Anonymous1257

this is an old convo that has been beaten to death on these forums. There are TONS of direct entry programs across the nation. Please don't derail the OP's question with an old, worn out topic, just go search other threads if you want to discuss your opinions on whether or not direct entry is good or bad.

One piece of advice I can give is to look at the curriculum of potential programs and make sure it lines up with what you're hoping to learn. Best of luck!

The whole SATA thing is a myth, I got only 3 and passed in 75. Shutting off at 75 is almost always a good sign from what I've seen. Good luck!

This is very difficult to understand, what is your question?

If you have the resources to do it, go for the RN, much wider range of job options, wider scope of practice, and higher wages. There's nothing wrong with pursuing your LPN, it just affords you less professional opportunity.

What specialty are you going for?

Have you looked into UT's Aemsn program? 2 1/2 to 3 years total, but you get your RN in 1 year and can work for the remainder of the program.

I commute to Austin from kyle, if you plan ahead to dodge traffic it's only a 30 minute drive, from San Marcos it's about 40. If you get caught in traffic it's considerably longer, of course, but living in Buda/Kyle/San Marcos is very doable with a little planning.

There are plenty of positions, but Austin is highly saturated with nurses. We have something like 5 nursing schools in Austin, I think 3(?) of these have FNP programs and just down the road in San Marcos TX State is pumping out FNPs as well and many, many of these grads try to stay in the Austin area once they finish school. Salaries I've been told by some FNP associates seem to be between the high 60's to low 80's.

Listen to podcasts in your car, in the shower, while you exercise, whenever you would've normally listened to music. Study EVERY day for at least an hour. Find a study partner and quiz each other for a couple hours 2-3 times before the exam. Adv pharm is a tough one, if you want to keep that 4.0 you're going to have to put in a lot of time and effort.

Working for a third party agency that has you managing patients in several facilities involves a lot of running around, I enjoyed a semester working with a preceptor who this. You also get a good variety of patients this way.

I' definitely talk to a director or a higher-up in the program. Denying you that late only means they're losing money. Well, if you can't work, you can volunteer, study? Get an nclex review book and start working through it so you'll be ready to rock&roll with those ridiculous NCLEX style questions they'll ask you in the program.

PA or direct entry APRN would more likely be to your liking given your education. If you really do have your heart set on being an RN, I have the same question as others, what about it appeals to you?

Yikes

You can get an MSN in public health if that's your passion, but yes there's plenty of opportunity for nurses in public health regardless. I don't know a great deal about the MPH, but I'm not surprised BSN prepared nurses are favored. You will receive a fair amount of training in public health in most BSN programs and the actual healthcare training you receive as a nurse will be very valuable in a public health position.

Similar drugs are not same drugs

I don't know of anyone who really "liked" nursing school. It's a pain in the butt. The good news is, even if you hate your first job, and second, and 10th, there are a million different things you can do as a nurse. Even go back to school!

PMHNPs typically receive a heavy load of psychotherapy training and are the only APRNs who can legally practice psychotherapy. Becoming a counselor is always an option for you, but you said you want to heal people, and while counsellors do wonderful work, the ability to prescribe medications to help your patients who need it is going to give you far more reach in helping individuals with mental illness than therapy alone. I'm not sure if that answers you're question, though!

Thanks for the links wtbcrna, great info. The DNAP sounds like it's in a place that I hope the DNP will eventually get to: A doctorate that is highly structured and provides advanced clinical training within its respective major.

wtbcrna, I hope you're right about these schools being closed down. I haven't heard anything about this. Yes profitability is an important aspect to all programs, this is undeniable. The issue I'm speaking to is sacrificing quality of education for profit, which seems to be the trend in graduate level nursing education as I see it. As you're experiences with discussion boards are personal I can't really say much except that I am happy you had that experience. My own anecdotes from discussion board assignments have been universally the opposite, where they were treated as "completion grade" assignments. It is my understanding that DNAP programs are more structured and standardized compared to DNP programs. Do you find this to be true? I can't help but chuckle when I read the curricula of various DNP programs across the nation. As little as 1 year of courses like Scholarship and Grant Writing and Transforming the Nation's Health... A clinical doctorate indeed. I'm less interested in expanding educational opportunities than ensuring that education is appropriate and effective in a profession that makes life and death decisions.

I hope to attend an MSN-Hercules program one day.

You've hit the nail on the head my friend! This is exactly what I want and is exactly what needs to happen if we ever expect our clinical doctorate to be treated as more than a piece of paper. As I've stated a number of times, I believe a clinical doctorate for APRNs has incredible potential to further our field. I also believe, for the reasons I've stated in previous posts, that the current state of the DNP on the whole is insufficient. As to your personal example, thank you for sharing. So 8 semesters including summers is actually a semester shy of three full years, correct? And as to being on campus a few days a semester, I only have to say that there is a great deal of incidental learning that is being missed out on in a scenarios such as these.

Could that info not be added to a form? I work in a residential environment, not acute. Perhaps the written form simply isn't efficient for the volume of info yall need to communicate? Best of luck!

My facility uses a "communication log" basically a standardized written format for report. I like that I can refer to it through out the day. It seems effective. The nurses typically give a brief verbal report on unusual circumstances as well.

Elkpark these are clinical specialists using their title in clinical settings. Please read my post more closely before attempting o correct me. The DNP is not currently viewed as this by many, hence what I said previously. wtbcrna a very well written post and I think it highlights the disorganization within the profession. My concern, and the concerns of many I speak with who look down on the DNP, is that it seems to only exist to put money into the pockets of schools. It qualifies the holder for virtually nothing that an MSN doesn't already qualify the holder for, and can be earned in shady, disreputable online schools. Would you have surgery performed by someone who earned his or her degree online? Why on earth does a nurse holding an MSN need two extra years to earn a DNP, but three-year bridge BSN-DNP programs exist? Can anyone be expected to take that seriously?Dramatics aside, it breeds disrespect for the DNP as a clinical degree, as a doctoral degree, and for the profession as a whole. If the educational process involved in earning the degree can be standardized at the highest levels and clearly defined (you need look no further than these forums to understand that even many nurses have no idea what the DNP is or what is meant to be) then it stands to further our profession greatly. The critics, like myself, need to see that happen before jumping on the bandwagon and being sniggered at by the rest of the medical field.