLA? If you recognize a need in your community (and assuming in whatever state you are USU is approved and you can practice) it is a good option. https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/nursing/nurse-practitioners-primary-care-role-rural-areas-hobbled-practice-restrictions 3) Your board certification (and what concentration your MSN is) determines your reimbursement rates from insurance, medicare etc. Ask someone who is a psychiatric NP how their reimbursement rates are if they were to see someone for a cold. Type of board certification matters. 4) If all the schools are so great and prepare their students so much better why are there so many review courses to pass boards? Hollier and Fitzgerald are the two biggies but these women have made millions writing books and hosting conferences to get people where they need to be to pass boards. The MSN-FNP program is similar to law school, the information they teach you in law school does not necessarily translate to passing the bar. 5) USU is one of the only schools I have heard (I could be wrong) of that does actual days of patient physicals and assessments live and in person. All students perform a PAP for females and a rectal/penile/testicle check for men on a real live "patient." That was a really great learning tool prior to starting clinicals and performing a whole slew of these things. 6) Piggy backing on the education aspect, you working for 20+ years as an RN have no clue how much knowledge you actually have in that brain of yours until you start clinical rotations. Clinicals are where you learn the job of being an NP and are honestly more important than the actual MSN program. I would have gladly done 2-3X the amount of clinical hours in lieu of the MSN if it were an option. Do I work for USU, nope. Do I feel that it is some godsend of schools, nope. Do I feel it is a great option for many individuals (either younger or older) who are desperately searching for a way to become an FNP without sitting in class all day every day for two years and spending a ton of money, yup. Were the assignments tedious, cumbersome, and not super helpful at learning how to be an FNP, yup. I am turning off notifications for this thread as I feel I have spent too much time on it as of late but if anyone ever has any questions feel free to reach out via private message and I'll respond. This board was not super helpful when I started searching for MSN-FNP programs as USU was not mentioned much but I am happy to see a lively discussion since then. Good luck to you all!

My ADN was the same way as it was super cut throat but BSN, MSN, and now DNP (in progress) were much more based on following the rubric and completing the assignments as the directions state. Well with regards to your comment "to get back at doctors" do you feel the same about DVM's, DPT's, DC's, DO's, and PharmD? These are only a few of the doctorate degrees in medical fields but what about PHD's, ED's etc., who are they trying to get back at?? I do not feel pursuing a terminal degree in ones profession is something that should ever be discouraged as there is nobody but the individual that knows their drive and passion. I partially agree with your comment as the culmination of a DNP is very similar to that of a FNP as mostly likely you will finish some sort of capstone project, but have to disagree as the breadth and depth of knowledge required to complete a DNP is so much more. I believe there are two main reasons to pursue a DNP. 1) Teaching. Basically all online educators and many brick and mortar schools (beyond ADN courses) are looking for DNP prepared nurses. If becoming an instructor is your goal as a side or full-time gig, I say pursue the DNP. 2) I plan to be in the nursing profession for at least the next 30 or so years and there will be a lot of change over the next 3 decades and I am trying to hedge my bet. Take this opportunity to look at the AACN DNP publication as in 2004, their goal was for all APRN's to be DNP prepared by 2015. "In 2004, members of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) voted to endorse a position statement identifying the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree as the most appropriate degree for advanced-practice registered nurses (APRNs) to enter practice. At the same time, AACN members voted to approve the position that all master’s programs that educate APRNs to enter practice should transition to the DNP by 2015" (Auerbach et ., 2004). People will say something like well I will be grandfathered in to which I would say, you're probably right. But what about people in California who do not have to pass a national certification but only need to graduate with a MSN-FNP degree from a CA BRN accredited school and congrats you are an NP? What if in the next few years they only grant full-autonomy to individuals who are nationally certified and hold a DNP? It would be naive to think that if 15 years ago the goal was for APRN's to hold DNP's that in the next 10 years they might actually bring it too fruition. There are other states as well that do not have full-autonomy and this might be their way of granting it to NP's with a DNP or maybe MSN prepared nurses will have the option of working under a DNP prepared APRN? I honestly have no idea what the future is going to hold for DNP's but seeing as a bachelors degree is the new high school diploma, I bet in my lifetime the DNP will be the new MSN. Best of luck with all of your education choices! PS sorry this is sooooo long ?

As you mentioned above tuition is exactly as it states online.... It still says on their website main page the monthly price of $375 (no interest) so I would push for that as a condition of you attending the school, they should honor it. The school did exactly as it said it would for me. I doubled up the first year classes and finished in 18 months but not sure they allow that anymore. If you are not looking for a prestigious UCLA/USC degree or the idea of taking time out of your life to sit in a physical class this program is for you. The instructors want you to succeed and give you tips on what is necessary to do so. The program is CA-BRN approved which is HUGE as an FNP in California. The books look good on the school as they have to publish this information and they just bought another University so I doubt they will be folding for a while. Also, I just started a DNP at a "prestigious" university. It will cost less than 50K for both my MSN and DNP which is cheaper than most FNP programs. As long as you don't care about the school name, I would save the $$$ for your DNP. Good luck!

I finished the program in 18 months and it is legit. I doubled up on classes for the first year allowing me (and others) to finish early. I am an NP in California and the school is accredited by the CA BRN. Would it be cool to say USC graduate instead of United States University, absolutely. But either way I am done and have since started my DNP. Good luck with your adventures.

Sent you a DM.

I was really looking forward to pursuing a degree through South alabama and I applied before the cutoff of July 2019. Honestly whether or not I get accepted it does not matter too much at this point as I was accepted at Touro University. I was notified I was accepted rather shortly after applying which Is nice. Although it would be cool to attend Alabama, the Touro program is only 12 months and will be completed by November 2020. Good luck and let me know how it goes

HOpe your feeling better and congrats on passing your exam. i appreciate you taking the time to write this ?

Aesthetics ?

Truthfully the pay for a RN or FNP (albeit making 125K a year) is not that great living in most parts of California and is definitely not enough to support a family on one salary. I doubt many individuals got into nursing because they thought there would be riches galore. I believe this thread was created and expanded upon to have a deeper understanding of the USU program not to dissuade individuals from becoming FNP's. Honestly, some people might not be interested in the role of an FNP, they just want to have the MSN to promote within their respective organizations. With regards to saturation, NP's are also listed number 6 on the fastest growing occupations occupational outlook on the BLS website. People will throw a lot of shade on your academic pursuits either because they are jealous, scared of a challenge, or quite frankly uninterested in the experience or attaining the education. Truthfully, becoming an FNP might not be for everyone, but honestly it helped me get to the place I am right now and am thankful for the experience. You will learn a ton during the clinical rotations, way more than any book from any University is going to teach you. Would it be cooler to have a MSN from UCLA or USC? Absolutely! But for individuals with families and individuals who do not want to spend 50K on an MSN, USU is a great option. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/fastest-growing.htm https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm

Don’t be afraid to pursue being a FNP due to failure. MD’s kill between 250-440K annually in the US and it’s the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/02/22/medical-errors-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.html Charting software and other tech advancements make a differential diagnosis much easier to come up with. Plus as more states move to full autonomy there will be more and more jobs.

Not at all helpful with landing a clinical site. Best advice is to get the list early and start calling and setting up interviews if you do not already have a place in Mind. It’s like law school, even though you have you ever JD you aren’t fully prepared for bar exam. You need a prep or review course to succeed. I already had a job lined up so I cannot speak to that. Good luck! Ever 2 months I think.

No clue about other programs that are about the same price. CA BRN website list many approved schools. Not too many distance approved schools on there if I recall. I just saw they removed the monthly payment plan, that is a real disappointment.

Mine was two seperate sessions so not sure how they do it now. It was physical exams (PAP/Rectal) it was suturing, physical assessment, etc.