Simmons University School of Nursing FNP online program

Information on requirements for Simmons University FNP program.

Updated:  

Here is some information I found about Simmons from my research:

The only states not approved are North Carolina, Tennessee, New York, and Delaware - but they are actively working with these states to gain state board approval.

The campus-based program has a 100% pass rate on the certification exam, this year is the first year they have offered the online program so no pass rate from that yet given, although the courses are taught by some of the same professors who teach the in-person courses.

Set up is the same as Georgetown University (they utilize the same online program for their school with the weekly courses live online, and the pre-recorded lectures and videos to watch on your own time)

18 months full time, 14wk terms with 2-3 wk break between each term, ONE campus visit required for skills assessment. 24mo part time, everything else the same as full time.

Admission Requirements:

The Nursing@Simmons application requires applicants to have or submit the following:

Bachelor's degree from a U.S. Department of Education and NLNAC or CCNE- accredited institution.

Current U.S. Registered Nurse (R.N.) license, and have successfully completed (83 or better) a three-credit course in statistics and health assessment.

Current resume.

One- to two-page personal statement that describes your academic interests, your relevant clinical experience, and your reasons for pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing.

Transcript(s) of your academic record (see below).

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), if your native language is not English. The School of Nursing and Health Sciences TOEFL code is 3761.

The General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required, but if you feel GRE scores will strengthen your application, please contact an Admissions Counselor at 855-461-SIMM (855-461-7466).

3 Letters of Recommendation From:

A clinical supervisor or nurse manager who has direct knowledge of your work in the clinical setting.

A professor, faculty member, or academic advisor who can provide a meaningful assessment of your academic record.

A practicing clinical nursing professional who has served as a mentor.

Transcripts

Sealed official academic transcripts must be received by mail from all postsecondary institutions you have attended, even if a degree was not obtained, including community colleges.

Applicants who studied outside of the United States must have completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree. All coursework from non-U.S. institutions must be evaluated by World Education Services.

Please have official transcripts and other official application materials mailed to:

Application Processing Services
Nursing@Simmons Admissions
7900 Harkins Road, Suite 501
Lanham, MD 20706

Tuition

Nursing@Simmons tuition is $1,385 per credit hour for students starting in the 2018-2019 academic year. (Tuition increasing in 2020 to $1,410.) Students will complete a total of 48 credit hours. A moderate increase in tuition should be expected each academic year. Tuition includes simulations, assessments, technology platform licensing and support. Tuition does not include the cost of books and a $100 student fee per term.

Personal Notes

They have been the NICEST admissions reps, not overly pushy, and very thorough with helping me get all my information incorrectly. I applied to Georgetown first, and they too were nice, but since submitting my app, I can't seem to get anyone to reply to me and I still do not have a decision yet. The University of Cincinnati is not good about getting back to you via phone but do usually get a response within 2-3 days to my questions. Of the three I'm honestly now more impressed with Simmons than any of the others, so I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks to get an acceptance. I really wanted GU, but Simmons is almost $40K cheaper for the same type of set up.

Hope this helps some others with their lists of schools they want to go to! ?

More info

Simmons University School of Nursing | Accredited Nursing Universities

Online Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program | Simmons University

Hi everyone! My husband just submitted his application we are just waiting for his 3 reference. They are rushin his application for him to start in the NOV.. His gpa is 3.56 he does not have statistics will this hurt him? they said we will have an answer by next week :)

if you are told to take bridge do you pay out of pocket?

Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

yes the bridge class is out of pocket but I believe they have a payment plan for it

Specializes in Operating Room.

Tasha is right. The bio bridge course is out-of-pocket, but the sallie mae payment plan is available. This course is really cellular/molecular biology. I am currently about to finish it and have totally been impressed. It takes EVERYTHING down to the cellular level (i.e. homeostasis, chemical bonding, DNA replication, RNA transcription/translation, glycolysis, osmosis, diffusion and acid/base balances). It should be mandatory before Adv. Patho -IMO. There are cases studies each week to help you learn how these processes relate to disease.

He was accepted without any bridge courses :) starting in Nov 2014

I got in to Simmons with the condition of the bio bridge course. It is very expensive! None of my friends have heard of Simmons. I'm now debating if it's worth the hefty tuition. Thoughts??

Sallie mae payment plan? They offered me a plan of 618 a month. It sounds like a great class but 2500?

What is the typical time frame to get an acceptance or a denial?

Specializes in Hematology/Oncology, OutPatient Infusion.

I'm in the process of applying to Simmons. Anyone able to give me some guidance as to what is to be stated in my statement paper? I know, that sounds funny. Honestly, I'm not a creative writer. I wrote paper after paper during my online BSN, but I didn't have to be creative and sell myself. What does admissions want ? Any ideas? I have worked in a physician's office for 19 years. I am an oncology nurse. I am very familiar with the OP setting, insurance, cpt codes, gosh....the whole thing.So my thought is to be able to show that although I've worked oncology I am knowledgeable about the office setting, insurance quidelines, flow, etc. Also, for those currently enrolled- I am a single mom and work FT M-F. I plan to attend PT. Are there papers due every week? They can be incredibly time consuming. If each class has one each week.....urgh! Thanks for any and all input :-)

Just some food for thought. A colleague of mine is attending a local public university (which unless you live in the area, you have probably never heard of it) He is paying $40,000 total for his FNP program. It is not online so he's required to commute into the city for all classes. In addition, he must find and secure his own clinical sites as well as complete the paperwork to get those sites approved with the program. Unfortunately, I do not know the board pass rates for that particular school. Simmons reportedly has a 100% board pass rate for their graduates of the on-campus FNP program which is impressive. There's a lot of FNP programs out there to choose from and there's going to be pros and cons with each. Good luck finding the best fit for you.

Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

ACOPE- Simmons is a Brick and Mortor School in Boston, most of my friends had not heard of it either as they did not offer an online FNP until Oct 2013 (1st cohort started), I was referred to Simmons by Georgetown (in my opinion if GU is referring students there I'd say that's pretty good sign of their reputation!)...anyway, people choose their schools based on personal reasons. I applied to several, I chose Simmons....my reasoning was I didn't want an online school that was only assignment/paper writing/discussion board type setting. I did it for my BSN, and I did great, learned alot but I wanted some audio/visual and face to face time with instructors for my MSN. I also did not want to have to search for preceptors myself as I've seen on Allnurses the sheer panic of people looking for preceptors and Simmons places you, but I also wanted the flexibility that if some place came up (Which for me the Veterans Affairs down here did) that I could find my own preceptor....Now the North FL/S. GA VA is working together to sign an affiliation agreement for the school and vA to work together down here to place students (I wanted to do clinicals there, i called around found the person in charge and put them in touch with my clinical placement specialist, they are doing all the work now)....Money is a big issue for people as well. Simmons is a Private school like Georgetown and has a price tag to reflect. For me the benefits of what I wanted outweighed the cost of the school. I made a list of pros' and cons for me that helped me make a decision.

PROS

1. 100% board pass rate on-campus program

2. same material/instruction as on-campus program

3. pre-recorded lectures to watch each week

4. live weekly classes w/instructor & classmates

5. Reputable school/name

6. Preceptor placement

7. Admission and Student support was always quick to respond to questions

Cons

1. Price tag

2. making sure I could schedule live classes around my life/work

Everyone's Pro/Con list will be different, these were important to me personally. I then took the Simmons list and placed it against the other schools...many of my cons for other schools were lengthier (would not release a pass rate (BIG red flag to me!), discussion board/paper writing to "learn the material", no clinical placement help, varying reputation comments/reviews online, and the kicker was most of the schools I talked to the admission reps were either "pushy" like sales people or very closed mouth when asking questions or would not return calls/emails promptly.

Specializes in Home Health, Podiatry, Neurology, Case Mgmt.

PS..not saying I don't write papers for Simmons ( I DO ) but my knowledge of the material is not just based off of paper writing, instead Simmons uses paper writing (typically short essays in APA for assignments, and large APA for "final" papers) but what is nice is that I got the live class time with an instructor to clarify the material instead of just getting an email or discussion board post response to my questions. I can also CALL my instructors on the phone, student support and/or other classmates as we all have formed a bond due to the live session each week. =)

One girl is now a really close friend and we do live study sessions online using our school platform video/phone conferencing line, take all of our classes each term together now, and are planning to share a room in boston for our immersion clinical weekend next year! =) That's def. not something I had in a traditional discussion board/online classes!