Online Programs

[Nursecurious]

Hello, I am interested in taking an online nursing program. Does a certificate or degree from an online program put me at a disadvantage in terms of quality of training and in terms of hire-ability?

Are there online schools to avoid, and/or ones that are superior?


Thanks!

[alwayshungry]

Hello, I am interested in taking an online nursing program. Does a certificate or degree from an online program put me at a disadvantage in terms of quality of training and in terms of hire-ability?

Are there online schools to avoid, and/or ones that are superior?


Thanks!

Hello Nursecurious,
Most important there are 3 major types of schools:
1) Regionally accredited schools(this is the best and safest way to go)
2) nationally accredited schools(these may pose credit transfer issues and board recognition issues)
3) proprietary schools (these schools are good for....um...not sure really...learning how to type??)

so you can find online schools that are regionally accredited though they may not hold the prestige a traditional campus may they essentially have the same accrediting bodies involved.

If you are not an RN then i recommend doing the bare minimum to sit for the licensing exam for your state. (usually an associates in nursing or a diploma in nursing ). Then once you pass your exam, get a job in a hospital and take advantage of your employer's tuition reimbursement program and convert your associates to a bachelors ( this is known as an RN to BSN program) from a more prestigous school. This is about the cheapest way to do it if you're not like getting a free ride or soemthing already.

as far as how competitive you will be with an associates vs a bachelors is very region specific. i have seen it all. hope this has helped you some. let me know if you have any other questions. i specialiaze in nursing education.

time to go make a sandwich. ciao!

[Nursecurious]

Thanks! I am in the Boston area, and would like to remain here, or possibly move to coastal Maine.

[maire]

There are no totally online nursing programs for initial licensure, either LPN or RN. There are many that have online courses but require clinical classes be done either in the vicinity of the student's home or in the vicinity of the school. One of the most popular distance programs for RN is the Excelsior College program. General education courses can be completed at local community colleges or with standardized tests. Nursing courses are completed with standardized tests and the clinical portion is completed with a two and one half day clinical performance exam at the end, done at one of several clinical sites. To enter this program one must have an LPN/LVN license, or RT, or paramedic credentials, or be licensed in some area of healthcare, such as medical doctor. Info on this particular program can be obtained at www.excelsior.edu. There are other distance programs with other insitututions, but most of them require the student to hold an LPN/LVN license to start: Indiana State University LPN to BSN, University of Oklahoma Accelerated BSN program. Western Governors University, www.wgu.edu, requires a CNA certificate. You could probably find local programs by doing an internet search. Good luck finding a program that suits your needs.

[Blossom611]

Hello all...........

I am grateful that I found this site, it is very informative. I am also just considering becomming a nurse, I'm not certain in what specific area of study. I have a 4 year degree in an unrelated field and would like to know where I need to start my nursing education. I am assuming that I can transfer some courses from that field to nursing. I've been doing some research on pre-requisits on the internet, so I know I could, at least, begining taking those course online or in my local college. I guess my is what the fastest route to completing my BSN program.

I look forward to all of your responses.

Petal

[Edson!]

My opinion is this. No programs for nursing should exist that are fully online for those without a nursing license already. You need to go into a regular program for nursing, b/c the practicums and overall real tiime actual clinical and other experiences are vital. It is one thing if you are already an RN and you want to go through a predominantly online program for certain things--of course not NP, etc--no such animals exist; b/c you must be clinically worked and evaluated in real life, real time, real hands on experiences, period.

Anything that promises a degree that leads to a nursing license for folks, regardless of their other general education and other credits and degrees, etc, that are not yet nursing is either bogus or should be shut down immediately. Nursing requires direct, hands on experiences and evaluations, as does medicine, etc. Could you imagine if your doctor was able to obtain his medical degree on an 100% online. Oy! What a nightmare.

Get into a campus -to-clnical-site nursing program at a good school. They do have acclerated RN programs for those with four year degrees in other things, but of course certain prereq's must be met, and the programs are real time, "in your face" programs--not online. Online nursing programs are for those that are already nurses and have nursing licenses but want to advance in the field. But anything that requires clinical and practicums will never ever be all online. Personally, I even have problems with the acclerated programs--since telling someone that because they already have a four-year degree in another field means that they are OK to fly through something close to a year for nursing is stupid, and lame beyond any real brain power. (But the dumbing down of the nursing profession has gone on for a while now, in spite of all those in nursing with advanced degrees and the promotion thereof.) To me it has always been obscene to have such acclerated programs, clinically speaking. But bottom line, schools are businesses. They will create whatever programs and program acceptions if it will increase revenue. It's stupid to expect a person to understand and have a decent grip on what nursing practice actually is in a matter of about a year or so--I don't care what other four year or four year plus degree they already have. I am speaking of professional, registered nursing. It is utterly insane that they allow these folks to go through for RN is one year. Two years should be the minimum, period. Programs like that undermine the profession, and some folks don't even realize it.

[nancyjblais]

Thank you for your web site.
I am greatful to be able to be a part of this team.
Tank you in advance.
Nancy jeanne blais rn.

[loving9]

thanks dear

loving seem

[rodriguezwalker]

Online degrees or diplomas in nursing will not be an add-on to your exiting profile. Be sure that the degree should be from a reputed online university that is even accredited from US Board of Education. But it would be good if you get enrolled in some hybrid program where you can leverage online as well as practical sessions.

[AliciaK007]

Though online degree programs have advantages, I am not sure how they are going to give you training in patient care ... practical training teaches a lot of important things.

[tisamit]

I don't think online nursing programs are bad. Even they do have lots of advantages over traditional education. Online education programs are very flexible. You can do far better in online education. Search here you will find a huge list of online nursing schools - nursingschoolsu.com

[Edson!]

I don't think online nursing programs are bad. Even they do have lots of advantages over traditional education. Online education programs are very flexible. You can do far better in online education. Search here you will find a huge list of online nursing schools - nursingschoolsu.com

They are if you are pursuing a primary professional nursing educatin through one of them and you are not somehow already a nurse--especially one with clinical experience.


I'm not sure what you are talking about, but if you are NOT a nurse already, go to a reputable, NLN accredited school that requires actual real life labs for both the hard sciences and the nursing science courses and real life practicums for nursing clinicals.

Would you want a nurse that did not have well-supervised, direct clinical exposures fresh out of schoo taking care of you or your very sick loved ones?

[Edson!]

BTW, GNs as well as even some experienced RNs are having a tough time getting positions right now due to hiring freezes and the economy as it is. If those that have gone through highly respected NLN accredited programs requiring x amount of supervised hours in real time/real life clnicals are having a tough time getting jobs, just see how excited a lot of hospitals and the like will be over hiring those that somehow went through some program that didn't have strictly supervised real time/real life clinicals. Good luck with that.

The reputable all online programs will only be for those that are already licensed professional nurses--and depending on some things, even they will not be "ALL" online. Even if one is looking at a degree in Masters of Nursing Education, you will have to work and "present" and be evaluated in real time/ real life. You won't get away with doing it 100% online. And for good reason.

[AmyMa]

Has anyone ever gotten into CRNA school after completing an on ADN to BSN program? If so what online program did you attend?

[Edson!]

You need a BSN or BS in health-related field plus RN. They like you to have a year or two of intensive care--high level, though that may be changing from what I hear. The programs have moved to MS and there is a drive to move them to doctoral in the future.