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If you’re a registered nurse who has been thinking about transitioning into family-focused primary care, you might be wondering how you can start this process. Becoming a family nurse practitioner requires further education, and it’s not always easy knowing which course provider will suit your needs and situation the best.
Before you enroll in what you believe will be the most suitable online FNP certificate program, take a moment to consider the following information. These factors might influence your decision and make the selection process easier.
Suitable Start Dates
Timing for a post-masters FNP program can matter a lot. You might know you want to transition into primary care, but the start dates for your preferred program don’t suit your current life situation. Consider looking for a university or course provider with multiple start dates. Some of the best education providers offer at least three entrance opportunities yearly, giving you the freedom to start further education when it suits your life situation the best.
High Pass Rates
Don’t be afraid to base your course decision on board exam pass rates. Poor pass rates aren’t always reflective of a nurse’s abilities. Sometimes, they reflect the quality of the courses they enroll in and the teaching caliber. Some of the best universities have pass rates consistently above average. However, it’s also important to note that the ‘average’ is constantly changing, especially in the wake of much lower overall passing rates across the board.
Reputation
Some medical centers and hospitals value degrees from some universities more than others. While reputation doesn’t have to be your only consideration when enrolling in a particular university, it might still factor into your decision.
Talk to other people who have already completed the same courses as you, and don’t be afraid to browse review sites and social media to see what you can find. There are even dedicated websites set up for ranking universities, explaining why some post-secondary institutes are ranked higher than others.
Affordable Tuition
Post-secondary education is typically expensive, and many healthcare professionals have high debt levels for the privilege of taking care of their communities’ health needs. While there is generally no way to get around tuition costs, not all online programs are unaffordable.
Look for universities offering affordable per-credit-hour rates, and don’t be afraid to explore scholarship and grant options to see if there’s anything available to ease your financial burden.
Excellent Clinical Placement Support
Clinical placement is all about giving you hands-on skills and broadening your clinical learning experience. Finding acceptable placement can be challenging, but the best universities make it much easier.
Typically, they assign clinical placement coordinators to students. These coordinators work with you to prepare you for placement and ensure they meet university and national guidelines. More often than not, these supervisors also come at no additional charge and put in extra work so that you can free up your time for coursework and achieve core competencies.
Identifying the best family nurse practitioner certificate provider is never easy, especially with so many educational facilities to choose from. However, by considering these factors above, you might narrow down your options and enroll with your ideal provider before long.
