GrnMtn21

Thank you for your reply. That's what i'm thinking. The testing site is 45 minutes from me and on weekdays driving into Savannah traffic is crazy because of construction. I'm thinking Saturday morning will be best so I can hopefully avoid traffic and my husband doesn't need to take time off from work. What books did you use to study (and find helpful) and how long did you study for? I read that you're notified immediately if you passed or failed, but then I see people say they won't know for 4 weeks or so after the exam.

What day and time did you find best to take this exam? Thanks!

1] state you work/live in Vermont 2]Area of nursing you work in and whether you are an LPN, RN, NP or other. Hourly wage, both base and with differentials if they apply. Also include if this is a union facility if you would like. Ortho, RN, $33.45 base, union 3] Ballpark Housing costs [rent/mortage payments]. Is the cost of living in your area high or low compared to wage Mortgage $1,300. Cost of living is a bit high in regards to taxes, food, and utilities. However, the wage is decent for the cost of living.

[COLOR=#141823]LuvDisneyRN, Thank you for your response. My friend is graduating with an FNP in a few weeks and said practically the same thing. She and I worked in the ED together and she mentioned about being burned out of WH and not being able to go elsewhere. She's also interested in WH and said she could work mostly in WH, but work in urgent care or Fast Track on the side to keep her other skills and practice her whole scope. It definitely makes sense. She said it's such a big investment that marketability is important. I do like cardiac, neuro, pulmonary. So we'll see. I'm not in a super rush. Thanks for all the feedback![/COLOR]

Chesterton1- That's awesome you are starting your journey! I would suggest starting off the bat with a BSN program, if you are able to do so. Are you close to Castleton State College? They recently received accreditation. Also, does your employer offer tuition reimbursement? If you take your pre-reqs at a local community college, you could save money and focus on your academics, then apply to UVM, Castleton or Norwich. Save your money with the pre-reqs and spend your money on the BSN. Any ideas of what type of nursing you want to do? Anything catch your eye? I agree, everything costs lots of money. I just wish I had figured out I wanted to do nursing when I first started my college career.

BostonFNP, i'm definitely not going for easiest and quickest. I take my role seriously. That would be scary and reckless, esp. in the NP role. I absolutely was not trying to come off that way. I would prefer in-classroom, but one of my friends who went to UVM a few years back was a bit disappointed because it was not all in-classroom; they actually had quite a bit online. I think it's because VT is so rural and with only one school that offers graduate nursing options, it's tough so people are traveling a distance to get there. They also focus on primary care FNP, which is great and obviously needed... but as I said, just not sure I want to go down that path. They also do not offer FNP anymore, only DNP. UVM has great connections with the community and is well-respected so I would love to go there if I was 100% set on FNP. Any thoughts on Frontier University?

Chesterton1 Thanks for your reply! Are you working in VT? I was thinking maybe New Hampshire. I started my nursing career at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Are you an NP? That's awesome that you want to become a Psych NP! On my psych rotation, the psychiatrist said "everyone wanted to be a cardiologist in med school, but I knew I wanted to do this because it's always changing." I'm leaning more towards just going for WHNP and doing it part-time. It's tough because for right now, I need to be in my hometown and the only school is UVM and they do not offer WHNP. It's disappointing how Vermont doesn't have more options...

Thank you. I was looking into that. I was speaking with someone who works at an FQHC and she was bummed to find out she was denied HRSA. But it is something to keep in mind!

I'm not looking for the quickest way to get a degree. I said "great, affordable, and online"... not sure where you got the aforementioned. I have a 4.0 from a University and take my schooling seriously. Experienced ER nurse with plenty of certifications and i'm also a sexual assault nurse examiner, so I value improving my profession and knowledge. However, I was saying affordable and online, because I work full-time and have student loans from a previous degree prior to nursing... I agree with the WH, but I didn't know if I should go for FNP and focus on WH. As much as education is an investment, it doesn't always mean everyone can spend $50-80k on graduate school if your speciality doesn't have jobs. I was hoping to find responses from WHNP.

Hello, I am considering going back for my NP. I'm just wondering if in 2015 it is still worth it. I have student loans from previous degrees, so I have quite a bit of student loans. Unfortunately the town I am in does not have too many NP jobs, but I may have the option of moving. Also, are there any great, affordable, and online programs? I was considering going to the University of Vermont, but they require DNP and it's $$$. I do like that it's 50/50 classroom/online. It's the only graduate nursing program in VT. Lastly, i'm up in the air because I actually want to become a Women's Health NP, but I am afraid of finding a job/being marketable. I always thought FNP to be marketable, but I really do not want to care for children.

Good feedback.

They require 45 credits to graduate with latin honors.

Yes, I am

I will have one week off the first week of August. I haven't had a week off since starting this program in January. It will be nice! I have 4 classes left. I will take my capstone class September 22nd. How are you doing with the classes? Do you think the work load is practical for working RNs?

My English class ends Friday and I'm looking forward to having two classes for the next two weeks. Have you taken holistic care of the older adult or vulnerable populations? I read that vulnerable populations is very hard and writing intensive. I also read that co-op is writing intensive blah!! I'm dreading taking all 3 in a few weeks. Don't you feel like all you do is sleep, eat, work, and school? Lol