ModestTruth

Hi! Things might be different for you where you live. And the schools I'm comparing SU to are typically online programs run by state or private universities (rather than for-profit businesses). The main reason why SU's program is so "intense" is because of their "for-profit" nature. There are no breaks between classes, they are basically back-to-back. Next, there is very little that they do to help you learn. I don't know where you got your BSN from, but I went to a state university known for nursing. There is a huge difference between the online classes I had at this college, and the ones I am in here at SU. Most of it is content. Now let me go a little further by explaining the way SU is set up to you, in case you haven't already figured it out. Basically, for each course there are approximately 4-5 instructors. Each instructor deals with several online classrooms for each course. So if you were to take Advanced Patho with Prof. B, you would be in one of several classrooms Prof. B teaches for that course. In each course, the information you are exposed to is limited. Your assignments are different than other sectors of that course to prevent plagiarism and re-use of assignments. Because of that, SU can say they are teaching you A-Z of material, even when you are only exposed to A-B. The rest of the information you are accountable for comes from readings. This is the next way in which SU does not care about their students. Despite touting their flexibility, they ultimately do things to make your life way harder. Almost all post-secondary institutions provide lectures and power points to supplement the book information. These lectures/power points essentially abbreviate and build on important aspects of the book reading. The texts used in the beginning 3-4 classes or "core curriculum" are absolutely inadequate for a master's level education (in my opinion). Another thing most universities do is provide students with written exams to test their retention of material. I know you might be thinking "what a pain." But this is one of the best ways to prepare for a licensure/certification exam (by taking exams periodically throughout your class that are modeled after certification exams). To be honest, it is in the University's best interests to do this for students (or to at least direct us to optional exams and answer keys to complete independently). Why? Because it boosts certification rates of THEIR graduates. That information is usually published and available. For SU, their FNP/ANP program is too new to have this info published yet. Although, I have been asking and they said it would come out in this month (January). It hasn't yet been made available as far as I know. I'm not trying to say that SU is the worst program ever. But by no stretch of the imagination is it "top notch" or perfect. It absolutely is NOT perfect. And you are clearly deluding yourself if you think so. 1. It's easy to get in, especially if you have zero experience working as an RN 2. It's fast. 3. It's much cheaper than some schools (i.e. Simmons....50-80k, Yikes!! That's the number they last quoted). 4. It's online. 5. Somehow, it is accredited. 6. If your state gives credence to their accreditation*** (Check the SU website, some states don't take them seriously as a school and it's no wonder why). Those are the positive qualities of the school from what I have experienced. But in terms of education, they really do not care if you are learning what you need to know in real life to function as an NP. As long as your assignments are good enough to pass, then they don't really touch upon other things. And, as I have explained before, your assignments are less than a drop in a bucket of the info you need to know to do your job competently as a nurse practitioner. It all depends on who you are and how confident you are in realizing the shortcomings of your own education. What scares me the most is that there are people like you, sfalumberjack007, who think they are getting a "top notch" education. That means your perceptions of your abilities/knowledge is disproportionate to your actual abilities/knowledge. Please remember that you can be an RN working in an ICU for 34 years and still struggle with the transition to primary care and the medical model of thinking (i.e. medical diagnosis). It is a higher level of critical thinking and autonomy. Also, the amount of information you need to know in primary care (as well as the level of your assessment skills) is MUCH GREATER. I say this because it's true. If you work in primary care as an FNP, you need to be an expert in safe diagnosis/testing/treatment for individuals of ALL age ranges and developmental stages (even those with developmental disorders). And your assessment skills are the very first step to not making fatal errors in judgement or being sued for neglect/omission/comission. Remember, if there are MDs and NPs who think you should know it (industry standard) during a trial, then you would be a fool not to. And from what I can see, SU does not help its students acquire the knowledge base required to function in this professional role. You either have it or you don't (based on seeing multiple classmates quit this program/transfer). Usually, only the very ignorant or very hopeful/studious/autonomous students stay in the program until completion. That is what I have encountered/experienced so far. And don't think it has been easy finding that out. Because of SU's construction they GREATLY INHIBIT communication between different cohorts of the same program. They say "we have online networking available." But there is very little/no way of finding people in your same program through their online networking site. If you want to know anything about future classes you have to scour the internet and locate people who have graduated. I am always thinking of leaving this program for a university that teaches me more of what I need to know. I am always disappointed by the false sense of security I encounter amongst several of the students in my class and the course facilitators. I am only with SU right now because I am NOT arrogant and disillusioned. There are too many things I do not know and that is why I am taking every measure (independently and costly though it may be) to teach myself what I need to know based on our certifying bodies.

Right now SU's program is constantly in flux. No matter what anyone else tells you it is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. But, it is accredited. It is flexible (insofar as being online). Due dates are not flexible. And there are no breaks between classes (you are taking them back to back). If you guys can swing it, then God Bless. If you are thinking it would be cool to work together on assignments, my only recommendation is to be careful because they have us submit all work to TurnItIn.com before it can be graded. It literally compares whatever you wrote to anything out there on the internet and gives a percent of similarity between your paper and the rest of the internet. Also, the chances are that you and your wife will not be in the same class division at the same time. SU has multiple instructors teaching multiple sectors of the same class. There may be 4 or 5 instructors teaching up to 5 different groupings of individuals for the same course. And the assignments are all radically/slightly different between each grouping (although I'm sure there is overlap at some point). I guess this is what miffs me. As a whole, SU can say they are teaching us A-Z, but if it's not explicitly listed in your class/course, you do not go near the bulk of the material (except in reading). And the problem I have with "only reading" is that it doesn't work. That's why almost ALL post-secondary institutions provide lectures and abbreviated notations of reading materials for quick reference (power points). SU doesn't care about that. They are only trying to push students over hurdles as quickly as possible. If I were you, I would look into applying for Graceland University's online FNP program. It's online, competitively priced with SU (maybe cheaper, after all the tuition increases), and it also takes your learning seriously. There are real exams, real lectures, and real instructors who have actually worked in their field AND taught before.

In terms of being intelligent enough to complete assignments, don't worry. But, what I think is very difficult about this program is the amount of information that is self-taught. To be completely honest, they do not go out of their way to give you and education. There are no power points or lectures over book readings (which is where the real information you need to know is). The lectures they do provide are basic intros into completing assignments. To be honest, I have taken 6 classes with this university and could have done them all without reading the book even once. Does that mean I'm learning a lot? No. In the first 6 classes, there are no exams, syllabi, lectures, or power points. You get an eBook and are told what to read. Then you complete assignments/papers. I am concerned with how well me and other students are retaining what we learn/read. Also, it is difficult to read as much as is assigned. I mean, we are all busy with family, work, and completing the assignments on time. It's hard to manage the rest of your education. The assignments are required to pass the class. But the readings are what we need to pass a certification exam and not kill anyone in practice.

Honestly, I have no idea as I am yet to take clinical classes. I think as long as you can commit to two days of clinical on top of schoolwork and working full time, you will be fine. It is a time that all students want to rip their hair out and cannot wait to be done with, though (from what it sounds like). I can ask around and talk to students further ahead in the program for you.

I am still trying to figure out if this was a good decision or not. I hope I can be more helpful. I'm trying to contact some of my peers and seniors in the program to get their opinion. So far, most of the opinions I am blogging/writing about are consistent with a consensus of 6-10 other people in my classes or further ahead in the program... I wish you good luck!

I think the GPA has to be laughable. And if you are an international student, your education visa doesn't count 100% online schools (they don't justify your presence in the US). I learned that from a friend of mine who is Korean and her visa has run out. She was scrambling to be accepted somewhere before here education/work visa ran out.

No matter what, I would go for the FNP. I know a few Pediatric NPs and Adult/Gero Primary care NPs. They are all saying they wish they had gone the FNP route.

Just going to give a brief update. Basically, I am far into this program and have a better idea of its pros and cons. Pros: You don't need experience to become an FNP here. Enrollment is relatively straightforward. Classes are taken one at a time Online Cons: There are no teachers, only "facilitators" who do not develop their own course content, rubrics, or assignments. Therefore, there is a limit to how committed these individuals are. They do not teach you anything. You teach you. There are no power points or lectures over book information. The "lectures" they do have are basic, supplementary info for completing assignments. The quality of each class varies on whoever put the content together. I have noticed some inconsistencies. In Nursing Research Methods, I noticed that there was REAL and ACTUAL information being presented. Still, it wasn't enough to cover the concepts we were learning in the book. But, it was way better than other classes (i.e. Advanced Nursing Practice I). No syllabi for classes. Hard to know how many credits each class is. Difficult to change the things that are troublesome or hard about the LACK of information being taught. There is no education going on in their MSN program. It is completely self-taught. In retrospect, I'm not sure I would have chosen this college after all. I have left a myriad of reviews during end or course surveys, but have yet to see any result that translates into real-time changes to content.

Congrats!!!!!! That's awesome! Will you let me know if you do a certification review-course or buy a book? I'm in the FNP but it would still be cool to find a good brand of prep-books.

Hello, lhflanurse! I heard that every year the tuition at South University rises. Have you found this to be true? Technically, you are my upperclassman. I'm really looking forward to hear about your experiences as well. What program are you in? Do you know anyone who has graduated an NP program? I keep asking my Academic Counselor about whether or not they had an alumni program. Eventually, I found out that no one had graduated from the NP programs yet. I'm curious to know how they are doing and the passing rate for certification... Have you heard anything?

Hi there! Sorry for the confusion, I've doubled up my classes to full-time. So basically in the first 6 months I will be finishing what would regularly be about a 12 months of work, if the classes were one at a time, back to back. So far I have gone through Advanced Pathophysiology (11wk class) while taking Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse (5.5wks) and Advanced Theoretical Perspectives in Nursing (5.5wks). lhflanurse is absolutely correct in stating that the program is writing-intensive. Taking two classes at a time and really trying my best to get all the points I can on every assignment, I write up to 50 pages a week. In the classes that I have named, I haven't had any tests, just exams. In my original posting of this discussion thread, I said that I would update weekly. But yeah, I haven't had the time. Let me sum up some random things that I had to adjust to or learn as I began this journey. I hope I can help out people like me, who had little or no nursing experience (because of the absolutely TERRIBLE job market where I live). 1. If you start graduate school, do not take it lightly. When they say "back to back" they really mean it. There is no such thing as a day off in between your classes. One ends and another begins the very next day. Make sure you can commit to it. 2. Reinforce to your family/friends that you are busy. My family/friends seem to forget the fact that I'm in school. Even if it's online, you need to set aside time 4-5 days out of the week to read/study/write. 3. Don't skimp on the readings! This is your education that you are paying for, make the most of it. Even if that means obtaining outside materials. 4. For Advanced Pathophysiology, I really recommend people buy 5-Minute Medical Consult (2015). It is a great help and I will be using it (and a few others) in practicums/practice. The textbook used for Advanced Pathophysiology is good, but very poorly organized. For instance, I was reading one chapter on Osteoporosis and under the header of Clinical Manifestations the authors wrote about risk factors. Sometimes it takes a while to just, I don't know... Filter out what's important to take with you into your clinical practice. The book is nice, but kind of a "time-waster." It seems to fluctuate between "too vague" and "too detailed/technical." (The text is Porth's Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States.) My biggest recommendation is to track down a better pathology textbook. I've been looking at resources NPs have reviewed and put together a bit of a list. Most of the books I found are used in graduate MD or PA programs, but some are books used at State University MSN programs. 5. The professors (so far, based on the classes I have) does not provide you with power-points or comprehensive lectures. The lectures you receive are often introductions to what you will be learning in your readings. They are not voiced-over, just outlined. They are good introductions to material and do provide a good outline of material. But I sorely miss the days of note-taking onto a power point. Now, I wade through the endlessly meandering, poorly organized information in Porth's Pathophysiology. 6. Another important thing to note is that undergraduate nursing texts are forbidden by most professors. No matter how recent or how pertinent the information is to your subject matter. For instance, I attempted to use Black & Hawks Medical-Surgical Nursing textbook to outline important labs for a disease/disorder. It had more comprehensive information in it than our class text, but I was docked points for using it. In a way, I feel like it's insulting to nurses with their BSN. A lot of times, the information they learned through theory and practice is what has lead to the profession's sense of confidence in diagnosing and prescribing treatments. So, I do not believe undergraduate texts should be forbidden completely. But I do not think they should be utilized as the primary information source, either. 7. Pay attention to Course Announcements! Every week the instructor posts new course announcements and they need to be read carefully, since they sometimes have conflicting information. You have a link to a weekly module and the assignments within that week (which contain directions). But if for some reason, the directions/due dates change, the change will be made in the Course Announcements. 8. Lastly, South University does not require you to have nursing experience to enroll in their FNP program. There are currently scores of nursing graduates (recent/new) who have gone "stale" in the eyes of hiring nurse managers/recruiters. My suggestion is not to give up. Do not give up at all. I went through over a year of looking for employment as a nurse before landing a position at a facility that was NOT a teaching hospital and NOT a place for a novice nurse to begin working. In fact, that brief, 3-month stint did more to turn me away from nursing than an entire year of unemployment. After 1 week of clinical orientation, I was working in a facility that outsourced over 50% of their workforce to staffing agencies. On nights, I took care of 7-11 people without any help, except a nursing assistant who floated between two units. Our nurse manager didn't understand how to schedule nurses appropriately (it wasn't self-schedule, and she still couldn't manage). I could go on and on about it, but I won't do it here. For everyone out there who is unemployed and losing their mind with guilt and fear, all I can say is: do not give up. The best thing you can do to find a job right now is to throw yourself activities facilitating professional development. Volunteer for your county's chapter of the American Red Cross. Volunteer for Community Health Centers that target medically underserved populations. Become ACLS, PALs, and NIH-SS (Stroke Scale) Certified. (The NIH-SS is free, but you will have to pay for the ACLS and PALs.) Most importantly, hang in there. Get a job doing "something" even if it isn't nursing. And if you are thinking of going back to school for your MSN, then start right now. Do not give up. Don't let prolonged unemployment eat up your sanity or sense of self-worth. Being turned down for a job is so hard not to take personally, because it so greatly affects your ability to survive and provide for your family. At one point, I felt as if there was something wrong with me. Why else would all the nurse managers I interviewed with be telling me I'm not good enough to make a life for myself in this profession? That was basically how I felt at the time. I took it personally and became so incredibly pessimistic... It was wrong to let life kick me down like that. But I got it together (eventually) and decided to go back to school. So far, I've really enjoyed it. I'm still applying for positions, but now I feel more confident and assured than before. People are not meant to be idle. They have to occupy themselves with something. So if you aren't working and want to advance yourself as a nurse; then obtaining your MSN is a good idea. My suggestion would be to apply and register full-time. You can always move to part-time if you end up being hired somewhere. But in the mean time, you can keep yourself busy and happy by working towards future security.

Purpose of this Post: As a licensed RN in the State of Ohio, I have decided to go back to school for my MSN. I want to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. In researching different schools, I have applied for both private, not-for-profit, and for-profit schools. In the end, I chose South University (located in Savannah, Georgia) based solely on the perception that it will accommodate my lifestyle/responsibilities. AllNurses.com is an excellent site for nurses to network. That is why I chose this forum to discuss my educational experiences with South University. For the next 2 years or so, I will be updating weekly/biweekly on my experiences in South University's Online Graduate Nursing Program. As a graduate nursing student, I want to give other nurses a real idea of what they are signing up for with this university. Additional Details: Start Date: June 2nd, 2014 Program: Online Graduate Nursing Program Track: Family Nurse Practitioner As I was researching different graduate nursing programs I had specific criteria in mind. 1. It had to be accredited (and it is by the CCNE). 2. It had to be a flexible, online program (and it is). 3. It had to accept all licensed nurses in good standing, regardless of the amount of experience they have (and it does). 4. It had to be affordable/doable. For me, I refused to pay more than $35,000 for a program. The Family Nurse Practitioner program currently costs ($30,833). 5. It had to legitimately educate me to operate within my scope of practice, ethically and efficiently. 6. It had to be well-respected, at least insofar as future employers (or even your state board of nursing) do not laugh/roll their eyes when they hear where you graduated from. Additional Factors To Take Into Consideration: 1. South University currently has some very bad reviews on consumeraffairs.com and onlinedegreereviews.org. 2. "For Profit" schools have a universally bad reputation as scam schools. "Buyer beware." Disclaimer: Before I go any further, I'd like to reinforce the fact that my opinions are my own and are not meant to reflect poorly on anyone. I will try to be as objective as possible in reviewing the school and the education I receive. No names will be mentioned, but I will discuss specific classes to give the reader as much information as possible. Please keep in mind that admissions requirements, classes, tuition, and circumstances are relative to my situation. They will likely change over time, so I'm not entirely too sure how applicable any of this will be to others. But for what it's worth, I'd like to give everyone an insiders look at a "For Profit," online graduate school of nursing. Admissions Review: Admissions Requirements [*=2]GPA of 3.0 or Higher [*=2]Unrestricted, Valid RN License in Resident State [*=2]Undergraduate Statistics and Nursing Research Class [*=2]3 Professional References (One Must Be an MSN Prepared Nurse) [*=2]Goal Statement [*=2]Transcripts from all universities you have ever attended [*=2]Resume or Curriculum Vitae. Paper-Work to Be Aware of: [*=2]Online Application Form [*=2]Transcript Request Form [*=2]Goal Statement (Information about yourself as a professional, as long as what program you are applying for and what you hope to do with the degree. Why do you want to become a nurse practitioner? How will it impact your life?) [*=2]3 Professional References [*=2]Curriculum Vitae or Resume [*=2]Syllabus and Course Catalog (with web address) of both of your undergraduate Statistics and Nursing Research Class [*=2]Practicum/Clinical Site Form: This school wants you to identify 5 potential clinical sites for each of five clinical courses. They are not contracts and are not set in stone. They are merely there to provide incentive for RNs to begin looking independently. [*=2]FAFSA (Unless you are an international student.) [*=2]Student Loan Paperwork (If you are like me and will rely upon an unsubsidized student loan with a fixed interest rate). Orientation to Online Classrooms: If accepted into this program you must complete the online orientation class. It prepares you for where to find student resources (such as an online library which has most of your text-books), documents (lectures/powerpoints), student email, and technical support. It teaches you where your grades are stored and what will be expected of you in classes. To be seen as having good attendance/participation you are expected to contribute 4 times a week on 4 separate days. Contribution is defined as posting an assignment in the discussion, turning in an assignment, posting a question for the professor, and etc. If you do not make at least 2 contributions for 2 consecutive weeks, admissions will automatically boot you from the program. Additionally, a student cannot score below 80% in any given class, without being on disqualified from the program. So, in other words, no Cs allowed. As long as a student plays by these rules and actually puts forth effort (taking the program seriously), it seems that all will be well. Another aspect of online education you should be aware of is that many essays and papers that will be written are going to be screened by anti-plagiarism software. Admissions Review: My admissions representative was outstanding and kept in touch with me every other day or via email. If she didn't have the answer to one of my questions, she would get back to me promptly. She was very patient but also helped motivate me to get things in ASAP so that I could begin in June. I finished Applying two and a half weeks before June 2nd and was around 10 days after I applied (just in time). June 2nd isn't a very popular start date. If you are applying in the Spring or Summer, keep in mind that you will face a lot more competition. Your Admissions representative will stay in contact with you for the duration of your education. Academic Counselor Review: My academic adviser was very knowledgeable and helpful. I have had better luck contacting him via email than through phone, but it seems like that is the standard in an online environment. Like my Admissions rep, he has always been on time telephone appointments. He explained that his role was to register you for the correct classes and notify you asap when you are not meeting attendance/participation/grade requirements to stay in the program. He is also the middle-man between me and my professors. If for whatever reason, an instructor is not responding to me within the 24hrs time-frame they have to reply, I can call up my academic adviser. (It's 24hrs on a week-day and 48hrs on a holiday/weekend). The program is typically one class at a time with classes ranging from 5 to 11.5 weeks. My Academic Counselor told me that I could double up on my classes, as long as I had financial aid approve of it and the ability to succeed. After convincing him and being cleared by financial aid (I would just take out more of my loan than previously planned upon), I was rescheduled. So, I have officially doubled up the first two classes of the program, Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse and Advanced Pathophysiology. Then I will take Advanced Theoretical Perspectives for Nursing on its own. After that, I will double up Nursing Research Methods (an 11 week class) with Advanced Nursing Practice I and II. Advanced health & Physical Assessment is the first course with a clinical requirement (80hrs). Every class after that (except Graduate Project in Nursing) has a clinical requirement of 180hrs. Tuition: The first year of loans period I will be paying for range from 06/02/14 to 01/26/14 and will cost me approximately $16,530. I do not yet know what the rest of my classes from 04/13/15-11/30/15 will cost. Okay that is all for now! Please post questions you have and I will do my best to answer them!!