Quality of Online NP Programs and Providers

[ProgressiveThinking]

Hello,

I'm curious to see how practicing NPs feel about the proliferation of online NP programs, especially the diploma mill NP programs that accept applicants without prior NP experience. Do you feel like this is watering down your profession and/or possibly causing physicians and the public to have a negative view of your profession? OR, do you think that this is the future of education, and the current method of training NPs should stay the way it is?

I have no dog in this fight, but I constantly read physicians bashing the quality of online NP education, including the lack of clinical hours (<800). I'm curious to see how practicing NPs feel about this.

As an aside, I'm considering doing one of these online programs, so this post isn't meant to bash a specific field, but rather create a discussion on whether or not practicing NPs like the direction that their field is headed in.

Thanks!

[LadyT618, MSN, APRN, NP]

25 minutes ago, Tegridy said:

Depends how it was handled a lot of preceptors want to know things and ask students to look it up and like to discuss recent changes. Not nec a bad thing to look something up and talk about it

That is a strong possibility, but @noyesno didn't mention if that was the case. I still can't get over a registered nurse with 1 year of experience can't even research how to give an IM injection in lieu of asking the MD how to do it. I'm sorry but I feel like that's just not right.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

1 hour ago, LadyT618 said:

That is a strong possibility, but @noyesno didn't mention if that was the case. I still can't get over a registered nurse with 1 year of experience can't even research how to give an IM injection in lieu of asking the MD how to do it. I'm sorry but I feel like that's just not right.

I'm not sure my partner MD even knows how to give an IM injection

[Tegridy]

24 minutes ago, BostonFNP said:

I'm not sure my partner MD even knows how to give an IM injection

Haven’t done one in 8 years. Probably not best way to judge a clinicians ability

[murseman24, MSN, CRNA]

On 1/28/2020 at 12:32 AM, FullGlass said:

Bakersfield, Fresno, Sacramento, Redding, Chico are very good job markets for new grad NPs. Can also look in the Eureka area.

How is any of that desirable?

[ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA]

6 minutes ago, murseman24 said:

How is any of that desirable?

I actually wouldn't mind Sacramento. Still feels like a city with with decent cost of living and higher wages.The other areas pay ridiculous amounts (CRNAs make ~300k easily) because nobody wants to live there.

[Tegridy]

29 minutes ago, murseman24 said:

How is any of that desirable?

Depends on what people consider desirable. I like semi rural hence why I chose medicine. Docs make more in rural and semi rural than cities. By far. docs and NPs usually do better rural so it may not be a great idea to pursue providership it one wants to only live in the city. Depends which city of course too. I’ve heard Redding isn’t bad. Good for out doors

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

18 hours ago, murseman24 said:

How is any of that desirable?

That is a very rude comment. If an NP can't find a job, especially a new grad NP, then they need to go where the jobs are.

The cities I listed are nice and also very affordable, in addition to paying well relative to cost of living. Sacramento metro is now 2 million people. It is considered one of the most diverse cities in the country, and I can see this with my own eyes every day. UC Davis is nearby, along with Sac State. Lake Tahoe is one hour away, the Bay Area 2 hours away. The Sacramento and American Rivers provide a lot of recreation activities.

Fresno - 1 million people

Bakersfield - 800,000 people in metro area, one of the fastest growing cities in California that is attracting YOUNG people due it's affordability. Known for great music scene. Can get to Pasadena in 1 hour, depending on traffic. LA is certainly within easy driving distance.

Chico - very nice university town, hottest real estate market in California.

Redding - both Redding and Chico about 100,000 people, so big enough to have pretty much every convenience. Redding is an outdoor sports mecca with people coming from all over the world - river, Shasta and other big lakes, hiking, mountain biking. There is a 70 mile trail along the Sac River for walking and bicycling. The Shasta FQHC in Redding has NP residency program.

Also consider Stockton, Modesto, Merced. Palmdale and Lancaster are also growing rapidly. Another area friendly to new grad NPs is the Eureka/Ferndale area and there is at least one NP residency program there.

People who make rude comments about a city or complain that there is nothing to do in a city of 100,000 people or more - that means they are incredibly dull and boring and have pretensions of superiority. If an NP, especially a new grad NP, wants a good first job that pays well, then go where NPs are needed without the snotty attitude. It is also a chance to perform a real public service and potentially get loan repayment.

I've lived in Washington DC, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego County most of my life. I am just done with the traffic and ridiculous housing prices. While I couldn't live in a very remote rural area permanently, having a first job in a rural clinic was excellent experience, as I got to do a bit of everything and the community was very appreciative. Just the nicest, most down to earth people. There is a friendly, "Midwest" vibe to California's San Joaquin Valley.

[Tegridy]

1 hour ago, FullGlass said:

That is a very rude comment. If an NP can't find a job, especially a new grad NP, then they need to go where the jobs are.

The cities I listed are nice and also very affordable, in addition to paying well relative to cost of living. Sacramento metro is now 2 million people. It is considered one of the most diverse cities in the country, and I can see this with my own eyes every day. UC Davis is nearby, along with Sac State. Lake Tahoe is one hour away, the Bay Area 2 hours away. The Sacramento and American Rivers provide a lot of recreation activities.

Fresno - 1 million people

Bakersfield - 800,000 people in metro area, one of the fastest growing cities in California that is attracting YOUNG people due it's affordability. Known for great music scene. Can get to Pasadena in 1 hour, depending on traffic. LA is certainly within easy driving distance.

Chico - very nice university town, hottest real estate market in California.

Redding - both Redding and Chico about 100,000 people, so big enough to have pretty much every convenience. Redding is an outdoor sports mecca with people coming from all over the world - river, Shasta and other big lakes, hiking, mountain biking. There is a 70 mile trail along the Sac River for walking and bicycling. The Shasta FQHC in Redding has NP residency program.

Also consider Stockton, Modesto, Merced. Palmdale and Lancaster are also growing rapidly. Another area friendly to new grad NPs is the Eureka/Ferndale area and there is at least one NP residency program there.

People who make rude comments about a city or complain that there is nothing to do in a city of 100,000 people or more - that means they are incredibly dull and boring and have pretensions of superiority. If an NP, especially a new grad NP, wants a good first job that pays well, then go where NPs are needed without the snotty attitude. It is also a chance to perform a real public service and potentially get loan repayment.

I've lived in Washington DC, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and San Diego County most of my life. I am just done with the traffic and ridiculous housing prices. While I couldn't live in a very remote rural area permanently, having a first job in a rural clinic was excellent experience, as I got to do a bit of everything and the community was very appreciative. Just the nicest, most down to earth people. There is a friendly, "Midwest" vibe to California's San Joaquin Valley.

I never understood it either. Most people in my class are from big cities and they hate rural living. Hate as in feel it’s like lesser than them. I can under stand not liking a certain area (I could never live in a big city) but to say it’s not desirable is eh subjective. A lot of peeps in my clsss are planning on (pending match day) going to NYC to make the same as a resident would in rural Georgia. And make probably half or less as an attending. Not sure if I want to move to Cali or not but plenty of good living there and in any of the “flyover states”

[murseman24, MSN, CRNA]

3 hours ago, FullGlass said:

That is a very rude comment. If an NP can't find a job, especially a new grad NP, then they need to go where the jobs are.

People who make rude comments about a city or complain that there is nothing to do in a city of 100,000 people or more - that means they are incredibly dull and boring and have pretensions of superiority. If an NP, especially a new grad NP, wants a good first job that pays well, then go where NPs are needed without the snotty attitude. It is also a chance to perform a real public service and potentially get loan repayment.

Eh, Sacramento is probably the best place on that list. My comment was in response to your insistence that the job market is fantastic in California. It's not. It is in the places where most don't want to live, hence, your list.

You're quite abrasive yourself there sweetheart, and I can't help but notice the strong air of superiority coming your direction as well miss Ivy League Nursing grad, it's obvious you can't handle people disagreeing with you without getting upset. How does not wanting to live in a place of 100K people make you dull? Cause I don't want to hang out at the local TGI Fridays?

[ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA]

4 hours ago, FullGlass said:

That is a very rude comment.

okay karen

[Tegridy]

Luckily in America we can all relatively pick from one of many different places to live. Not something to fight over lol

[ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA]

Just now, Tegridy said:

Luckily in America we can all relatively pick from one of many different places to live. Not something to fight over lol

I wouldn't mind eventually trying out a semi rural location. Lots of autonomy, high pay (especially as a CRNA), low cost of living. WAY easier to get ahead financially. Locations like these would make becoming a FNP worth it as well. I also wouldn't mind getting out of California, but all of family is here. I say this as I'm about to start a job in one of the nation's most expensive California counties next week ?