Walden University Reviews of Master's in Nurse Practitioner (Family)

Avoid at all costs. It’s next to impossible to secure preceptorships as many students addressed below. The reputation of instructors varies greatly to some of the best to the absolute worst. Students are held to the highest standards whereas teachers are given extended deadlines to grade or give feedback. Not to mention the grading scales. One professor will grade the same paper with an A as then next will grade as an F. There is NO STRUCTURE and poor communication throughout the department. Keep... Read More your fingers crossed and stay in constant panic hoping you get a worth while professor who gives great feedback when grading and is willing to support you academically throughout the course. Preceptors refuse to precept you when they hear you’re with Walden. That in itself I wish I knew prior to enrollment. Their reputation is trash.

I will say that the course work and expectations at Walden are very reasonable. My career altering issue is that after completion of the program, testing and job searching, it has been difficult to get privileges in certain areas. I have had jobs decline me from working with them because of a huge lack of response and communication between employers and the program directors. I believe I would have went a different track had I known my abilities would be limited from the schooling I received. Very... Read More disheartening after spending so much money and time on my education!

I am a very self motivated student and I feel like Walden was a great fit for me. I think with any program, the curriculum includes the bare minimum of what you need to know. While the educational materials and learning experiences at Walden were great, I had to do the work to really read and study on my own. I also looked for learning opportunities in practicum and sought out information. If you’re not self motivated this program won’t work for you. I had a positive experience, passed boards 1st... Read More time, and had preceptors who said I was more prepared and knowledgeable than other students they have had.

I do NOT recommend Walden, you will NOT be prepared to practice as an NP! I am a Pediatric NP and have precepted many students over the years. I am in a busy pediatric practice with 6 providers and we usually have 5-6 students come through our practice each semester. The students from Walden University usually have their pediatric practicum their second to last semester of the program and all I can say is WOW! I have never seen students who are so close to graduating that have absolutely no clue... Read More as to what they are doing. I'm not talking recognizing obscure pediatric rashes, I'm talking basic physical exam. I have not had one student from Walden who even knows how to check a red light reflex....and they are close to graduating!!! The quality of the students from Walden has led to our practice discontinuing precepting students from ALL online programs. This is very unfortunate because in the area that I live in pediatric preceptorships are hard to come by.

Just a follow up from my earlier review. I saw a review by another student that stated that Walden students do not have to perform assessments in the FNP program - that is absolutely NOT true. I had to record an entire head to toe assessment with signed consents from my “patient” and submit it. It had rigid requirements attached to it in the rubric. As a matter of fact I didn’t meet the requirements the first time and had to do the whole thing over again and resubmit. Another thing the review referenced... Read More was exams being on Quizlet; I can tell you right now that I sure did not have access to quiz/test answers. Quizlet is known for having access to info that students may or may not be allowed to know about - to act like that is specific to Walden is ridiculous!! Many schools have had their tests, notes, quizzes,etc., make it onto Quizlet, Course Hero or other cites of that nature. It’s a tale as old as internet time and not specific to Walden but more specific to schools and the struggle they have in regulating academic integrity.

I’ve just completed my degree and am preparing to test. I’ve heard/read things over the last two years that I want to speak out strongly against: 1.) I was required to complete a full year - 4 rotations 11 weeks in length each at 160 hours per rotation as well as didactic work to new the clinical component of the degree. This was my second year of the degree, during the first year it was entirely didactic. The entire program is rigorous and time consuming - very time consuming. It requires commitment... Read More and hard work. In clinical I was alongside students from brick and mortar schools who were doing the same coarse work as I was but with less required clinical hours! 2.) NEVER was I ever in a position to sign my own evaluations. 3.) I was subject to very strictly adhered to academic guidelines and everything I submitted from papers to SOAP notes and discussion boards was put through safe assign. 4.) The professors have high but fair expectations 5.) Yes, it’s expensive; it’s a graduate degree. They’re all expensive. 6.) I do feel as though the school prepped me with the tools I need in order to determine how and which certification exam will work best for me and my career goals. 7.) Just like any process you get out of what you put into it. I decided to write this because I feel that Walden students are unfairly being blacklisted my potential employers and it isn’t fair! We did the work and are qualified for employment after passing our licensure exams. Please do not discriminate against graduates from an accredited university.

I am a second year student at Walden University working toward my MSN-FNP. This program is absolutely no joke. The professors are all working in the field, and provide a wealth of knowledge and expertise to their students. Each of my professors have been available via phone, and email. Questions and concerns are oftentimes addressed within minutes to a few hours (during the work week). I study and complete my weekly class work in about 36 hours each week, and it’s paid off. I am extremely satisfied... Read More with the university and the education it has provided me thus far. Next are my Clinicals, a total of four, each requiring 144 hours to be completed in an 11 week period. The selection of a clinical site, and an experienced preceptor, is key to successFully completing the program. If you are contemplating attending Walden’s FNP, then you must be prepared to put in the time.

Walden is an excellent school. I graduated in 2018. I had no problem getting a job and I am doing well. I am a single parent, with a full-time job and 3 children. Yes, you have to work hard and it is a very rigorous program. I have a friend who studied at Dukes online NP program and the curriculum matched almost identical. She did not have to find her own clinical's, but she also paid twice as much to get a degree from Duke. Walden never said they would help find my clinicals. My admissions counselor... Read More told me upfront to start looking early. Yes, it is self taught, it's online. There is no surprise that we teach ourselves; this is what online classes are. Many people come into this program expecting a brick and mortar spoon fed education. If that's the case, and you need the face to face contact, then online is not for you. Oh and I passed my boards the first time. Walden is awesome!! I had no problem getting a 6 figure job and I feel prepared to take care of patients. Thank you Walden!

I am not saying this is a bad school, but I do have regrets with this program. Initially everything was great, the admission process was a breeze and everyone was so helpful, my first year was also good, but then when it came to my practicum everything went downhill. I understand that I have to find my own preceptors, that is a given because every school is that way. The problem is that I have had multiple preceptors rejected, there is no wiggle room at all. I have friends who have attended Xavier... Read More University and the University of Cincinnati among others and they have always had support when they were unable to get a preceptor, for instance one student couldn't find a preceptor of womens care so they approved and ER rotation. I have had to wait long periods of time on affiliation agreements to be approved. During my pediatric rotation my preceptor forgot to sign of my hours in meditrek so they failed me, I was able to get it overturned but it was a hassle. Bottom line, in total I have had to be in this program almost a year longer than intended because of all of the problems. It has been a very frustrating experience.

Rigorous online program. I felt prepared to take boards and passed easily a month post graduation. This the very minimum one should know anyway. I feel that Walden is large, its very easy to get lost in the shuffle and its imperative to have quality practicum sites set up prior to starting program. I wish that there was more help with practicum placement. I feel this was in line with brick and mortar schools and I am glad that I chose online education. Online education requires discipline to complete... Read More tasks/assignments and seeking learning opportunities. For the most part professors were great with the exception of one. I found one pharmacology professor to be very passionate about his subject and enjoyed his course very much. If I chose again I would likely choose Walden, I had a good education and was prepared to practice and obtained a position rather quickly. The biggest draw back is the for profit stigma.

This is the letter I wrote to the school when they asked for feedback: My experience at Walden has been well below the expectations of a university experience. The structure of the classes was clearly set up many years ago and little to no changes have been made to adjust to the healthcare field of today. As a masters student I was expected to use resources <5 yrs old, but the course itself did not. The pharmacology and pathophysiology courses and textbooks were a joke. They did not provide any more... Read More than basic nursing knowledge. The instructors were UNINVOLVED! There was little to NO communication. The instructors responses on the discussion boards were evidently pre-made comments that didn't pertain to the posts that students made. When I tried to communicate with instructors I was brushed off or responded to rudely. It was evident that instructors did not care about my education. No lectures, why is that OK? In 90% of the courses I took through this school my grades were posted 3-4 weeks after turning in assignments. I received little to NO feedback. Often receiving 100%, when I knew my work was sub-par that week. The BEST and ONLY teachers I had are my preceptors, who receive NO COMPENSATION for doing the INSTRUCTORS WORK! Why should your instructors collect a pay check when they are offering me NOTHING, no teaching, no feedback, and no communication! I can only hope that Nurse Practitioners across the NATION quit precepting for UNIVERSITIES that do NOTHING for their students! I feel is if I have pushed money down a tube and received OLD information in return. No lectures, come on, why is that ok??? This school has TAUGHT me nothing. I learned more from the $200 I spent to buy a board review program than the $50,000 I have given this school. How can any of you sleep at night. I am not some 20-something kid who feels society owes me. I have paid for an education and I expected to get one. The information given to me when a talked to the Admissions coordinator was that the cost would be $30,000 with books included. Now I am over $50,000! Shortly after I started I was told that paying for student books was "against federal guidelines". This is a ploy that Walden gives to ALL applicants, then cancels it after 2 semesters. Overall, I will deter anyone I know from giving money to this organization. This information needs to be shared with the Federal government and this university needs to be SHUT OUT from receiving ANY federal loan funding.

This school requires a commitment to be organized and self-responsible. You HAVE to own your assigned reading, discussion posts, responses, make sure you meet the grading rubric requirements, actively participate, stay on top of your schedule and your financial aid. If your education is not a top priority-or you lack strong self discipline-this is not the school for you. Im half way through my MSN degree with this university and have a 4.0 GPA. It has not been easy. Ive had incredible instructors... Read More who respond to me quickly, Im automatically enrolled in my next class so I don't miss deadlines to register, and I have had absolutely NO issues with financial aid. I have even received a scholarship every single semester. I have 9 classes left and Im taking them one class at a time so that my grades don't suffer. I order my books from a different website to save money. I am literally earning my Masters Degree in my pajamas at my kitchen table. I will have 4 semesters which require clinical and have already contacted multiple sites who have agreed to allow me to complete these clinicals with them. You HAVE to do your own leg work. Anything worth having is worth working for. This is for me. I alone can do the work.

The classes were well organized. The work load was appropriate. I feel like I could have been better prepared for the boards by a change of some assignment as some assignments really did not benefit the student. The papers took a long time to complete and other forms of assignments would have better benefited the learning process. Overall, it was good as far as the academical aspect. Now, the student support I cannot describe how horrible it was as far as advisors, financial aid, all the way from... Read More the beginning of my first person that was collaborating with me about transcripts and so on. Lots of chasing someone to talk to, being on hold, and questionable hangups. At least 3-4 times someone hung up on me when it seemed like they could not answer my question, this was so frustrating especially having been on hold for a long time prior to. I would look at schools that have better student support, but if you are willing to deal with crappy support and get your degree you will be fine.

I originally signed up for the RN-MSN program and switched from Leadership & Management to Education. Closing in on my last year, the Family Nurse Practitioner program became available. I jumped at the chance to be in the inaugural class. I was very pleased with the variety that the different professors shared and I cannot say that I was disappointed with their response times as they were always prompt. Finding my own clinical instructors to me was not a terrible thing! I was able to concrete instructors... Read More that I felt could mold me into the practitioner that I wanted to be. It wasn't always easy and yes the program is extremely time consuming, but if it wasn't, I would wonder if they weren't just after my money. The program is expensive, but due to the fact that it was completely online (except for clinicals) and at my convenience, I feel that it was worth every penny. I did decide to complete my DNP through Walden and must say that I was thoroughly disappointed and actually dropped out of the program. The adviser that I had was worthless and never seemed to be available. The quality of the response that I received was so poor that I decided that this would not be of benefit to me. Unfortunately, I just signed in and saw that he was still advising. (Maybe Walden should take a second look at the cause of a lost student and realize that you have a problem with some internal employees.)