Spring Arbor vs Walden

Editorial Team / Admin · Jun 14, 2021

Hello and welcome, @Jlower1

We moved your thread to the Student NP forum for the best response.

Good luck.

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Jun 14, 2021

Walden is a for profit program with horrible reputation and many employers who won't even consider graduates of their programs. It has basically no entrance standards.

Spring Arbor has faced multiple issues with LGBTQ discrimination.

So neither? I would look into more reputable programs.

JKL33 · Jun 19, 2021

On 6/14/2021 at 4:25 PM, Jlower1 said:

Online school is best for me because I have a toddler at home and plan on working full-time.

In my opinion this is not an appropriate approach for those who desire the privilege of providing healthcare to others. Nursing is digging itself a very deep hole by entertaining this mindset.

Would you want your PCP to be someone who put everything else ahead of learning how to be a minimally-competent provider?

Jlower1, ADN, BSN · Jun 19, 2021

I appreciate your opinion but I disagree. Learning online doesn't make you less competent. In fact you have to learn to schedule your time effectively and you are more self sufficient. I obtained my BSN online while working in a hospital. I still did a capstone project that required working on site with a preceptor. Online school simply means students don't travel everyday but they still learn the same material. The online FNP programs allow students to work full-time and still learn the material one class at a time if needed which can actually allow for more time to focus on the material meaning they may learn more than a traditional student who is taking multiple classes at a time. Regardless of the type of school clinical are still required and that is where all the pecies come together. Also, all students regardless of where they went to school have to pass the same boards showing they are safe and capable of practicing. So to answer your question, yes I would want a pcp that went to an online school.

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Jun 19, 2021

1 hour ago, Jlower1 said:

I appreciate your opinion but I disagree. Learning online doesn't make you less competent. In fact you have to learn to schedule your time effectively and you are more self sufficient. I obtained my BSN online while working in a hospital. I still did a capstone project that required working on site with a preceptor. Online school simply means students don't travel everyday but they still learn the same material. The online FNP programs allow students to work full-time and still learn the material one class at a time if needed which can actually allow for more time to focus on the material meaning they may learn more than a traditional student who is taking multiple classes at a time. Regardless of the type of school clinical are still required and that is where all the pecies come together. Also, all students regardless of where they went to school have to pass the same boards showing they are safe and capable of practicing. So to answer your question, yes I would want a pcp that went to an online school.

Nothing wrong with online school!

But something IS very wrong with Walden University, a for profit program with no entry standards. Why would you ever even consider that joke of a program? It's an embarrassment and many employers will put your resume in the trash

Jlower1, ADN, BSN · Jun 19, 2021

I was worried about it initially but I have talked with a few FNP's who graduated from there and work at Bronson, Brogess, and Western Michigan University School of Medicine. They all said they had no problem finding jobs. So at least is my area employers are not throwing resumes in the trash. I also talked to a DNP who got her FNP from Michigan State but went to Walden for her DNP. She said employers care more about credentials then they do what school you attended. I get their admission process is nothing in comparison to other schools and that is because they are for profit but the fact their graduation rate is only 33% shows the program is hard and the pass rate for boards was 85% which is pretty good since the national average is 86%. They are also CCNE accredited. After reviewing all this information, I decided Walden University might be worth attending.

londonflo · Jun 19, 2021

1 hour ago, MentalKlarity said:

Nothing wrong with online school!

No, there is a lot wrong with online school! When do you meet with classmates to discuss what is going on with the state of nursing and where they work? No 3 comments to 3 people replying on a discussion board is any real substantial thinking... Is it really debate, discuss and problem solve? And saying online school means you can still work full time is concrete proof that there are no intensive library searches to contribute multi author studies or sub sequential or novel thoughts to a paper that should be insightful rather than a regurgitation of what was read. And do any current MSN programs require a thesis that shows an original work that proposes new nursing theory with substantive support? Yesterday I read a post where someone did both BSN and MSN work/diploma in 4 months....that is not a program that justifies ANY scholarly work occurred. I think we should have four diplomas for post ADN nursing: BSN; BSNshortcut, MSN; MSNshortcut.

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Jun 19, 2021

29 minutes ago, Jlower1 said:

I was worried about it initially but I have talked with a few FNP's who graduated from there and work at Bronson, Brogess, and Western Michigan University School of Medicine. They all said they had no problem finding jobs. So at least is my area employers are not throwing resumes in the trash. I also talked to a DNP who got her FNP from Michigan State but went to Walden for her DNP. She said employers care more about credentials then they do what school you attended. I get their admission process is nothing in comparison to other schools and that is because they are for profit but the fact their graduation rate is only 33% shows the program is hard and the pass rate for boards was 85% which is pretty good since the national average is 86%. They are also CCNE accredited. After reviewing all this information, I decided Walden University might be worth attending.

The graduate rate is low because they admit anyone willing to cut them a check. It's not because the program is hard, but because the lack of any sort of admissions standards mean they admit quite a few unintelligent people who can't cut it.

The market is saturating. Employers are getting much more picky, and yes I know many who throw Walden resumes in the trash.

Why not respect yourself and your profession and try to go to a real school instead of taking the easy way out and going to the joke program that is mooching off our profession and graduating 4000+ NPs annually.

JKL33 · Jun 19, 2021

6 hours ago, Jlower1 said:

I obtained my BSN online while working in a hospital.

A post-licensure BSN is fluff work and you were not preparing for an entirely new role in that involved learning how to diagnose medical conditions and prescribe treatments. There is no comparison between going from ADN > BSN and going from BSN > APN. Post-licensure BSN may not have been easy for some people but it still only rises to the level of "inconvenience" just the same; it is not any kind of respectable academic feat.

3 hours ago, Jlower1 said:

She said employers care more about credentials then they do what school you attended.

Just understand what your status will be when you work for an employer that literally doesn't care about the nature of your preparation for the role they are hiring. Think it through. Maybe your personal standards for what is acceptable treatment will tolerate the type of treatment that ultimately comes around when the bar for admission is low. Mine would not. I know this sounds brusque; it is not meant as a personal insult but rather just imploring you to think a little more before you make a decision. ??

RN_2001 · Aug 18, 2021

On 6/19/2021 at 2:37 PM, Jlower1 said:

I was worried about it initially but I have talked with a few FNP's who graduated from there and work at Bronson, Brogess, and Western Michigan University School of Medicine. They all said they had no problem finding jobs. So at least is my area employers are not throwing resumes in the trash. I also talked to a DNP who got her FNP from Michigan State but went to Walden for her DNP. She said employers care more about credentials then they do what school you attended. I get their admission process is nothing in comparison to other schools and that is because they are for profit but the fact their graduation rate is only 33% shows the program is hard and the pass rate for boards was 85% which is pretty good since the national average is 86%. They are also CCNE accredited. After reviewing all this information, I decided Walden University might be worth attending.

I say go for it! Walden is accredited and that's all that matters. I know three people personally very well (coworkers) that went through Walden's NP Program and NONE of them had a problem getting a job. Zip. Zero. In fact, I think one of the attractive things about Walden is the fact that the admissions process IS easy. No reference letters or any of that BS needed to get accepted.

I do not work for Walden, nor am I being paid to say any of this, by the way. Methinks some people are just salty that they jumped through the hoops that they did when it was completely unnecessary!

MentalKlarity, BSN, NP · Aug 19, 2021

1 hour ago, RN_2001 said:

In fact, I think one of the attractive things about Walden is the fact that the admissions process IS easy. No reference letters or any of that BS needed to get accepted.

I do not work for Walden, nor am I being paid to say any of this, by the way. Methinks some people are just salty that they jumped through the hoops that they did when it was completely unnecessary!

This is so very sad for our profession that people think this way. Hey I know, why don't we just start putting NP degrees in cracker jack boxes or give them out with McDonalds Happy meals?? I mean why jump through the hoops of actually learning anything or putting forth effort, right??