geoda

I applied to FNU yesterday and I was looking at state "brick and mortar" schools as well as online schools. The thing is that all the state schools are not online aside from possibly a few meetings. Same with FNU, you meet in Kentucky twice. I was leaning towards UNLV because I live in Vegas but I can't find any forums discussing experiences or reviews. I also have a friend that went to Duke. Looks like the cost now is like 100k+. He did FNP and PMHNP there. He basically said save your money, go to a good online school. I was very surprised because he went straight out of our BSN program and he just couldn't stop praising Duke. But he said they wore him down with busy work and just wasn't worth it and he did DNP and also said don't bother, just get Master's. I have a friend that did Purdue for AGNP (I think) and he said it's fine but def a pain to clinicals approved. So yeah I looked at top schools too because I have the grades to get in but in the end I figured FNU starts in a couple months, is around 35k or so and has a good rep. UNLV is really reasonable but the other state schools are 70k+. I may apple to UNLV as sort of a back up in case FNU for some reason don't work for me but I think it will do fine.

I too am doing my research for schools. I live in Las Vegas so I've kind of narrowed it down to Frontier Nursing University and UNLV. So far it has been difficult contacting and gettin info from UNLV. I also looked at my BSN school, MUSC and they too have been near impossible to get into contact with LOL. Every time I've called or emailed FNU, they respond quickly or answer the phone. UNLV is not much more than FNU and supposedly has guaranteed clinical placement which from my research seems to be very difficult to find on your own (this is just from research not personal experience mind you). This is a bonus but I fear that if it is hard to contact and get info now, how will it be during school? Also, the next cohort is not until Fall 2026. I have a friend that did FNP and PMHNP at Duke and he said, save your money it is not worth plus they worked him to death. Although, he opened his own practice now and is quite successful and I wonder how much the Duke diploma has contributed. I will say he is very business minded and incredible at networking so it may not have mattered at all for him. So yeah Duke is very expensive, I looked at some other top schools and they are also expensive. Oh and all I have checked thus far are online even UNLV is online so that makes it less appealing to choose a "brick and mortar school". I called Walden or Chamberlain or similar. They were very sketchy about giving out details without signing up for an appointment. I went to WGU (Western Governors, I think different from what you listed) and did a degree with them and felt the education was lacking and they didn't sound very confident in placement for clinicals. So yea thus far I have applied to FNU, they have a cohort starting this fall and lasts 2 years FT. I will probably apply to UNLV too and that way if the "online school" feels inadequate or clinical placing looks impossible, maybe I will transfer. I have read on forums many good reviews of FNU and can't find much on UNLV. I have read many forums and it sounds really sad that preceptors are now charging students in addition to what the school gives them so that is another reservation I have with FNU but I guess that could be the case with UNLV as well. I have heard of Gonzaga but have not looked into. I'll do that next. I would love to hear what you have found thus far and if you made any selections.

I'm with you OP. I started as a new grad in the CVICU. At first, it was really excited learning about all the devices and taking care of super sick patients. But my orientation was a joke and the education was pretty much nonexistent. After orientation, I started realizing that I didn't know half of the stuff I needed to know and on top of that, there is little help from other nurses on my unit. I was like you, working nights and started dreading going in to work. It caused me to get really depressed and I eventually had to take time off for exhaustion. That was at about nine months. I don't plan on going back. Luckily, I had some PTO built up so I took it. It was difficult finding a new position but I have found one in a much smaller place as a psych nurse which is what I wanted to do before I got all swooned by the CRNA thing. I say if you are miserable, get out. You've been there long enough to know if it's going to be a fit. There are too many other things you can do in nursing to just stay at a position and be miserable.

I am a new grad (well technically now have been there a year but haven't worked in 3 months )nurse in the CVICU in a pretty big hospital. So I recently took time off for exhaustion and depression. I was off the schedule. On the second day off, I drank alcohol and got drunk. This scared me because I have a past history of alcohol abuse. I spoke to employee assistance and they told me if it happened again, I should seek outpatient treatment. That day, I drank again and blacked out. So 2 days later, I met with a counselor to seek treatment. She suggested a 4 week outpatient treatment program as a sort of reboot since I had long term sobriety prior to this, but had the potential to get much worse. I agreed, but told her I would have to get extended leave prior to doing this since it would not leave me time to fulfill my work schedule. I spoke with the manager of my unit (a nurse). She told me that our conversation would be private and confidential and would not go anywhere. I told her that I just needed medical leave for my time off and she kept prodding, specifically asking me if there was substance abuse involved. Since she said it would be confidential, I confided in her and told her yes. A week later she tries to fire me for accusations that weren't true. I immediately called her on it and told here I could prove they weren't true. She rehired me the next day. (This also would have cancelled my insurance and I would have been unable to finish treatment). The next day, I get a call from the state board saying someone filed a complaint saying that I was in treatment. Because of my manager's betrayal of our private conversation, I have to be in a 5 year monitoring program. Keep in mind that I did not work impaired, I put no patient's in harm's way, I sought recovery on my own after having drank only 2 times while on leave from work. I want to know if this is legal. I sought council from my employer's legal department and they have kept me employed there but I haven't worked in 3 months now. The lawyer was supposed to find me a position on another unit and he has stopped returning my calls and emails. Should I seek council outside of my employer? Is what she did in reporting our confidential conversation to the state board illegal?

Update - I passed!!! Checked Quick Results at 9am today (5/6). So the PVT worked for me!

Just to add to the conversation...I just took the NCLEX today at 8am. I checked at 2pm and got the good pop up:"Our records indicate that YOU have recently scheduled this exam. Another registration cannot be made at this time." I still plan on doing the quick results and I will update when I get them! Good luck everybody!

Hooray! Congrats!

Congratulations!

I called about that. They said leave it blank Leo.

Congrats! I'm an out of owner to!

Good luck to you! I know of one other alternate that has changed their mind and will not be attending, so things should really be looking up for some alternates.

Mardi said no on scholarships for me for spring too but oh well, Im not going to stress it anymore. Polly that was great and really helpful. Thank you. I am ready to do whatever I have to do.

I'm over stressing...my mom put me straight...it is an honor to be chosen and I am going to accept and have an awesome experience! If you follow your heart, the money will take care of itself :)

Thanks! yeah you are right... I have and will gladly work for a loan forgiveness. I wouldn't mind living in Charleston, but eventually I want to be a travel nurse. OK, I have whined enough

I still haven't paid my fee, moca. I am 90% sure I will go to MUSC, but the moving and money are making my tech college not look so bad...polly313, do you have roommates? Did you get scholarships? So you got 35000/year from fed loans? I was told the max was 12500/year. So I was told by financial aid to look in to a private loan which I was approved for 25000, I have 10000 saved, but am worried that won't be enough. Polly are you working or is anyone in your class working (thank you for sharing w us)? I know I shouldn't let it, but the money thing is stressing me out! Believe me, I hope I am way off on my estimates and I also hope I can get a bunch of scholarship money too!