NP Navigator

Ratings & reviews ^§

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  Preceptorship
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  Clinical Prep
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  Exam Prep
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  Job Placement
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  Class Workload
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  Value for $$$

• Needed more skills, and help with securing precept I do not feel NIU helped prepare us for nurse practitioner after school. There were a lot of skills that were lacking. But they never even offered. The program was terrible at securing our preceptorships for us. And if you secured your own, you are screamed at through emails and face-to-face. This is terrible! I have heard from multiple students that they had similar experiences. I had to go all the way to starved Rock (per NIU), from, Batavia, for my women's health rotation. That was a really long semester! And a ton of expense and time. Only to not be able to count those visits because we never saw women's health visits at the family practice. How ridiculous! They needed to research this better before sending their student out an hour and a half away. As far as classes that were taught, I did enjoy them very much. They needed to teach a lot more skills labs. - Alum
• Adult Nurse Practitioner Program I enjoyed my NP program at NIU. The overall experience was wonderful and it prepared me well for my boards. For some feedback, there are two things that I wish were different. I was a relatively new RN when I signed up, and I chose the Adult NP program. I wish someone would have guided me to the FNP program instead since job opportunities can be limited if you do not see pediatrics. This is something that I did not realize at the time. Secondly there was zero help finding a preceptor. I believe that preceptors deserve compensation for their time. This program needs a structured and reliable approach to assisting their NP students. They should have someone on staff whose sole job is to find and contract NP preceptors instead of shifting that burden onto the students who already have so much on their plate. I have actually served as a preceptor for some NIU students. All I received in return was a jacket and some continuing education hours. Surely the university could offer more. - Alum
• Good educational foundational I attended NIU’s FNP program from 2015 - 2018. I continued working full time throughout the program until I started my clinical hours in my last few semesters. At the start we had a clinical coordinator that assisted students in finding preceptor placement, however that was for one semester only and then the students were required to find placement. NIU has a great educational foundation and I will forever be grateful for the knowledge I gained. My only complaint is I do not think they prepare you enough for transitioning from a nurse to an NP and there was no career guidance in the years that I attended. - Alum
• Program though rigorous prep you for board exam It’s not guaranteed. I had to pay for 3 clinical rotations. - Alum
• NIU Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program I worked 40-60 hours per week during my clinicals. It was difficult finding sites and preceptors. The ones I had all allowed me to develop NP skills and gave me excellent preparation for becoming a NP. - Alum