SopranoKris BSN, RN

SopranoKris has 6 years experience as a BSN, RN and specializes in Critical Care.

SopranoKris's Latest Activity

1. 

   University of South Alabama dual FNP/ACNP Fall 2019

   SopranoKris replied to lexicon28's topic in NP Students

   I did the MSN. The Dual Role ACNP/FNP takes longer than the other tracks to complete, since you're doing both certifications. You cannot take summers off as you must complete your courses in sequence based on the grid they send you once you're accepted. Fall & Spring are 16 week semesters. Summer is 8 weeks. I do not suggest taking more than 2 courses per semester, especially if you are also working. You can only take didactics/clinicals in Fall & Spring. You can't start them early, so no point in trying to knock yourself out taking more than 2 foundation courses per semester. The FNP is 2.5 years (8 semesters) and the DNP is just under 4 years (12 semesters). In my area, there is little difference in pay between MSN & DNP NPs, so it wasn't worth the extra 4 semesters and DNP project to do it. Unless you're planning to teach or your state requires a terminal degree, take it for what it's worth.
2. 

   Too old for NP school?

   SopranoKris replied to CinLeo42's topic in NP Students

   I will be 51 when I graduate with my NP degree in May. You are definitely NOT too old! I've already had job offers while doing my clinicals 🙂
3. 

   Frontier Nursing University Essay

   SopranoKris replied to telecaster89's topic in NP Students

   You're very welcome, glad to help 🙂 Good luck with your application. Let us know if you get accepted!
4. 

   Clinical Patient Logs

   SopranoKris replied to bamafire796's topic in NP Students

   I bring an iPad with me to clinicals and do my Typhon entries as I see my patients. I don't see my next patient until I'm done with my Typhon entry. We have multiple students at our site, so someone is always available to take the next patient. Works out well, since all of us use Typhon (even the PA students). One site I was at let me log in to Typhon using the laptop they gave me when I saw patients. My first semester, I was logging them at the end of the day. But after being exhausted from a long clinical day, I found the Typhon entries were piling up. It's easy to get behind on Typhon if you don't stay on top of it. I find just doing them as I go is best. You're there to have a complete experience with the patients you have seen. You don't win an award for seeing the most patients in a single day. Take your time, learn from what you're seeing, and get your details in Typhon that your school requires. I have to do a mini SOAP note on every patient I see. If I'm selecting one for a full episodic or a full comprehensive SOAP for an assignment, then I'm going to spend even more time being detailed in Typhon so I can complete my assignment later and not have to take home handwritten notes.
5. 

   FNP ACNP Dual Programs

   SopranoKris replied to zinaptl's topic in NP Students

   I'm in a dual ACNP/FNP program at University of South Alabama. One thing to keep in mind when they say "just get the post-masters certificate later" is that a) you do not get any financial aid whatsoever for post-masters certificates, and b) you will have to do full time clinical hours for your post-masters. If you're already working as an FNP, that can be difficult to do. I want to eventually locum tenens down the road. Some states want FNPs, some want only ACNP in the hospital, so I figured having both would cover all my bases. Plus, we end up with over 1,100 clinical hours by the time we're done. Definitely more marketable as a new grad with dual cert and more clinical time than your fellow new grads when job seeking. I went with MSN dual ACNP/FNP. The DNP does not give you any more clinical/medical experience than the MSN. The DNP "clinical" hours are related to your DNP project. I don't want to do a research project. The one that sealed the deal for me is that there is little to no difference in pay. So, until my state requires a DNP, I'm sticking with the MSN.
6. 

   What are the for profit NP schools?

   SopranoKris replied to JZ1's topic in NP Students

   Avoid any program where you never step foot on campus, does not provide hands-on skills training, has minimal standards of acceptance (e.g. low GPA, no RN experience in specialty tracks), and will take anyone with a pulse & a promissory note. It is especially concerning when ACNP programs don't require any experience as an ICU or ER RN. I would say schools like Chamberlain, Maryville, Walden, etc. They pay heavily for advertising and "rankings" on websites to drum up business. Their "advisors" are salesmen. As long as you can pay or have financial aid, you get accepted. Caveat emptor!
7. 

   Theoretical framework question/help

   SopranoKris replied to Guest1059175's topic in NP Students

   Google theoretical framework, and your question will be answered 🙂
8. 

   Should I pay for clinical hours for an NP preceptor, and if so, how much is too much to pay?

   SopranoKris replied to A Hit With The Ladies's topic in NP Students

   Not everyone has the luxury of living close enough to a school that provides preceptors. Or if they do, has the specialty you want. I live near a Big Ten university which places NP students in clinicals, but they only offer FNP & Gero. I want ACNP and they don't offer it. I had no choice but to go to a school that requires me to find preceptors. There are no programs nearby that place students and offer ACNP. Even the "other" Big Ten school in our state doesn't place students, and they have their own university-owned healthcare system! For what it's worth, the NP students I know who attended the local program were placed anywhere in the state. Some had to drive 4 to 8 hours away for clinicals, which meant paying for a hotel or renting a condo for their rotation. Or they had to go to community health or correctional facilities in not-so-great areas, cars broken into, purses stolen, etc. The grass isn't necessarily greener. The school I'm going to encourages us to look up former preceptors in the Typhon system to help us find sites. They will place us if we've exhausted all our options, but they can (and usually do) place us any where in the country. Right now, none of the hospitals in my area are taking students, so come fall, I may have to get placed by the school in another state. COVID has really thrown a monkey-wrench into the mix.
9. 

   “Have you applied somewhere else?” Interview question.

   SopranoKris replied to nurselove757's topic in NP Students

   They got "mad"? Seriously? Sounds like a good place to avoid. Most job candidates have applied for multiple positions. It's not good practice to apply to ONE job and then wait to find out before applying to another. Poor interviewer, which doesn't speak well for the facility.
10. 

    Alternate Route to FNP?

    SopranoKris replied to VanNuysRN's topic in NP Students

    You can certainly get a post-master's certificate in any NP specialty, you just have to take the courses your original MSN was lacking. Question, though: why spend all that time & money to get an MSN in a different specialty to add the FNP later? Post-graduate certificates are not eligible for federal financial aid, so you would have to pay out-of-pocket to get one. You can also look at this the other way around: it's easy to get the FNP and then get a post-grad subspecialty in education, leadership, informatics, etc. I would really think about what your main focus is. What do you REALLY want to do with your degree? If your aim is to teach, then stick with MSN in Education. Do you want to work in administration as a Nurse Leader? Then go the MSN Leadership route. Don't get an FNP just to have it. You really need to want to assess, diagnose, treat and follow-up with your patients. If that doesn't appeal to you, I wouldn't waste the time, money and energy on it. The school I'm attending has post-master's specialty certificates in just about every track of NP specialties, as well as sub-specialty certifications (e.g. cardiology, hospice, education, etc.) https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/con/postgradcert.html
11. 

    As an NP student, how many clinical rotation hours do you do weekly?

    SopranoKris replied to A Hit With The Ladies's topic in NP Students

    I did four 9-hour days per week until I had my 300 hours for the semester completed. Previous semester was 240 hours. I had to split it up according to my preceptor's availability. For example, my 60 OB/Gyn hours were done as 10-hour days twice a week for 3 weeks. the remaining 180 hours was done as two 9-hour days and one 6-hour day per week. You're really at the mercy of your preceptor's schedule and availability. Not all practitioners work 5 days per week.
12. 

    Can you take the boards while still in NP school?

    SopranoKris replied to dana16's topic in NP

    It all depends on if your program awards the MSN separately from the DNP. If they do, then yes, you can take boards while you finish the DNP portion. My school does this for their DNP tracks. Our foundation courses are actually at the doctorate level so if we opt to get the DNP later, we only have to do a few extra semesters to finish it, along with the doctorate project. In my opinion, the cost-benefit to getting the DNP vs. the MSN is negligible at this time. You don't get extra clinical (patient) time and there's little difference in pay in the clinical setting. If you want to work in the academic realm, then the DNP is beneficial. Until it's absolutely required, I'm stopping at the MSN for now. 3 more semesters left to go! 🙂
13. 

    Surgical NP

    SopranoKris replied to Alicia777's topic in NP

    If you want to do surgical NP, steer clear of Chamberlain. I had a great experience there for my RN to BSN, but it was a complete 180 degree difference when I started the FNP program. I wasted so much time & money with them on the MSN-FNP and NONE of the credits transferred. I ended up going to a different program and I'm so glad I left Chamberlain. I do not care for their predatory tactics and they will accept anyone with a pulse and a promissory note. I, too, am a second career RN and this put me a year behind in my plans. Look into UAB's AG-ACNP with RNFA if you want to do orthopedic surgical NP work.
14. 

    University of South Alabama PMHNP Fall 2019

    SopranoKris replied to esipbisn's topic in NP Students

    I don't know. I'm in Dual Role and started in 2018. Our cohort created its own group once we started didactics/clinicals. I'm not in any PMHNP groups. When you're in the foundation courses, all the tracks are together. There are separate FB groups for each course, but they're strictly moderated and only students with a JagID and a snapshot of their PAWS registration can join those groups once the current semester ends. Send me a PM before your semester starts and I can send you the instructions on how to join those groups. They don't accept any members after the semester starts or before registration. New students register in July.
15. 

    Dual Role DNP ACNP FNP Spring 2020 University of South Alabma

    SopranoKris replied to jamiejammer's topic in NP Students

    It is 8 semesters for the Dual Role MSN ACNP/FNP track with a Fall start. It can be 9 or more if you start in Spring or Summer.
16. 

    NP program at Illinois GOVERNORS STATE UNIVERSITY

    SopranoKris replied to Lzuniga5's topic in NP Students

    Back in the 90s, I took a calculus as well as 2 semesters of statistics at GSU. I had a great experience. They used to be known for having classes in the evening to accommodate working adults. I'm sure they probably have quite a bit online now. I had a good experience there. I know a few nurses who got their ASNs at community colleges (like Prairie State College) and finished their BSNs at GSU. I don't know their NP curriculum personally, but I did have a good experience there 25+ years ago. My ex-husband got his teaching degree there.