Stay away from Walden University

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Best advice for those looking into Walden AGNP or FNP programs is to go somewhere else. You will have issues finding a preceptor and Walden is not recognized by many doctors and NP as an AGNP & FNP school. Also your books will be your teacher, the professors do not prepare you for the tests and some (not all) have bias feedback. The tuition continues to rise as it is a for profit. Once again finding a preceptor with Walden is a great problem, plus they do not have agreements with many places and expect you to do the foot work to find them affiliations. Stay away, they have a very low retention rate for many reasons.

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:( I'm doing my bsn there now..... This sucks....
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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I am currently attending Walden for my MSN Ed. I have had no issues other than an instructor who I felt provided inadequate feedback. As with any brick and mortar school, there will be good and bad instructors; I knew this going in and don't hold it against the school. As for tuition rising, it's rising everywhere not just at Walden and Walden includes the cost of books in tuition. All programs in the nursing school are CCNE accredited, which is more than what some online schools can say. Many schools, including brick and mortar, require their students to locate their own preceptors. Walden does provide a list of previously used facilities and facilities who have a standing agreement with the school, at least for the MSN in education/leadership/informatics tracks.

There can be many reasons for the low retention. Some people may not have experience with online learning and do not find out until after they start that it is not for them. Others may decide they don't really want to go back to school. Some may not have time. Some may have life changes that interfere with school. And yes, some may decide Walden is not the school for them, but I highly doubt that is the main reason for the retention rate.

Just because you may have had a bad experience does not mean your experience will repeat itself for everyone who chooses to attend Walden.

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Any school that is ONLY online should be avoided. Everyone will know your education was completed online and it will be less respected. Training someone to be a provider should not be completed online - how does one learn skills such as suturing and physical exam??

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Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

icysagenurse,

There are NO all online NP programs. EVERY NP program as a clinical requirement. So there is no need to avoid them as there are NONE.

You learn exams, suturing and all the other various clinical aspects of being a NP the same as everyone else.

Any school that is ONLY online should be avoided. Everyone will know your education was completed online and it will be less respected. Training someone to be a provider should not be completed online - how does one learn skills such as suturing and physical exam??
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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Any school that is ONLY online should be avoided. Everyone will know your education was completed online and it will be less respected. Training someone to be a provider should not be completed online - how does one learn skills such as suturing and physical exam??

My non-clinical MSN in education from Walden requires a hands-on practicum. I'm sure the clinical hours required for their NP program are sufficient to meet the requirements of various state BONs.

The misperceptions about distance and online education that I've come across have been rather surprising.

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Best advice for those looking into Walden AGNP or FNP programs is to go somewhere else. You will have issues finding a preceptor and Walden is not recognized by many doctors and NP as an AGNP & FNP school. Also your books will be your teacher, the professors do not prepare you for the tests and some (not all) have bias feedback. The tuition continues to rise as it is a for profit. Once again finding a preceptor with Walden is a great problem, plus they do not have agreements with many places and expect you to do the foot work to find them affiliations. Stay away, they have a very low retention rate for many reasons.

To be fair, most online programs (even if it's based on a campus program), require you to find your own preceptor.

As far as doctors and NP's not agreeing to precept you because you are going to Walden, that is an individual choice. It is not fair to put all of them in that category, because ultimately, it's a personal decision whether or not they are willing to help you.

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I don't know anything specifically about Walden but I finished my associates degree through Excelsior College and obtained my RN through them. I am now a nurse practitioner but back when I finished my associates degree I lived in an area with 9 programs where I could have finished my RN in a 50 mile radius. When I went looking for a job as an RN.. Guess what? I found one.. No one discriminated against me for finishing my RN through Excelsiors RN program and not at the local brick and mortar schools because I took and passed my NCLEX, I was licensed. I never had an issue getting a job. I graduated from UAB's FNP program and guess what? I had to find all my own preceptors. So while, I don't specifically know about Walden. I do know that hard work, and learning on your own CAN get you a very long ways. I have never had a problem finding a job and I work in an area saturated with nursing schools.

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Specializes in Geriatrics/family medicine.

thanks for the info glad I didn't go with them

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

I agree, if you are looking for an easy way to complete your nurse practitioner Walden University is not for you. You will have to find your own preceptors, just like you do at most schools. You will have instructors that have certain ways they want things done, just like at other schools. You will have to work your butt off to graduate from their program, just like at other schools. I will graduate from Walden University in 6 months. I have worked my tale off for the last year, and will start the practicum portion of the program in September. I have a job lined up upon graduation and licensure, with no consideration of what school I went to. Just because you had a bad experience, or didn't get everything just the way you wanted it doesn't mean Walden is a bad school, it just wasn't right for you.

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Mark Hill - do you work for Walden or something?

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Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
Mark Hill - do you work for Walden or something?

NO...but I do attend! I have busted my hump, and will graduate in February. I am just amazed at everyone who has all of these negative opinions about a school they know nothing about, or if they did attend, they are mad because it wasn't as easy as they thought it should be. I have been a an ER and ICU nurse for 20 years, I received my BSN at William Carey University (A well respected private university), and I attend Walden because it is not feasible for me to drive an hour one way to a brick and mortar university. William Carey University doesn't have a nurse practitioner track or I would have attended there. I can tell you that attending Walden has been the hardest thing I have ever done besides surviving cancer. All these comparisons to "diploma mills" are completely asinine as Walden University has the same CCNE accreditation as any other "credible" university. They don't just hand out CCNE accreditations, and you certainly cant buy them. CCNE accreditation is the standard that almost all state BON's use as a prerequisite to sit for the state boards. So all of these "haters" should take their grievances about this worthless "diploma mill" with CCNE accreditation board, and almost all of the state boards of nursing.

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