Purpose of this Post:
As a licensed RN in the State of Ohio, I have decided to go back to school for my MSN. I want to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. In researching different schools, I have applied for both private, not-for-profit, and for-profit schools. In the end, I chose South University (located in Savannah, Georgia) based solely on the perception that it will accommodate my lifestyle/responsibilities.
AllNurses.com is an excellent site for nurses to network. That is why I chose this forum to discuss my educational experiences with South University. For the next 2 years or so, I will be updating weekly/biweekly on my experiences in South University's Online Graduate Nursing Program. As a graduate nursing student, I want to give other nurses a real idea of what they are signing up for with this university.
Additional Details:
Start Date: June 2nd, 2014
Program: Online Graduate Nursing Program
Track: Family Nurse Practitioner
As I was researching different graduate nursing programs I had specific criteria in mind.
1. It had to be accredited (and it is by the CCNE).
2. It had to be a flexible, online program (and it is).
3. It had to accept all licensed nurses in good standing, regardless of the amount of experience they have (and it does).
4. It had to be affordable/doable. For me, I refused to pay more than $35,000 for a program. The Family Nurse Practitioner program currently costs ($30,833).
5. It had to legitimately educate me to operate within my scope of practice, ethically and efficiently.
6. It had to be well-respected, at least insofar as future employers (or even your state board of nursing) do not laugh/roll their eyes when they hear where you graduated from.
Additional Factors To Take Into Consideration:
1. South University currently has some very bad reviews on consumeraffairs.com and onlinedegreereviews.org.
2. "For Profit" schools have a universally bad reputation as scam schools. "Buyer beware."
Disclaimer:
Before I go any further, I'd like to reinforce the fact that my opinions are my own and are not meant to reflect poorly on anyone. I will try to be as objective as possible in reviewing the school and the education I receive. No names will be mentioned, but I will discuss specific classes to give the reader as much information as possible.
Please keep in mind that admissions requirements, classes, tuition, and circumstances are relative to my situation. They will likely change over time, so I'm not entirely too sure how applicable any of this will be to others.
But for what it's worth, I'd like to give everyone an insiders look at a "For Profit," online graduate school of nursing.
Admissions Review:
Admissions Requirements
[*=2]GPA of 3.0 or Higher
[*=2]Unrestricted, Valid RN License in Resident State
[*=2]Undergraduate Statistics and Nursing Research Class
[*=2]3 Professional References (One Must Be an MSN Prepared Nurse)
[*=2]Goal Statement
[*=2]Transcripts from all universities you have ever attended
[*=2]Resume or Curriculum Vitae.
Paper-Work to Be Aware of:
[*=2]Online Application Form
[*=2]Transcript Request Form
[*=2]Goal Statement (Information about yourself as a professional, as long as what program you are applying for and what you hope to do with the degree. Why do you want to become a nurse practitioner? How will it impact your life?)
[*=2]3 Professional References
[*=2]Curriculum Vitae or Resume
[*=2]Syllabus and Course Catalog (with web address) of both of your undergraduate Statistics and Nursing Research Class
[*=2]Practicum/Clinical Site Form: This school wants you to identify 5 potential clinical sites for each of five clinical courses. They are not contracts and are not set in stone. They are merely there to provide incentive for RNs to begin looking independently.
[*=2]FAFSA (Unless you are an international student.)
[*=2]Student Loan Paperwork (If you are like me and will rely upon an unsubsidized student loan with a fixed interest rate).
Orientation to Online Classrooms:
If accepted into this program you must complete the online orientation class. It prepares you for where to find student resources (such as an online library which has most of your text-books), documents (lectures/powerpoints), student email, and technical support. It teaches you where your grades are stored and what will be expected of you in classes. To be seen as having good attendance/participation you are expected to contribute 4 times a week on 4 separate days. Contribution is defined as posting an assignment in the discussion, turning in an assignment, posting a question for the professor, and etc. If you do not make at least 2 contributions for 2 consecutive weeks, admissions will automatically boot you from the program.
Additionally, a student cannot score below 80% in any given class, without being on disqualified from the program. So, in other words, no Cs allowed.
As long as a student plays by these rules and actually puts forth effort (taking the program seriously), it seems that all will be well.
Another aspect of online education you should be aware of is that many essays and papers that will be written are going to be screened by anti-plagiarism software.
Admissions Review:
My admissions representative was outstanding and kept in touch with me every other day or via email. If she didn't have the answer to one of my questions, she would get back to me promptly. She was very patient but also helped motivate me to get things in ASAP so that I could begin in June. I finished Applying two and a half weeks before June 2nd and was around 10 days after I applied (just in time). June 2nd isn't a very popular start date. If you are applying in the Spring or Summer, keep in mind that you will face a lot more competition.
Your Admissions representative will stay in contact with you for the duration of your education.
Academic Counselor Review:
My academic adviser was very knowledgeable and helpful. I have had better luck contacting him via email than through phone, but it seems like that is the standard in an online environment. Like my Admissions rep, he has always been on time telephone appointments. He explained that his role was to register you for the correct classes and notify you asap when you are not meeting attendance/participation/grade requirements to stay in the program. He is also the middle-man between me and my professors. If for whatever reason, an instructor is not responding to me within the 24hrs time-frame they have to reply, I can call up my academic adviser. (It's 24hrs on a week-day and 48hrs on a holiday/weekend).
The program is typically one class at a time with classes ranging from 5 to 11.5 weeks.
My Academic Counselor told me that I could double up on my classes, as long as I had financial aid approve of it and the ability to succeed. After convincing him and being cleared by financial aid (I would just take out more of my loan than previously planned upon), I was rescheduled. So, I have officially doubled up the first two classes of the program, Role of the Advanced Practice Nurse and Advanced Pathophysiology.
Then I will take Advanced Theoretical Perspectives for Nursing on its own.
After that, I will double up Nursing Research Methods (an 11 week class) with Advanced Nursing Practice I and II.
Advanced health & Physical Assessment is the first course with a clinical requirement (80hrs). Every class after that (except Graduate Project in Nursing) has a clinical requirement of 180hrs.
Tuition:
The first year of loans period I will be paying for range from 06/02/14 to 01/26/14 and will cost me approximately $16,530. I do not yet know what the rest of my classes from 04/13/15-11/30/15 will cost.
Okay that is all for now! Please post questions you have and I will do my best to answer them!!
