pro-student

NYS, in an effort to push back on diploma mills, requires any higher education institution that offers any part of its program within the state (including clinicals) to be approved by the state department of education. All schools with a campus in th...

A 3.0 is the bare minimum GPA for any reputable program. Your best option is to take any college classes (for credit) to increase your GPA. It would be wonderful if you can take something healthcare related or even psych but honestly, any classes tha...

There are MSN programs that will accept students who are RNs + have a bachelor's degree in any field but they are not the majority. Since you didn't mention any specialty or type of program you are interested it, it's hard to recommend a specific pro...

Many school have a minimum GPA of 3.0 but (officially or unofficially) expect a GPA of at least 3.5 if you have a master's degree or higher. Regardless of your other qualifications, your application might get rejected simply because your GPA is low. ...

In terms of job opportunities, it doesn’t matter. You will be considered a new grad/entry level nurse regardless of whether you get the BSN or MSN. Some healthcare organizations might pay you a slightly higher hourly rate if you have an MSN but it mi...

I think you want to be a CNS. Part of CNS practice includes staff development and education which sounds like what interests you more. CNS are often encouraged to maintain involvement in clinical practice too which helps make one a better educator. M...

I’ve never even heard of a school that offers additional pathophys classes. Some schools will allow you to take additional courses provided you pay the extra tuition however I think there would be less benefit than you might imagine. Instead, it woul...

I think a dual WHNP/CNM would be redundant. Maybe someone else can weigh in but, as far as I know, there aren’t any benefits to doing both (not to mention the extra schooling, boards, and maintains two overlapping certifications/licenses). The FNP co...

For the life of me, I don’t know why someone would do a dual CNM/WHNP. Literally the entire scope of practice for the WHNP is contained the CNM scope. I get that midwifery is often poorly understood even by many fellow healthcare providers who don’t ...

I applaud your goals of providing holistic healthcare and trying to screen for IPV. Unfortunately, however, without resources and a plan in place for what you would do in the event someone says they are unsafe, you're not actual providing holistic ca...

I wouldn’t worry too much about going into psych right away as a new grad if that’s what interests you. The advice that every nurse needs a couple years of med-surg is very outdated. Certainly it can be a great place to start but so can many other ar...

I think part of the idea of the DNP is for you to be translating the current research/evidence into practice guidelines not simply finding existing guidelines. In terms of a PICOT question, you probably want to just think through the letters with a e...

I would cut the first 3 paragraphs entirely. While they tell some nice anecdotes about you, they do nothing to answer any of the prompts, and honestly sound like they were copied and pasted from a BSN application. They are specifically asking why you...

Most DNP programs that require around 1,000 hours are post-BSN programs training advanced practice nurses. Since typical NP programs include 500-650 clinical hours, another 400 would put the total at around 1,000. Since the DNP in Education would not...

Whether or not your midwifery training was completed as part of your MSN, post-masters, or DNP wouldn’t matter to most employers. You shouldn’t have a problem enrolling in a post-masters after an MSN from. WGU but since you wouldn’t have a grade for ...

Most MD-pulmonologists are also trained in critical care since there is such more overlap especially for inpatients. You might be able to get a job in an outpatient pulm clinic but, even there, it would be desirable to have acute care training. ...

For the individual NP, I think it’s fair. You’re asking them to devote a significant amount of time and effort meeting the requirements of your program, sharing their clinical knowledge, and mentoring you as an aspiring provider. They deserve to be c...

Check with schools that you are interested in. Reputable schools are willing to provide stats like average GPA or admitted students. It’s certainly possible to get into a program with your GPA especially if you have experience, excellent recommendati...

The FNP scope of practice literally includes everything the WHNP does but makes you much more marketable as a provider. If you’re adamant that you only want to ever do women’s health, they go for it. But unless you would refuse a position that includ...

Thank you for sharing your story! I hope we can all learn something from your experience. Not at all a criticism, but men are also victims of abuse and are much less likely to self-report. Please ask ALL patients if they are safe at home not matter w...

I agree AGACNP is the way to go. Many hospital-employed work either in an ICU, ED, or are hospitalists and see patients across different units. If you want to do cardiology exclusively, your best bet is to look for a cardiology practice that would li...

I went to Vanderbilt for my MSN.

Acute care is not the same as critical care. NP scope of practice is not defined by setting (absent a few states that have more stringent guidelines). An PNP-AC can practice in hospital settings, peds emergency or urgent care, specialty clinics, or c...

This is a really important point to remember. For NCLEX, anytimne there is a risk of splashes, you want to protect your face and eyes. (In real life, many nurses don’t but this is NCLEX and teasing what you should do.) Remember, with PPE your assumin...

A refresher is probably not what she needs to pass NCLEX. She needs to study content and possibly improve test taking skills. A review course might be helpful and you/she could look if there are either any available online or in your area.