jessoutside

Kind of a late response, but I'm in the DNP program at Creighton and LOVE it. As far as clinical time, they help you a lot. You have an area adviser who often has contacts (mine has given me 4 or 5 at different hospitals), and while you do have to get in touch with people, people at Creighton do the vast majority of the work - they do the contracts and everything. They also already have contracts at a lot of hospitals. I currently have 4 different hospitals available to me in my area with with no problem.

We have had one survive and do well. I don't remember the details.

I'm in Creighton's currently, as a DNP. It's unofficial, but when I started last spring they were still letting people into the Master's program, but were not advertising it. I LOVE my program at Creighton. I feel like I'm getting a great education, that classes are well organized, and that things are set up to help you really learn, despite distance. My advisor is wonderful, and getting clinicals set up has been just fine, they are helping me every step of the way. Orientation last year made me definitely feel like part of the "Creighton family", and I'll be back this spring to do skills lab. I went to KU med for my RN-BSN and definitely did NOT feel this way about their program. I couldn't recommend it more highly. I have a friend at Duke's MSN program - she likes it a lot. I have a friend about to start at Vanderbilt - she feels good about it so far (she starts classes this month) but I have heard iffy reviews of it from other NNPs. One year to become a provider is pretty fast, in my opinion... and the reviews have pretty much been that their friends who are graduates of Vanderbilt haven't felt fully prepared when they graduated.

Hi there! We have several males in our mostly female NICU (and we seem to add one or two every year!). They are part of our family! No stigma. They are solid nurses who do a fantastic job taking care of patients. They DO typically ask a female nurse to help with teaching a mom to breastfeed, or position with kangaroo care, but that seems to be their personal preference and what they are comfortable with. If you want to be in the NICU then go for it! One of our male NICU nurses is going on to be an NNP! :-)

Thank you all for your input, it is so appreciated!

He is going career... No time soon. We'd like to have kids in the next couple years, so I will just be graduating my DNP program.

Probably not the same NICU. We will most likely be relocated by then.

Hi everyone! I'm currently in an NNP/DNP program which I really like. I've worked in a NICU for a little over 2 years, with 4 years of previous adult CV ICU experience. I have to ask everyone for some advice though. I love the NICU. I was ready to quit nursing after my CVI experience (though I now realize I worked in a very unhealthy unit). Being a NICU nurse made me really like my job again. It made me want to pursue a graduate degree and be a practitioner. However - I feel like I'm thinking more about my future, and what kind of life I want to have, and I'm concerned that being an NNP may not line great with that. I'm honestly at the point of frustration with working nights and weekends and at least half the holidays. My husband is in the military and frequently has to leave, and I can't imagine that once we have kids this kind of schedule will work out. I need to be available. I guess I'm wondering - gosh, will being an NNP work for me anymore? I can't work 24 hour shifts without a second parent, when he's gone, and we don't live close to any family. I've wondered if I might find a job in a follow-up clinic, or seeing the Does anyone have any advice or thoughts? I'm considering switching to FNP, and part of me is excited at the prospect of working a more "normal" schedule, and feeling like it will work better with our military family life. And part of me is heartbroken. Ultimately, I want to be there for my family first. But I also want to help people, and have a career.

Wow, what a great thread to find! I'm currently in an NNP/DNP program which I really like. I've worked in a NICU for a little over 2 years, with 4 years of previous adult CV ICU experience. I have to ask everyone for some advice though. I love the NICU. I was ready to quit nursing after my CVI experience (though I now realize I worked in a very unhealthy unit). Being a NICU nurse made me really like my job again. It made me want to pursue a graduate degree and be a practitioner. However - I feel like I'm thinking more about my future, and what kind of life I want to have, and I'm concerned that being an NNP may not line great with that. I'm honestly at the point of frustration with working nights and weekends and at least half the holidays. My husband is in the military and frequently has to leave, and I can't imagine that once we have kids this kind of schedule will work out. I need to be available. I guess I'm wondering - gosh, will being an NNP work for me anymore? I can't work 24 hour shifts without a second parent, when he's gone, and we don't live close to any family. I've wondered if I might find a job in a follow-up clinic, or seeing the Does anyone have any advice or thoughts? I'm considering switching to FNP, and part of me is excited at the prospect of working a more "normal" schedule, and feeling like it will work better with our military family life. And part of me is heartbroken. Ultimately, I want to be there for my family first. But I also want to help people, and have a career.