These classes are nonsense

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Finished my first semester of patho, pharm, and health assessment, you know real classes that are significant to my future job. So this semester I am taking some nonsense advanced nursing theory and a bull$%^ nurse educator class. Please tell me why I have to waste my time and money on this crap? I made A's all last semester and I honestly could care less if I make 2 Cs in these crap shoot classes. I truly don't see a future employer frowning upon it. I am sure some MD that interviews me for his practice could give a flying hoot about what I made in nursing theory. Anyone else feel the same way?

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I never had the option of making a C, a B was required or you failed............ in all classes..

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Yeah, the classes stink. Yeah they are boring and have pretty much ZERO clinical value. Just buckle down and get through them. Once you are done you won't have to go back and the classes in front of you are full of good solid clinical knowledge.

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Seriously, why don't you all complain. That is really the only way you all are going to change anything in NP education. Lord knows the administrators aren't going to do it.

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I lost half credit for a recent assignment involving reflecting on my first week in clinical rotations, and "how I would use nursing theory when I am a FNP." My answer apparently did not adequately address this question. More accurately, my answer apparently answered the question TOO well (or too honestly, depending on your point of view).

These are piddly points I can afford to lose. I'm doing well in the clinical setting, and that's what matters to me. These type of things didn't bother me in the courses involving theory...creeping into my clinical course (where I'm so happy to be and trying to succeed) is annoying, but whatever.

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Specializes in ED, Cardiac Medicine, Retail Health.

Just started last week and am wondering the same thing about some of the non clinical courses........... Seems like a bunch of fluff if you ask me..........

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Specializes in FNP-C.

Sometimes I feel that there's so much psychosocial, nursing theory or family theory, and health policy courses than biological health sciences courses. I would think we learned all the nursing theories in undergrad and would be learning more hard science kind of stuff in NP school. I'm 75% done with FNP school and graduating this summer... I'm doing a rotation for peds this semester mostly in adolescent medicine military clinics and even the 4th year med student (my friend who is in med school and coincidently got the same MD Adolescent pediatrician, knew more about the rare congenital diseases. Maybe I have an excuse and I can say that its because he wants to specialize in peds? Nonetheless, I still feel I don't know much of the deeper science to various complicated diseases such as Kallman's syndrome, vWD, etc.

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Specializes in FNP-C.

Let me back up some of the things I said though. Many NPs that I know who were active FNPs for 3+years knew so much into the deeper science subjects and rare congenital diseases...haha maybe this is because of actual experience and reading up on those "need to know" subjects on their own?

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I will say that the only "fluff" classes to which I wish I had paid more attention were:

1. Healthcare and finances - very important in these tight days of reimbursement. Really wish I had had some classes in billing and coding.

2. Politics and healthcare - again something that we all deal with whether we know it or not. I wish that I had been given more info about how voting on a healthcare bill would affect my practice.

3. End of life education. After almost 5 years working with renal pts, I have it down pretty good. However, would have been nice to have had more resources.

4. How to choose good solid CME. Again, something I learned on my own by wasting my CME money a time or two. The glitz of the promotional info, doesn't necessarily translate to good solid info. After all, I can read a PPP. If I just wanted to read, I would have chosen a book.

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I've been reading a lot about "fluff" courses from FNP students... I am curious what schools these are (I'm not asking you all to list your schools, I am just wondering out loud).

I am in my last semester of my Master's FNP program. I haven't had any 'fluff" classes. I have had research and statistics classes, but I don't really consider that fluff. I've had one class that maybe some of you might consider fluff- it's a 3 credit course of issues of advanced nursing-- we discuss coding, billing, the certification exams, resumes, contracts, ect... all of which I hardly would consider fluff, and all very applicable to the FNP role.

My RN to BSN degree was a lot of fluff. My masters degree is certainly not perfect, but I have overall been very happy with it. We also have skill workshops including suturing, simple ENT procedures, EKG, ect, that I hear a lot of programs do not cover.

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Specializes in medical surgical.

Fluff is theory and more theory. Fluff is APA, and getting a B or C in a class where the teacher does not like the sentence construction. OOPs, I thought that was English and not nursing. I might mention that I got all A's in my freshman English classes. Fluff is research where you never have class or hear from the instructor. No inclass discussions and the teacher is so "above nursing" she cannot even relate to the class. I might mention she has also never worked as a nurse. Yep, lots of fluff in the masters programs. I am in it and see it first hand. Trust me, it is a complete waste of time and resources. I am going to supplement my learning by attending some conferences. I certainly am not learning anything in my program.

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Fluff is theory and more theory. Fluff is APA, and getting a B or C in a class where the teacher does not like the sentence construction. OOPs, I thought that was English and not nursing. I might mention that I got all A's in my freshman English classes. Fluff is research where you never have class or hear from the instructor. No inclass discussions and the teacher is so "above nursing" she cannot even relate to the class. I might mention she has also never worked as a nurse. Yep, lots of fluff in the masters programs. I am in it and see it first hand. Trust me, it is a complete waste of time and resources. I am going to supplement my learning by attending some conferences. I certainly am not learning anything in my program.

Please do not assume or imply that this is true of all MSN programs. Mine was nothing like what you describe. There is a lot of variation among programs, and it is well worth putting time and effort into "shopping around" before deciding on a school. There are plenty of great MSN programs out there (there are also plenty of mediocre and poor quality ones ...)

As for APA format and sentence construction, part of taking a graduate degree in any discipline is learning to write competently at a graduate/professional level per the standards/expectations of your specific discipline (above and beyond the demands of "freshman English"). That's not "fluff" -- it's an integral part of the degree.

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