adreamdeferred

I enrolled at Wilkes but changed my mind and lost my $300 deposit. I did not feel they were student friendly because I followed the groups on social media and they were awful to the current students. Most programs are supportive of social media groups and students supporting each other due to being online, but not Wilkes. They were almost vicious with threats to expel or sue students for offering support and sharing study guides and power points. They did not share tests or quizzes so I thought that was petty because the students complained that not all of the professors did power points or study guides and they were just kind of left to figure things out. There were also lots of students struggling with clinical placement despite their "guarantee". That was the main reason I chose to go there. I just had a bad feeling and decided not to move forward. It did not help that I felt like there were too many courses (7). I switched to an in state program with 4 courses that I completed over three semesters. A lot of people were upset about the prep course that was added during their last semester and they had to come up with extra tuition to cover it. But that was enough for me. As I completed my program I continued to see the posts and the sting of losing the $300 went away. My program was so much better. I had to find my own placements but I enjoyed the program even though psychopharm almost took me out. I picked my program because they offered videotaped lectures as well as optional virtual lectures weekly. I didn't want to do another online program that was driven by papers and discussion boards. We were the first class so I can't speak to any changes they may have made since I have graduated. Wilkes has been okay for some and each experience is different but I feel like I dodged a bullet.

So wait...some people actually attended classes and clinicals from these schools and some had the option to purchase their degree? I thought they were all buying them. That's going to be messed up for folks who actually put the work in at those schools listed. I was under the impression anyone with a degree from one of the listed schools paid for it without doing the work. So scary.

Which school did you go with? Can you share your experience so far?

WOW!! Super manipulative. Hope you find something soon.

Look up Invitae. Genetics company.

I think of this as private duty. I was a home health nurse and did intermittent visits. I performed the skill I was there for and left. There are some families who like to take advantage of nurses like we are housekeepers and such. This is why I did not go into private duty because I once was a HHA and people like to take advantage. Sure I have ran late for visits because I showered a patient I found covered in diarrhea and started a load of laundry so it would not smell up her house, but I couldn't make that a habit especially when the patient has loved ones sitting there staring at you (that particular patient didn't). If it were not for the the nursing skill needed (packing a wound, IV, wound vac, etc insurance would not cover the visit. The point of my rant is there is this trend to take advantage of and abuse nurses as well as some ignorance as to what we are supposed to do. I recognized early on private duty looked too "abusive" prone to me and stayed clear but nursing in general is being disrespected across the board, constantly adding ridicules things to our job description. Don't put up with it or it becomes the norm.

I am adult gero primary care and I work in women's health. There's a learning curve as is with all specialties but population is covered under license and like you, had interest and background in women's health.

It depends on your goals and what you can tolerate. The OASIS charting is more than a notion and I bet you can do your current charting while your patients are infusing versus having to take it home. Is the insurance a factor? Are you able to get down on the floor in pet hair and God knows what else and turn into a contortionist to apply aquacel dressing to every opening bilaterally on a patient's legs that are the size of elephants due to edema and they are unable to offer any assistance lifting. Just wanted to paint an extreme scenario. For me, this became a problem for my back as I did not want to get on the floor which meant I was bending over for extended periods of time throwing my back into spasms. As much as I enjoy helping patients who are in difficult situations doing this long term is detrimental to my own health. These are the things you need to consider when making your decision. Home care is not easy. You do not have the tools available in an acute setting to complete patient care ie: a hospital bed to raise the patient up to your level to work or a co-worker to assist. It's a lot more physically demanding than being an infusion nurse. I loved my infusion visits. Are you concerned about your income decreasing? Just make sure you don't take the job because of that alone, you will be miserable. When do you have to decide?

I too agree. In my grad program we were required to take an exit exam to prep for boards, one at the start of the course and one at the end. We did not get our results back from the first test until a week before the course was done and I did not do well and it was worth a large portion of my grade which meant one week before completing my program after three years I would be failing my first course. I had all A's and 1 B up until that point. I couldn't breathe. By morning, an email had been sent out saying the exams were going to be pass/fail and our grades would be adjusted accordingly. I believe what happened was she was going to have to fail a majority of the class due to not passing a mock exam that people usually take prep courses for. Moral of the story is, you have to give people ample time to correct their mistakes. We were not given time to review where we were weak and adequately prepare for the retake at the end. Had she done her job and returned the first exams in a timely fashion there would be no recourse. You should appeal because no one should be blindsided. Even if it is not in your favor don't hang your head. I know quite a few excellent nurses who had setbacks in school and did not get to finish with the class. A year seems like a lifetime in terms of school but when you are operating in the "real world" it is like the blink of an eye. Best of luck.

I agree with you. Hipaa violations can be costly monetarily and they need to regain the trust of the public. And for the record I want anyone who looks up my medical records without just cause fired. It's that serious.

Research the facilities around you. Weekend rotation varies. I have worked from every weekend to every other, every two, every third and and even every 5th. Yeah every 5th was lovely.

Sounds like you may want to become a nurse practitioner without becoming...a nurse or should I say without obtaining nursing experience or the least amount. Whatever the case may be, I don't recommend it. There is a chance your NP clinical experience may not cut it depending on the program you choose and you would need to rely on your nursing experience for exposure to certain conditions. Paramedic experience is certainly helpful but not the same. You may want to explore Physician Assistant programs since you already know your goal is to be a provider. I don't know if you can complete online but with either route working full time may not be an option. Good luck.

I would have sent her a thank you card.

If you already know you want to work inpatient then you should prepare yourself properly and complete an acute program.

Hello, In my opinion online is not easier. I am in the last two weeks of my AGPCNP program and it has been grueling. First, I chose my online program because I am on 11 week quarters and the thought of 16 week semesters was unbearable. With that being said I also hate discussion posts and online programs are notorious for this, however, I hated semesters more apparently. Also, you are responsible for learning the material as there is no lecture. You get a list of weekly readings and assignments and you complete it all to the best of your ability. You have to figure out what is important for yourself. My student colleagues who attend brick and mortar programs tell me their didactic and theory courses had a fair amount of online time/content. One even told me her assessment class consisted of them watching a video in the lab versus hands on instruction, so not always better than an online school. Pros and cons to both. You have to decide what your needs and wants are. I would have loved to sit in a lecture, take notes and then go home and read to "fill in the blanks" versus having to study everything myself. I learn better through lecture, examples from professor but because I forced myself to start the program because waiting until I was mentally ready would mean pushing my fifties and less money into my retirement plan, I chose this route. As much as I love nursing, if I knew what I know now instead of going to nursing school I would have went to PA school just because the consensus has been among my student colleagues who attend various programs (online and brick and mortar), NP education overall is lacking in content. There education is different and they are more prepared when they start clinical. I plan to try to implement changes in NP education starting with my state organization once I get a chance. I know I got off topic, but hope this is helpful.

Join your state's NP organization and network there. A lot of schools including brick and mortar are moving toward having students find their own preceptors so don't let that be a deal breaker for you. Just set up your clinical sites early and have a back up. Also, ask your own provider if they would be willing to precept you. My program required at least two NP preceptors out of four so it depends on your requirements. As a profession we are supposed to mentor as we all were when becoming RN's. There should not be as big of a problem as it is for students to find preceptors.

I agree with RNtoFNP20yrs. I live in NW Ohio and work for a large healthcare organization. They hire Walden grads all the time and they are on the list of schools they provide reimbursement for. As a matter of fact I belong to a state NP organization and there is a nice size group of Walden graduates in the area, all employed. There are lots of University of Cincinnati students here too. If I had to do it all over again, I may have given their program a harder look. One of the U of C students was from Columbus (2.5 hr drive). She could not find preceptors in her area and my preceptor learned of her through the NP organization and agreed to help her so she would not have to sit out. I am a current AGPCNP student completing final two clinical courses at the same time. You have to petition for permission to do this.

If you like what you are doing, there is no point in torturing yourself. We definitely need RN's who love what they do. As far as becoming a NP, you gotta pay the cost to be the "boss". Not everyone wants to be the "boss", and that's just fine.

Hello, First, I want to encourage you to pursue nursing if that is where your heart truly is. Second, I wanted to add students are not graded as if they should be on par with a working RN. None of us would make it out of nursing school if we were judged based on our skills. There is a certain level you should be at as a student by the time you make it to that particular part of the program, with your thought process. The big deal is safety, did you do something unsafe? When you did mess up, did you make the same comments as in your post? You have to give the perception that you are owning up to your mistakes vs blaming or making excuses. Perception is everything. Especially when someone else is grading you and holding all the cards. We had to look up our patients the night before. You should make sure you are familiar with every drug and procedure in that patient's care plan. Also, the communication piece is important because your instructor cannot be in multiple places at one time so you need to speak with the nurses around you so that can vouch for you. If you operate like you are on an island you will find yourself left all alone. I am introverted and a loner, I learned this the hard way. Also, make relevant comments to show you are putting things together. If the only interaction anyone gets from you is when they are observing or maybe fixing a mistake there will be nothing else to base your progress on. It's a stretch to appeal, but do so humbly. Best wishes on your journey.

I meant "there". Oops, typing too fast.

Make sure your preceptor is available for you to front load those hours. Their work hours may vary and they may have vacations of their own. It will be difficult to work full time because there is a ridicules amount of reading. If you have a family or married I would caution against it. The writing is not bad but again the amount of reading is sometimes unbearable.

The idea that for profit schools are diploma mills aggravates me. All schools charge tuition no matter what their 501 c3 status is and some a lot more than the for profit online schools. If they could get more instructors all the schools would increase their student numbers as well to meet the demand. As far as entrance requirements, my mantra is just because you make it in doesn't mean you're going to make it out. Honestly I don't know many students who are very impressed with their schools, online and brick and mortar alike, unfortunately. My concern is there seems to always be something used to keep nurses pitted against one another. If you truly feel their is a problem with the schools as a whole then fix the accreditation process. Don't tear down professionals who have worked their butts off to meet the standards. There is an old saying, "Don't hate the player, hate the game".

As an AGPCNP student I am a rare breed in my circle. I think most panic and fall for the FNP is more marketable schpiel. Most of the students I know are FNP. I had schools trying to convince me to do FNP because they did not have adult program with that same speech. I know 100% I don't want to treat peds so I stuck to my guns. Why put myself through the extra reading and testing?! You very well may have more options as an FNP but for me it didn't make sense. I am content to work with my options than take a position I would rather not be doing. I didn't return to school to "make do".

I would try to make it to the end of the program if possible. Rest as much as you can. Things work themselves out. Your parents may be disappointed but they will hopefully come around. Your partner is supportive and that's a blessing. It's easier to finish now than when you have to worry about child care and still have not finished the program. At least you'll be closer to making better money. Either way you're going to have to buckle up for a wild ride. But you can do it.

Currently in the adult geriatric program and was working full time 8-5 at first. I did up to two classes while full time but dropped down to part time when I took on three classes. In the home stretch right now, about to go into second clinical course and there is no way for me to work full time. There is just too much information and reading to absorb. I know someone who petitioned to take two clinical courses together and she said it nearly killed her.