Browndog

Oh, please do educate me Annaiya. I stand by my statement. I have taken online classes before. There is a place for this model in any program, it should, however, in my humble opinion, not be the entire program. There is, a great deal of value (assuming your class members have been practicing RNs for a while and not simpy DE students) inherent in-class education via dialog with the prof and other class members. Alot can be learned in two-way real time communication with people who have gained valuable lessons through first-hand experience as nurses. So, I will agree to disagree and leave this discussion to others. Bye.

Honestly, I am not a fan. We are able to practice with 500 hours of clinicals after an on-line program. Come on. Seriously, would you hire an on line educated MD if there was such a thing? Would you trust an online tax lawyer to defend you against the IRS?

No difference in the real world from an acceptance standpoint, at least as far as I have noticed. (I have worked in a magnet facility with AANP cert.) I would not have even considered the ANCC. Take a moment and compare the re-cert requirements.

If you want the undifferentiated patient consider the FNP. There is plenty of adrenaline in the ED and in rural urgent care settings (especially solo coverage positions). When a patient comes through the door with SVT or significant BSA burns......the adrenaline flows. Follow this with the ACNP as a post-masters certificate. If your goal is ED work, you will probably have an easier time finding a position with the FNP first as few EDs will hire ACNPs who cannot see the entire population. Oh, and don't lament the money thing too much. Making six figures while only working 12-13 shifts/month if very doable as an ENP. just 2 cents good luck

I have heard that the Vanderbilt diploma actually has the opposite affect if you are trying to work in the Tennessee market. I have had more than a few employers tell me that they would not hire a Vandy NP grad (one of whom is an MD employed by Vandy). Essentially, they said that they were not impressed with paper writing and that they want more clinical focus and experience in a candidate. I chose to go elsewhere and had no problem landing a job right out of school. Also, look at getting an accelerated BSN and then working as an RN while in the MSN program. Experience as an RN is a huge asset....both from a clinical and job search standpoint.

but for conservative care on neuromusculoskeletal conditions, there is no comparison and it doesn't matter how much you might retort. I have yet to me a chiro patient who was "cured" and did not require more (a lifetime usually) of treatments. There are a couple of chiropractors in my area that haunt the local FM station on Sunday nights. One has written a popular book. To listen to these guys...anything from sinusitus to pulmonary embolism could be managed with vitamins, good sleep habits and a series of subluxations. For the love.... Oh, and, in my opinion, the only physicians are MD/DO.

Very doable. I decided that I wanted to try to create a work plan that allowed for more control over my work schedule and a greater degree of lifestyle flexibility. So I chose a different path. I work 3/10s per week in urgent care setting (this is my base position) and have a PRN position with an ED staffing firm that is expected (yeild varies) to yield another 3/12s per month. In addition, I am also working to gain PRN status with another firm. Between the three positions I should have no problem getting enough hours when I want them, but the beauty is that I am only "on the hook" for 3 days per week (30hrs). The other positions are PRN and I can accept or reject shifts depending on my needs and schedule. I am early on in this experiment.....but so far it is great. I love not having a 5 day / week commitment. I am more refreshed and no longer dread Monday mornings.

Short answer.....for all practical purposes, no. There are a couple of NP residencies out there for primary care, but they are few and far between. Now, that said, most PAs do not complete a residency either. My unsolicited opinion is that we (NPs) should have a residency component. Much has been said here and elsewhere about the inconsistency of NP education. Frankly, it is a hard truth. I am 100% for the inclusion of a residency element to the NP educational path. Sorry, I know this ruffles some feathers.

The University of West Virginia offers a certificate in Emergency Medicine that is open to MD, DO, PA and NP. In the NP/PA case, it would be considered a post-master's certificate. I understand it to be a two year on-line program that essentially covers Tintinelli's emergency medicine text. Cost is about $8,000. There is an on-site requirement that covers procedural skills. Problem is, the ACNP is well accepted and this program is relatively new and offers no specific certification. Just a thought.

I agree with RNTwin on this one. If I were in a PA friendly area, I would have gone to PA school in a minute. Way too much fluff (B.S.) in nursing education for my taste. Give me patho, biochem, pharm, etc. Teach me to read xrays not write papers. Teach me to splint and suture not do research. I was disgusted with my BSN education and felt that the MSN education was not much better. Sorry. I call 'em like I see 'em.

What program are you in? It is indeed rare. Just google any 10 schools of your choice and my guess is you have found the rare exception.

If your interest is in improving your clinical acumen.......what is the point of the DNP? I appologize in advance to all who are working towards, or have attained, DNP status. I mean no disprespect to you. It is just that I see a golden opportunity (the DNP) being wasted. We could have had a "residency" of sorts, more rigorous courswork, been better euipped to serve our patients, and earned more respect from our MD/DO and even PA co-workers. The coursework has absolutely nothing to do with the development or maturation of clinical skillsets. There are no hard sciences. There are apparently no clinical-focused courses. There appear to be zero clinical hours involving patient care. Just papers and projects and theory and typical nursing school B.S.. To me, this is such a disappointing program. Can anyone advise me of a clinically-focused DNP program? I am ready and have my checkbook out.

How can you say that with so many direct entry NP programs out there? NPs are being spewed out of schools at an alarming rate without the necessary nursing experience to back them. If I'm right, there are only a few schools in the PA world that do not require prior HCE. As a NP, I can definitely say that their training and educational model is better than ours. The NP profession SHOULD have residencies! Ditto. 100% agree. We need residencies.

Urgent care or emergency department fast-track.

Errrr.......I don't work in the "hallowed halls", and never attended the "interesting and intelligent" graduate school to which you refer. Can't always trust the profile stuff ya know. Accepted, but not interested. Way too many "D's" around those parts! Anywho....you can have your opinion.....and I can have mine.

Sigh. Every now and again I venture onto this site in hopes of learning a bit, or perhaps even taking a gander at an interesting or intelligent posting. Oh well.

Couple of random thoughts to consider. 1. The Vandy program is very expensive and loaded with theory course and papers. Not really known for "bug - drug" or diff dx. 2. You will find that most, not all, but most NP jobs require some type of experience. Getting a job as a new grad is hard enough with nursing experience....without experience it is very tough. There are those who will tell you otherwise. Just my opinion. 3. Have you considered getting an accelerated BSN and working while completing an MSN. Good Luck

Oh, I thought it was 2 extra semesters full-time and 4 extra semesters part-time for a total of 5 full-time or 10 part-time. In any event, I elected to work during school so 10 semesters was out of the question for me.

Hmmm.....three years part-time for the dual cert program, or get one cert in 12-16 months - leave the bedside and start practicing as an NP while working towards the other cert. This way you have actual NP experience at graduation. Oh, and if I did the math correctly (I did), you can have both certs and the experience in the same time or less. Did I mention that you would be earning more as well?? This was my thought process. Two days ago I passed the FNP cert exam after 16 months of full time school while working full time. And yes, it was tough. The thing is though, if I choose to continue, I will need just 16 more hours spread out over three semesters for the post-masters ACNP. Frankly, I liked my plan enough to turn down acceptance to a dual FNP/ACNP. I am sure glad I did. My first interview for an NP position is in two days. If I had elected the ACNP/FNP dual cert program route....I would have 20 more months of school and bedside nursing. No thanks. Just my .02

Thanks Alisabeth. Folks I passed the AANP today - at least "unofficially". I prepared very thoroughly (Fitz CD and workbook twice / Fitz review book twice with all questions / Fitz online practice questions / numerous worksheets) and STILL found myself staring "deer in the headlights" at the computer with my mouth agape. I mean jeez. I did about 3,000 questions and spent probably 80 to 100 hours studying for this thing. I expected to breeze through it - but nope. I marked 42/150 for review and ended up changing 8. This was no fun at all. BUT I AM DONE!!

If it were me I would put myself in a position to learn as much as possible. For my money, that means being around as many bright people (attendings, residents, mid-levels, RNs, PTs, RTs etc) and as many sick patients (ICU, ER) as possible. Home health care is a practice setting where you are generally on an intellectual island. Go with a high-level, high-volume ED or ICU. The learning opportunities are different between them, but both provide the potential for an accelerated clinical education. Really stretch yourself. Make yourself uncomfortable now, as an RN, so you will be less so as an APN. browndog

I agree with the above comment regarding critical thinking skill aquisition. I would go with ER (recognize "sick" vs "not sick", prioritize interventions, etc.) or ICU (analytical, critical thinking, lot of drug, patho and hemodynamic knowledge, greater autonomy, improved confidence). I would not spend my RN time juggling eight patients in a med/surg floor if I were contemplating becoming an APN.

I just graduated from an FNP program. I have said this before, so this will not come as a surprise. The NP educational model is not, in my humble opinion, adequate training, by itself, for the provider working in most environments. It simply falls way short in the hard sciences. I feel that solid RN experience,with really sick patients, is an essential piece of the NP educational process.

If it were me, I would prepare for the oral exam by looking over my class notes from school. My quess is that they will choose questions that are based upon the material they emphasized during the coursework. Regarding the Fitz review material. On my first pass through the Fitz book, I answered the questions before reading the text, and did not do very well either. I took the online exams with Fitz and my scores were over 20% points better. Finally, on my second pass through the review book, I improved by about 15%. Moral of the story is to keep going over the boards material, BUT not until you pass the orals. First things first.

Thanks.......good advice. A bit easier said than done, but good advice. In fact, I am either getting more comfortable or more burned out. I called AANP today and moved my exam to a closer date. I just cannot see myself continuing to study at this pace much longer. Wing and a prayer time.