Starting from scratch desperately NEED direction advice

ICURN7 · Nov 8, 2014

Hi,

Most of your questions are already answered in this forum, believe me. Just take some time and google it… I am not in south Univ. but there are so many threads on south University. In fact, the other day, someone was saying they graduated from south and that anyone could ask questions if they so desired. If not in the student forum, then it should be under the nurse practitioner forum.

Goodluck..

Pilot2FNP · Nov 8, 2014

I would advise against any online program, whether offered through a for-profit school or traditional brick-and-mortar school. The online programs make you set up all your own clinicals and find your own preceptors. In many cases, this causes a tremenous amount of pressure and stress for the student. The schools make it sound easy, but the reality is often cases much different. Just look at how many posts there are for someone begging to find a preceptor near them. The nurse practitioner industry should try to be as professional as medical schools. There an absolutely NO medical schools here in the US that would ever say to it's students, "now go out and find your own preceptors to get a good medical education." That would never fly with med school students. They pay too much money and take their profession too seriously to put up with that sort of nonsense. But nurses....well, we think it's ok for schools to do this to us. People say, "but the concenience of doing it all online is wonderful." Do you think med school students are in it for the convenience? They are in it to get a good education and for the school to do a lot of work to help them succeed. None of this "find your own clinicals" bs. I really wish the nursing industry would stand up and put these programs out of business. They are in it to make $$$, and they are very successful at it. As far as South University, they are owned by Education Management Corporation. I would suggest you do some research on that company....it might make you think twice before giving lots of $$ to South University. Also, whatever decision you make, do what's best for you. The for-profit schools are all about marketing and sales, so they will tell you anything. But in the end, their "admissions counselors" are just sales people trying to get people through the door. Wherever you go, make sure the school is Regionally Accredited, not Nationally Accredited. Being Regionally Accredited by one of the 6 major regional accrediting associations is better recognized. Schools that are only Nationally Accredited do not have to go through the same level of scrutiny that the Regionals do. Sorry if it seems like I'm bashing for profit schools. If they were more honest with potential students, I would be happier with them. If they said things like, "I'm a sales assoicate here - not a true admissions counselor", or "You will likely experience a lot of headaches and delays trying to find your own preceptors", then I would be much happier with them. At least they would be honest.

zmansc, ASN, RN · Nov 8, 2014

OP - You have touched on a subject that is often hotly debated, and rarely are facts of importance in that debate, online vs b&m. This discussion often unravels into needless crap about various types of programs, what they do and don't allow and why that somehow makes them better than others. It is a totally useless and non-productive discussion. Often it comes from posters who just like to drum up controversy.

In answer to some of your questions:

Do NP/MSN programs have to be directed towards a population? Yes, the consensus model has outlined several types of NPs based on population. Pediatric NP's treat kids (I don't have a clue what the age cutoff is), Geriatric NPs treat old folks (again, I don't know the age cutoff), Family NPs treat the entire age spectrum. In addition there are Psych NP, who care for patient's with psychiatric/mental health needs. Each program has a similar core, but different curriculum and the students sit for a different boards exam to obtain their license. In addition, each state has different practice acts, which describe how the NPs can practice, you might want to research your state's practice act in regards to various NPs.

Suggestion of 100% online program.

I personally choose Frontier, and it was the right choice for me. Is it the right choice for you? I have no idea, as much of what makes a program the right choice for an individual student is, well, individual. Your schedule, timeline, goals, study habits, etc are all going to play into picking the right program for you. What I can tell you is do a broad search, consider your options, and take your time looking. You have plenty of time to research the many, many programs and find one that is best for you. Do not let people scare you away from decent programs because it's online, or they make you find your preceptors, or whatever other "fear factor" they want to hit you with. A good program will be one that meets your needs, and you are willing to work within their structure to get your education from. If you want an online education, look for online programs, if you want them to find your preceptors for you, then look for that. I would suggest trying to shadow as many NPs (and other providers for that matter) in your area as possible. This will give you a couple of things, first it will help you immensely to start building a network of providers, which will be very important when you are in school and when you graduate; second it will give you an idea of what schools they went to, like, and work with which is always a good idea of what schools you might want to consider.

School Accreditation and program Accreditation. First schools are accredited by a regional accreditation organization. Mine is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and Universities. http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/webmemlist.pdf is a list of all of the colleges and universities accredited by them, you will notice small schools like University of Kentucky, Texas A&M and huge schools like Frontier Nursing University are all on the list. This tells you very little about the Nursing degree, but it does tell you about the academic institution the nursing program is a part of. The nursing program is accredited by a national nursing education organization depending on the type of advanced practice program you are looking at. In my case that is the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), although I think they changed their name or something recently. CNMs and CRNA programs have different accreditation organizations.

MSN vs DNP. DNP is not required and will not be required by 2015, if ever. There are many, typically DNP holders who believe it has added value, will make it easier to get a job, etc. And there are many, typically non-DNP holders who disagree with that sentiment. I was leaning very strongly towards getting my DNP and am now on the fence about it. It is certainly not required to get a job or practice, but may become valuable at some point in the future. Rough estimate is about an extra year, can be a little less, or a little more depending on the program.

ChaoticSweetness · Nov 8, 2014

Wow thank you all so much for taking the time to go into detail and clearly explain things for me. I can't begin to explain how much this information has shined light on things I had no idea about and helped to give me confidence in knowing what I need to look for, you are all wonderful!

TashaLPN2006RN2012, ASN, RN · Nov 14, 2014

Chaotic- I did my ASN,BSN and now MSN online and loved it. I am currently at Simmons College. If you google Nursing@Simmons it will bring up their ASN to MSN/FNP program. Unlike some online programs they DO find you clinical placement, as well as weekly "live" online classes (where you use your webcam and in a chat room classroom on a teleconference call line for whats call a live session) It really blends the in-person feeling of a brick and mortar school with the online conveince. Do some searches, really look into the programs. You will get mixed reviews on here of online versus a "regular" college. Good luck!

OBigdog26, MSN, RN, NP · Nov 17, 2014

I would advise against any online program, whether offered through a for-profit school or traditional brick-and-mortar school. The online programs make you set up all your own clinicals and find your own preceptors. In many cases, this causes a tremenous amount of pressure and stress for the student. The schools make it sound easy, but the reality is often cases much different. Just look at how many posts there are for someone begging to find a preceptor near them. The nurse practitioner industry should try to be as professional as medical schools. There an absolutely NO medical schools here in the US that would ever say to it's students, "now go out and find your own preceptors to get a good medical education." That would never fly with med school students. They pay too much money and take their profession too seriously to put up with that sort of nonsense. But nurses....well, we think it's ok for schools to do this to us. People say, "but the concenience of doing it all online is wonderful." Do you think med school students are in it for the convenience? They are in it to get a good education and for the school to do a lot of work to help them succeed. None of this "find your own clinicals" bs. I really wish the nursing industry would stand up and put these programs out of business. They are in it to make $$$, and they are very successful at it. As far as South University, they are owned by Education Management Corporation. I would suggest you do some research on that company....it might make you think twice before giving lots of $$ to South University. Also, whatever decision you make, do what's best for you. The for-profit schools are all about marketing and sales, so they will tell you anything. But in the end, their "admissions counselors" are just sales people trying to get people through the door. Wherever you go, make sure the school is Regionally Accredited, not Nationally Accredited. Being Regionally Accredited by one of the 6 major regional accrediting associations is better recognized. Schools that are only Nationally Accredited do not have to go through the same level of scrutiny that the Regionals do. Sorry if it seems like I'm bashing for profit schools. If they were more honest with potential students, I would be happier with them. If they said things like, "I'm a sales assoicate here - not a true admissions counselor", or "You will likely experience a lot of headaches and delays trying to find your own preceptors", then I would be much happier with them. At least they would be honest.

I agree with your post. NP programs should be more standardized like med schools. It's a shame......

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Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Nov 18, 2014

I agree with your post. NP programs should be more standardized like med schools. It's a shame......
Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

Why? Our outcomes are basically identical to physicians both in terms of clinical excellence and patient satisfaction. Most reseach has been unable to distinguish a significant difference between online and in person education. What typically is discovered is different types of learners succeed in different education formats. Self directed learners will achieve and take more from an online program versus individuals that like in-person interation and direction. Education in general is what the individual takes out of it. Whether you go to school online or in person, if you're a bad student, it won't matter.

Additionally, NP schools are standardized to an extent in that in order to sit for boards, we are required to take a standard core of classes, and obtain a minimum amount of clinical experience. The same can be said for Physicians. The difference between an MD and DO program is fairly significant, but they too take a set core, must receive a minumum amount of clinical experience, and in the end are entitled to the same scope of practice.