naptimeRN

Sounds like a dream. I'd personally fill up my free time with hobbies and stimulating activities. I did med surg for 6 years and you couldn't give me a million dollars to go back. But everyone is different, thank goodness!

Just my personal experience being in FNP school... My school "helps with clinical". I assumed this meant they helped find placement and I was very much incorrect. They send the paperwork when you find one. That's about it. Many people sit out due to not enough preceptors available in the area. It's a lot tougher than I even imagined and I knew going in it would be difficult.

Do both programs provide clinical placement? If you do not have 100% guaranteed preceptors that you lined up yourself, I would personally choose the program that finds you preceptors.

It is insane. My program used to accept around 70 students. That already seems to be a lot. Come to find out, this year, they admitted closer to 200!! Not every BSN with a pulse should be an NP, yet many of these programs make it so anyone can...because $$$$.

I am in a brick and mortar FNP program. I could go on for days about how inadequate it is. I have no suggestion other than to supplement the best you can. You realize the flaw in the education and that right there means you're likely to be a good provider someday with your supplementation of education.

I took health assessment before patho and had zero issues whatsoever. I spent time outside of the class content looking further into why we are doing certain assessments and researching deeper into disease processes. This however, was not necessary for the Health Assessment class itself (unfortunately).

HI! I was wondering how you like their program so far? I am in a program in Buffalo and considering transferring and U of R is one of the few schools that has the FNP program in the area.

I work in an orthopaedic ambulatory surgery center. I am part time and work two 10 hour shifts per week. The full timers either do four 10s or five 8s...whichever they prefer.

It's been a few months now with nearly 50 pediatric offices and clinics contacted with no luck. I've tried places up to 2 hours away. I contacted the clinical coordinator at my school for help/guidance twice and she never responded. I went to the assistant to the dean and she told me to "make a list and keep trying". I found one family Practice willing to take me. I had them run some data however, and they don't see enough pediatric patients to satisfy my 200 hour requirement. I emailed the coordinator again asking for guidance. Never responded again and it's been weeks. I contacted the chair of the program. Never responded. I finally contacted the dean and she CC'ed the head of the pediatric portion of the program to our email thread. This professor didn't realize that when she responded to the dean, I too would receive the email. She called it crazy that a student would call that many offices and said that with students calling like this "no wonder the pediatricians are annoyed with us and won't take any students". First she admits there are no placements available and then she goes and blames this whole situation on the students! I responded to her asking if she has a better suggestion since the program offers little no no guidance whatsoever. She apologized for me seeing the email and offered no guidance except that they are aware there is a problen. How can these programs continue admitting so many people and taking their money while knowing there is not enough clinical sites?!I I studied very hard this semester (to supplement the subpar teaching this program provides). I am a 4.0 student and I will likely not return because I can not find a clinical site and am not willing to spend thousands more on this poor excuse of a program.

Wrong. They also require you have a pulse ? (I know this thread is almost a year old, but I couldn't help myself).

Has anyone here had to wait out a semester, transfer.or withdraw due to not finding a clinical site? When I told my advisor about the issues with finding placement and how many offices I've contacted he told me it's nearly impossible to find a pediatric clinical placement at this point (and I am looking for Spring 2020!). When you have to sit out due to not finding a preceptor, they make you pay for that class still to keep your spot in the program. Robbery. I don't think I'm willing to continue to invest more time and money into this without a guarantee. Beyond disgusting that they continue admitting hundreds of students while being fully aware of this issue.

I would not suggest any NP school that does not place you in clinical sites/with a preceptor. Most online programs do not. I am in a brick and mortar that does not. It is a nightmare.

Today, an instructor at my school responded to an email not realizing I was cc'ed on it (My original email was to the dean asking if we could do specialty hours since its near impossible finding a primary ped clinical site). I told her how many offices I had contacted. The instructor wrote how it was crazy that students would call so many offices annoying them and "no wonder pediatricians are unwilling to take our students". I was livid and disgusted she would say that. First, she is admitting there is an issue in terms of site availability and second, she blames it on the students because we are calling. I responded to her letting her know I also received her email and how the only help I've received from the school for the thousands I have spent is "keep a list and keep trying". I asked if there is another method because we would all certainly love to know it. She responded within 6 minutes apologizing and that she did not mean for me to get the email (obviously). She changed her tune saying I wasn't doing anything wrong by calling as that is what I was told to do, and said the faculty is meeting to hopefully come up with a solution for the issue between pediatricians and students. Okay, right.The issue isn't between pediatrician offices and students...the issue is that these schools admit hundreds of students knowing there is such limited preceptor availability and providing little to no guidance in terms of securing one. I can not believe this is something I paid for.

Two weeks left in this semester and in my advanced pharmacology class we have made it through 8 of 20 drug sections on the syllabus. I feel like I should get my money back. Also, the clinical coordinator (again, don't know what she actually does) has not responded to my emails regarding clinicals. One of my professors has not responded to an email I sent last Thursday regarding clarification on assignment. The director of the FNP program has not returned an email I sent regarding clinical and if I can do specialty since I can't find any pediatric. This program is awful.

How absolutely sad that it is like this. Here we are A students and likely not returning. I am having so much trouble deciding on whether to continue or not. This whole experience has really turned me off to this career choice.