NurseSugar

I'm at Old Dominion. 12 months. 11k. Totally hate it. It's all tests. Hard tests. Highest score on the last one was an 80. Everyone is in danger of failing and stressed. I've also seen U of Michigan Flint is 18 credits hours. Ohio University... there's several 12 month programs. Hawaii Pacific is 12-18 months.

Katrina, how is the program going? I have all the classwork in and about 240 clinical hours. I'm in Carmel, IN just north of Indianapolis. So here's some more things I learned that are good perks of KCU. They pay for the Fitzgerald Video review course. And you don't have pay to use Typhon (clinical hour entry software) or Castlebranch (Tracks your preclinical stuff like vaccines) which some programs make you do. And we got a practice suture mat at our Clinical Orientation Weekend (Knights of the Roundtable). I have 4 months left! Yay! I did end up finding preceptors for all my clinicals. If you are in KY, the school will be able to help you more! They are connected locally - largely through Kings Daughter (I think?). The mom of one of my daughter's friends is an NP so she gave me a rotation and some people to reach out to, which got me a peds preceptor. A coworker asked a friend to take me for a specialty rotation. I reached out to HR at some more rural hospitals and was sure to follow-up with emails to practice managers if their emails were included in the address list. That got me the rest of my preceptors. And my employer has a preceptor matching application... so got a preceptor closer through them -- and was able to hook my friend up with the more rural preceptor since she had not found primary care or womens health. The more rural areas have more practices that see peds, adults, and do women's health which means possibly having one preceptor for all those hours... then you just need one other person for a specialty rotation which is much easier to find. Hope it's going well!

Well that is lucky for you. KCU does not allow preceptors to have more than two students total and you have to be the only one your days with the practitioner. I can’t speak for if other programs do a bait and switch. I’m trying to find my own but the Clinical Coordinator knows I’m struggling and she is calling sites as well. So you have to have evaluate each program individually… I wish I had full placement but I am happy that KCU is hands on helping. If you work for a large hospital system many of them offer help as well. Contact the office of Education or HR.

Finding preceptors is a huge issue... they have a lecture about obtaining preceptors... then if you say you can’t they will start looking for you. I’ve called about 50 so far and haven’t had much luck. There are just so many programs and students and not enough clinical sites. Some sites are still saying they are on hold r/t covid which is annoying... So if you have connections you will definitely want to use them and try to find placement on your own! I work full time and have two kids 100% of the time alone. One has special needs. I can still manage the course work so you will be fine. Once clinicals start will probably have to drop hours. Happy to help if you want to connect more! Rachel

For all of her clinicals? When I talked to them, students had to find the first 60 hour primary care section. The rest the school set up. With so many practices continuing to say they aren’t taking students due to covid it’s hard for sure. Plus the plethora of NP programs.

Are you talking for NP programs? Yes they exist. Texas Women’s (men can go too!), Carson Newman, and Walsh University secure your sites for you. Kentucky Christian wants you to try to get preceptors but if you aren’t having luck they start calling around places for you. The programs are all online so I wouldn’t worry too much about where they are... other than you have to travel there for the weekend of Clinical Workshop.

Hi Katrina Yes, In couple weeks I will be halfway done with the course work. One more half and then Clinicals. I think it’s a good program! The format for classes works well for my schedule. It’s challenging but doable. The small class size is nice. The instructors typically even give you their cell phone number. They are helpful, responsive and kind and seem to really want you to succeed. Bioethics was hard because the book was trash but just push through it and the “real” content comes soon. ? They do meetings via Google hangouts and tests are proctored by a company called Examity. There isn’t a charge for the proctoring. So far the books have been pretty inexpensive. One was $100 but most used have been under $20. I would recommend the program. Their last cohort had a 100% pass the boards.

I live in Indianapolis so the on campus requirement means airfare. I selected KCU. They aren’t as well known but their format is one class at a time which I personally like even though the classes are abbreviated. Also the Clinicals are after all class work is complete, so only the last two terms vs adding clinicals to coursework over a year or more... so more Hours per week but over a shorter time. It’s just want I think will work best for me.

Call and talk to them! I ended up accepting a different spot but they were in my top 3. They said about 10 to 15 hours of course work a week which is manageable. There is one 3 day on campus intensive before clinicals start. They find your clinical placement 100%: I only considered schools that provide placement. The last term you can stretch out to 16 weeks to reduce the clinical demands. It just changed to completely online from a hybrid program which may be why you haven’t gotten much response. It’s a popular program in Texas apparently. There are papers, quizzes, tests, blackboard assignments and a group project. Total cost is just over $30k. It’s 8 terms of 13 weeks.

Again, this is not N95s. LOL "kleenex with strings" xD ... apparently isolation masks are still preferred over the cloth mask, so they must have some sort of micron permeability rating. I wonder what it is compared to cotton or flannel. They do seem quite flimsy to me as well... And from what I recall they are only supposed to last 4 hours. With the N95 resterilization -- those also are only supposed to last a specific amount of wear time. Does sterilizing them reset that? Are they still effective? Or just germ free? It would be nice to have answers since nurses are following orders and placed at risk based on decisions from those behind a desk. Apparently my facility does not know how they are going to sterilize, but are collecting masks for later in case that technology becomes available. In the mean time, instead of just assigning us one to keep, we are getting a new one each shift. Hardly a conservation effort at this point.

My employer is handing out isolation masks (the yellow tie ones) at the beginning of our shift and collecting them at the end to "be sterilized and reused". We are being told that is being done nationwide, but my friends at other facilities locally and in other states have said they are not doing that. I asked how they sterilized them and how/if the integrity of the mask is affected. I have not received an answer. We also asking about makeup and perfumes that may get on the mask from each user. Please let me know if you are or are not doing this. Thanks!

I spent quite a while on the phone with the dean of the nursing school at KCU yesterday discussing the FNP program. After a lot of research And speaking with several schools, I’ve applied here as my 1st choice (Carson Newman is second). The program is “intentionally small” to give personal attention. The coursework is 100% online over 7 semesters. The college has done online programs since 2012. They are about to graduate their 5th online FNP cohort. Board pass rates are 95 to 96%. Courses are one at a time and vary in length from 4wks to 14 wks (most are 8-9). So same amount of work as two courses at once just different format. There is an optional on-campus intensive. They have interactive classes at times like test review but record them for those that can’t login. Clinicals are over two semesters (528 hrs which is less than many other programs). It averages out to about 18/hr per week for 30 weeks. (In contrast, C-N has 5/wk for 15 weeks, 12/wk for 30 weeks, 15/wk for 15 weeks which is 660 total)... so they compact the clinical portion and don’t require as many hours. Nice for working student parents! And apparently KY BON requires all KY schools to provide clinical placement. So they ask you to be collaborative with them but they are ultimately responsible for placing you. Also you don’t have to be religious to attend the graduate programs (however, undergrad degrees from the schools all include a minor in bible studies). They aren’t ranked in the top schools nationally, but the personal attention if needed and the format of the program have made them stand out to me. I’ll update if I get in! They only accept 22 students per cohort. Hope this helps others!

@hdrn90 @PBJBanana88 How has this program been for you? Is it 8 week format? Papers and tests? Would love some insight into your experience and if you think its manageable working fulltime.

Are both the programs nationally and regionally accredited? If its a new program I would make sure of that. The only programs I found that connect you with preceptors are Newman Carson and WTU, and a few schools if you are local to the school. Both are about 2 /12 years. I agree, it’s frustrating to put the added stress of preceptorship on the student already juggling work and school and family. I have friends at Brick and mortar schools that still have to find their own preceptors so it’s not unique to online programs.

There seem to be a lot of posts about the on-campus program... But I haven't seen any for the online version. I am waiting to talk to an advisor but I think I will apply here. If the classes are 13 weeks, looks like only 7 to 10 hours of clinicals per week which is way more manageable then other programs for working students. And the website says the find your clinical preceptors for you! I'll ask more about this when on the phone! Hoping someone from the online programs at TWU responds with some feedback. ?