boulderco

I'm in the FNP program. Here's the general idea: at the start of the program you have about 6 hours of synchronous/live lectures every week. But in addition to that, you have between 3-8 hours of recorded lectures a week plus assignments, exams, projects, reading, etc. You must watch the recorded lectures. Once you start clinicals, class time is less.

Just a quick point, for all NP programs, the clinical component is the same. It is always in person, with providers as preceptors and working with patients. The didactic may be online but the practical portion in identical to traditional programs.

Those who think online degrees are damaging the reputation of the profession need to realize that online education is the way of the future. At many of these programs, like Georgeotnw, students sign-up and attend classes just like at a brick and mortar school. These NP programs have been around forever, and the online programs have the same professors and same sylabuses as on campus, now they are just being offered from a distance. I would like to hear what opponents of online degrees have to say about such programs, i.e. Georgeotown, Rush, Valderbilt? Prospective employers wouldn't even know that this degree was "online"

I'm not trying to be a total downer here but this is the info I have... I'm in the accelerated program at CU-Denver and overheard a conversation between a clinical instructor and staff/students. This clinical instructor (the hospital shall remain nameless) said to tell friends not to go to DSON, that it would "take an act of legislation" to get DSON accreditation through (they are accredited as a technical school only) and that DSON will never be accredited. Furthermore, she said that many hospitals WILL NOT hire DSON graduates, except for those that are already working at the hospitals as CNAs, etc. and are "grandfathered in". This instructor is a very well respected professor at one of the local colleges as well as on clinical faculty at her hospital. She seemed to think that DSON will never have an accreditation as a higher learning institution. No judgement from me, just FYI. It's hard enough to get a job as it is when you graduate, I would imagine it would be even harder with a degree from DSON and not Regis/Metro/UCSHC.

UCD has a higher NCLEX pass rate. Also, from what I hear at least, University of Colorado Hospital has one of the best (if not the best) new graduate residency programs in the country and you have a better chance of getting into it if you graduate from UCHSC.