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Hi there jfish. I am in my last year of the program, and would do it all again. I have not had any bad experiences with any professors. I have had classmates talk of bad experiences, but I have found that if you put in the work you will succeed. You do have to find all of your own preceptors, and in my area finding a PMHNP to do clinicals with was very challenging. I have travelled 3 hours to one and two hours to another. You MUST DO at least half of your clinical hours with a nurse practitioner. The classes are tough, but very similar in structure. Once you get to the psych part of your program you will have 5 unit tests and a final, write two papers, have one to two group projects, and two case studies each semester. The short 7 week summer semester with 180 clinical hours and those assignments is ROUGH, but I imagine it is anywhere- as it really should be. The professors are sharp and expect your best effort - as long as you're prepared to give that to them you will be fine.

I am in the last year of PMHNP at USA. There are not class videos and lectures. It is quite challenging, but if you put in enough time you will do fine. It's all about your effort - as it should be. When you get the A, you will have earned it - and you will feel great.

I am in my 6th semester of 9 at USA and I think it depends on your program. The psych program requires half of all clinical hours to be done with a psych nurse practitioner. They won't budge with this requirement. There are students in my class who will not be able to proceed next term Because they have not found one yet. DOING a clinical with a PA???? That would never be allowed in the psych track. It really frustrates me that the different NP programs at the same school can have such different criteria.

University of South Alabama does not and also requires that half of your hours be completed with a psych NP. This requirement is not negotiable. If you live in a rural area with no psych NPs available, or in a state that does not allow NP independent practice it is terribly difficult to find a preceptor.

Do not ever get involved in gossip about a coworker and never say anything bad about anyone you work with. Words can easily be taken out of context. Be careful what you say about anyone who works with you, even when what you are saying isn't necessarily bad. On the flip side, if someone says something to You about someone else that could start any drama don't repeat it!

These stories are all awesome. I love reading about this type of event.

You have to have inpatient and outpatient, pediatric through adult.

The courses are very much self taught, BUT I have had every question answered I have ever asked in a very quick manner. Once you get used to doing the instruction all your own, you will like it more. In the beginning I thought that I had made a mistake. One year later, I am glad that it is the program I am in.

I am currently in the PMHNP program at USA. The tuition is right at 500 a credit hour when it's all said and done. I expect to pay $1500 per 3 credit hour class. Yes, you must have 2 years experience in your chosen speciality before you can start clinicals (about one year in). Hope this helps!

I am in my 3rd semester at USA and work full time (5 days a week). Regardless of the program, many of the first classes are the same. My first semester was NU545 (patho) and Nu607 (a theory class). Summer was another theory class. I can honestly tell you that 95% of my time not working is spent studying or writing papers. I actually started logging my time studying after the first three weeks of class because I wanted to track how many hours I put in. I study/write around 3 hours each evening and about 20 on the weekend - approximately 35 a week. USA is paper heavy. The papers are typically 7-10 pages in length and have very specific grading rubrics. I have not honed my ability to 'whip out' a paper yet, but have gotten quicker. When clinicals start I do not think it will be possible for me to work more than part time. There are simply not enough hours in a week. When school is in session I work and study. That truly is 95% of my life. You can do it. There is just not much time for other activities. Hope this helps.

I am in my 3rd semester at USA and work full time (5 days a week). My first semester was NU545 (patho) and Nu607 (a theory class). Summer was another theory class. I can honestly tell you that 95% of my time not working is spent studying or writing papers. I actually started logging my time studying after the first three weeks of class because I wanted to track how many hours I put in. I study/write around 3 hours each evening and about 20 on the weekend - approximately 35 a week. USA is paper heavy. The papers are typically 7-10 pages in length and have very specific grading rubrics. I have not honed my ability to 'whip out' a paper yet, but have gotten quicker. When clinicals start I do not think it will be possible for me to work more than part time. There are simply not enough hours in a week. When school is in session I work and study. That truly is 95% of my life. You can do it. There is just not much time for other activities. Hope this helps!

Thank you so much!!! I smiled reading that. Good luck to you. You have been a lot of help. Have a great week. Jill.

Thank you so much for your quick response. You are very informative and I appreciate it greatly. I will have to figure out where all the psych NPs are in lower alabama! I do not know of a single one. The psychiatrists I work with don't know any, with the exception of one who works in a prison in Florida. I wonder if a prison would be considered inpatient? Truly thank you so much. It is nice to read some encouraging words about this program for a change. Have a great evening. Jill.

Lildrekie- I have a question for you if you do not mind. Were you allowed to Do clinicals in the evenings and weekends in the PMHNP program at USA??? What hours were you allowed to do them? I know that some students can and some cannot. What were you allowed to do?? Also- could the majority of the hours be with one psychiatrist? The doctor I want to do My clinical hours with goes to multiple facilities from children to geriatrics and everything in between. Plus he has a private practice. Is there a limit on preceptor provider hours? Thank you so much for your time. Have a great night. Jill.

Cenfromlv- I currently am about to finish patho at USA. I work approximately 45 hours a week/5 days a week. I am in patho and a writing class. It is doable, but I literally give 98% of my off time to school. Patho is 7 tests every other Wednesday. That is it. No lecture, no case studies- just tests. Roughly 300 pages of book per test. The hardest thing about it is the tests only have 40 questions. The difference between a high B and a fail (below 80) is a mere three questions. The study guides I type are often 50+ pages. The questions are to the point though. There are no questions intentionally there to trick you. It is just a LOT OF Information. As long as you have the time to put into it (I average 4 hours each weeknight and about 22 on the weekend) you can do it. It's all about time in, at least for me anyway. Hope this helps. Jill

One more thing.....did you work during the core psych semesters? If so, how much? Did the rest of your class? I'm nervous about how all of that is going to play out. I am trying to set myself up for working less - if at all possible. Thank you for your time! Jill

Thank you for that information. I am currently in my first year at USA in the Psych DNP program. I am Thrilled to read something positive! Thank you so much for sharing.

Hi, there. I am scheduled to graduate from the JSU step program in December of this year. I am in the last of three semesters. I have maintained a 4.0 at JSU. The program is not difficult, but it IS time intense. There are multiple power points, papers, and presentations throughout the program. There is use of a discussion board and talking back and forth with the rest of the class. The summer semester is the worst. There are GROUP projects if you can believe that. This is all online! If you can get through the summer, the final semester seems like a piece of cake. The summer has multiple power points due in each class around the same time. Each semester there is a educational project you must put on for your work place, community setting, etc. You create a power point and educate the people you work with on specific topics. The focus is evidence based practice research. You will learn to write and write well. There is an English competency exam that you will have to take and pass before you graduate. It is offered only ONE TIME a semester. DO NOT DELAY. I missed the last deadline, and had to take it last week. I do not even know if I passed and I will be graduating in December. If you do not pass you have to take remediation writing courses and retest the following semester. This is why you MUST TAKE IT before the semester you plan to graduate. I am literally on pins and needles waiting for the results. The professors are all very approachable and respond to questions quickly. I would do it again. I would just take that test sooner!!!!!!! Let me know if you have any other questions. -Jill.

I got in too!!! Good luck, everybody! Psych track DNP. Your letters are on the way!

Is everyone still waiting? I sure am!

Greg - I live in lower Alabama, about 3.5 hours from Mobile. I, too, plan to do the longer program. I work full time and could not manage the semester with 360 clinical hours! At first I was a little bummed about the time it would take to complete the program, but I realize all I have is time. The time is going to pass regardless. I bet that four years from now we will look back and see that the time actually flew by. Do you know anything about the acceptance rate, etc? I am trying not to let any of the negative things I have read about USA bias my thoughts in any way. I know everybody is different. How long have you been in psych? -Jill

Hi there. I applied to the same program and start date. I think we should hear within 6 to 8 weeks after the August 1 deadline. Is that what you have heard/read? Are you going to do the shorter program track or the longer route? Jill.