Nursing degree ... help

Hello everyone,

Iam trying to help out my cousins old lady she wants to be a nurse. She has 60 b&m credits, I assume all basic gen ed, she ran out of money so I suggested DL. Iam leaning toward the big3 thinking it would be cost and time efficent. I dont know the differnce between RN, LPN, etc. Or where her interest lies. Iam assuming working in a hospital.

Seeking advice from those who have gone this route. Do you need a BA to be a nurse? Do you need additional certs? Any help,advice,opinions welcomed.

Thanks, John

 

Hi John - My best advise is this. You're gonna do better, in general, if you don't call your cousin's wife an "old lady." It's a karma thing. I'm just sayin'.

 

LVN= 1 year certifiacte
RN= Associets degree

LVN/LPN= 1 year certificate
RN= Associates degree

If cost is an issue, she needs to go to the local CC and sign up. These days everyone wants to a nurse and a pay drop is starting to be seen. There is no such thing as an all online Nursing degree; I think that's the last thing anyone wants. She is going to have to sit down for two more years of class time for her associates. My wife just came back from a conference and the general consensus is there are now to many nurses. The boom in the marker from the baby boomers leaving out is gone; almost all of them have retired and been replaced. Wages are being dropped for new hires at the company my wife works for; they have been dropping pay for over a month now. At the end of the day a RN is a person with a two year degree.

 

I hung up on that as well, I hate the way that sounds.

 

Umm didnt mean to offend anyone thats a very common term in my circle of friends and acquaintances and the women I know are not offended in the least, they call their husbands, boyfriends, their old man. It's a different culture then your used to I assume, please dont judge people who are different. Just because you dont like a word doesnt make it bad.

I say again I didn't plan to offend anyone or ruffle feathers I was just looking for some help. MODERATOR delete this thread if you wish to avoid my question turning into a totally different discussion.
B4- thanks for the answer.

 

John - don't get nervous. it's just that your neighborhood may not be much like mine. that's all. no one's offended.

 

If you want to be a nurse, DL is out of the question. Clinical components are absolutely essential.

 

That was a joke, son!

 

Even if there were legitimate DL nursing options, I would guess that you would be severely discriminated against if you had a DL nursing degree. It's too much of a "hands-on" profession to fit into a DL format. That's not to say that some of the classes couldn't be completed online, but in general, you will need to find a good B&M program. I say this because my daughter is researching nursing programs and we have come to this conclusion.

_____________________________________
Go Flames!

 

Sorry but I didn't take it as a joke I got 2 replies in a row saying how they didn't like the word I chose, no lol's, no smiley faces.

 

I have been told many times by friends that are from up north that people in the South could never hack the crudeness of the North. We have a totally different way of saying things. I have to ask, are you from up North?

 

Not true.

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh offers an Accelerated Online Bachelor's to BSN. A bachelor's in any subject, pre-reqs and a CNA are required for admission. Residents located in these states may apply.

Of course, the OP's, Cousin's "old lady" *grin* would need to first complete a BA/BS in any subject, the pre-reqs and a CNA prior to applying to this program. Just thought I would mention it anyway, in case anyone came across this thread in the future and thought that there were no online options to obtain an initial RN and nursing degree.

 

EC's got their associates in Nursing (not eligible for fiancial aid) where the student basically covers a bunch of Gen Eds, Anatomy & that type of stuff*, 8 (?) nursing ECEs, and then takes their clinicals locally (? Maybe? I have no clue how it works, if its a local or regional thing to take them). Of course, since its DL, they would have to get their hands-on practice done somewhere.

Then they've got the BS and the Masters in Nursing too...

I figure it would probably be easiest to get a nursing certificate, and then go the Associates route with EC, that way you get experience (I assume) while getting the cert that would help on the clinicals.

*A bunch of the courses required for the nursing program aren't availible through EC, they have to be taken elsewhere and transferred in.

https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School_Of_Nursing

 

There are some hard core entry requirements that cannot be taken online.

Plus they have to take..

You must find a CNA that has a clinical component (most don't) that will take half the year with a clinical component.

Once they say you have been accepted you have to take this..

You also have this..

I went just went to all this trouble to show you that there are NO online nursing programs. It would take anyone with a bachelors are year to meet the entry requirements. YOU have to travel to the campus more than once, website says three different times. From start to finish this program will take two years. You can enter a LVN/LPN program at your local CC and be done in a year. You can enter a RN program at your CC and be done in two years. The RN will run you about $6,000 at my local CC. The Bachelors to BSN at U of W will run $35,000 (but you get a free laptop).

The BSN is a worthless program because the highest license in nursing is an RN. YOU jump through all of their hoops and get a BSN but you can only sit for the RN. BSN’s do not make one penny more in the work force.

 

Lots of good points already, let me zip it up for you/her.

1. Distance learning is not necessarily any different price-wise than on campus, in fact, it may be cheaper for her to attend locally.

2. Nursing programs (either type) all have prereqs. Generally, there are a few things they all have in common.
a. anatomy and physiology 1, anatomy and physiology 2 *if she has not taken it, I strongly suggest this be her first step. Locally and in person. If she can't pull a B+, I'm afraid she might not be competitive.
b. microbiology
c. english 101

3. Don't get involved in the discussion of clinical distance learning, she would have to be HIGHLY motivated to make that happen; and even then....

4. An RN is the credential needed to be a registered nurse. An LPN/LVN is the credential needed to be a licensed nurse aka vocational or practical nurse. LPN/LVN is lower rank and more likely employed in a nursing home. Fewer LPN/LVN jobs exist in hospitals. The difference is essentially an extra year of school to be an RN but it pays about $10 per hour MORE to start. The plus for an LPN/LVN is that it is generally MUCH LESS competitive to gain admission and some situations exist that allow an LPN/LVN to skip a class or two down the road if they decide to become an RN. Seriously, if she picks LPN/LVN, that should be her goal- if she wants RN, that should be her goal out of the gate. The bridge between the two can be a lot of extra money and time. People do it mainly so they can work while going to school.

MONEY

1. If she doesn't have a bachelor's degree, she may qualify for a Pell Grant. This is FREE money, not a loan. She needs to talk to financial aid at the local community college. Roughly $5500 per year.

2. Unless she is in default, she can take out a student loan.

3. Willing to shop a la carte. If she is willing to put together some of her credits from alternative sources, some of her classes can be tested out of - and this will save a huge amount of money because you won't pay tuition or books. An estimate for a community college class might be $250 + $150 books =$400 (it's closer to $700 at my CC) but testing out using CLEP will cost $70. If she can test out of 4 classes, her output will be about $280 compared with $1600! That's a cost most people can pay cash for. Plus it saves a lot of time.

4. Health Department scholarships- Each state has a department of health, and I believe all 50 states offer forgiveness scholarships. This means that they pay all of your costs in exchange for a year or two working as a nurse. She can find out more using google.

***the big 3***

Her focus should first be to earn her RN credential, and doing so locally just makes the most sense. There will likely be a waiting list. I live in a po-dunk community but we have 3 nursing programs. Each program rec'd about 250 applications for 32-72 slots. These are for RN, I don't know about LPN. Each program uses their own criteria to rank applicants, but GPA is very important.

As she sits on the waiting list, she can rock out her CLEP tests and sciences. Sciences can be taken online, which I know an earlier post said couldn't be, but they can. Only thing- they cost a lot more money. Anyway, she can work on her classes while she waits. If she finishes everything except the 4 nursing courses and she still has time, she can start looking at the courses required for any of the online BSN programs. I'm familiar with TESC, so as an example, she'd need another English class, a social science, etc. While nearly every school now as an online BSN, the advantage with TESC is that you can meet every requirement (except nursing) in this degree with CLEP exams. That's a huge bonus!! Also, she can start her local nursing classes and when she feels ready, TESC will allow her to do 2 (or is it 3?) of their BSN nursing classes without yet graduating from her associate degree program- so she would be working ahead. At graduation from her associate degree (RN) program, she'd only have 1-2 semesters left as opposed to 2 years to get her BSN.

BSN, I believe, is essential. Many hospitals are under pressure to obtain magnet status, and that requires a % of their nurses to be BSN holders. Magnet hospitals are hardly even hiring non-BSN nurses anymore. In any event, I wouldn't START with a BSN, I'd START with an associate degree RN program. BSN is cheap and easy to get online, but if you start in a BSN program, they are VERY VERY expensive and contain EXCEEDINGLY difficult courses (organic chemistry for example). I don't know why they are so different but they are. Online BSN (like TESC) don't require extra science, and are much cheaper.

You can do a local RN + TESC's BSN for less than $12,000
A BSN program where you start from scratch is a minimum $35,000 AND if you drop out you have nothing. At least if you go RN + BSN you have your RN credential if you end up dropping out.

Good luck to her!!

 

You must find a CNA that has a clinical component (most don't) that will take half the year with a clinical component.


Quote:
Current Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certificate
CNA course must have a clinical component
Work experience as a CNA is strongly recommended



I just wanted to comment on this. Most CNA programs DO have a clinical component. This is established by the state. Iowa and Illinois, for instance, both require 75 hours. These classes are often offered through a college's community or adult education department. Most can be done in fewer than 6 weeks taking night classes. CNA candidates that complete the course, must then sit for state testing. This will be written and clinical- you have to pass both in order to be listed on your state's worker registry.
MANY nursing homes have free/reduced cost programs in exchange for a working contract, but you'd have to poke around your community to see if this applies to you locally. In the state of Iowa (but not IL) your CNA course is required by law to be reimbursed by your employer upon hire.

 

#1 Actually, you can take the science pre-reqs online through University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine or Ocean County Community College (just to name two options).

#2 Of course the clinical component cannot be taken online!

#3 Yes, you do need to travel to the Wisconsin campus. Still might be a viable option for some people. Maybe they can pick up some Wisconsin cheese while there.

#4 You are confusing a degree (BSN) with a license (RN). The BSN degree is not worthless. An RN who obtains his or her BSN is more competitive for management and other higher level positions and it certainly makes them much more competitive for graduate nursing programs!

So, is it true that there are no 100% online nursing degrees (leading to initial RN licensure)? Yes. Can one complete the majority of the didactic courses online, and take clinicals locally? Yes. Is it the best way to obtain an RN? Probably not for most people. Is this the only option for some people? Yes, I'm sure it is.

 

it might be good to go for the Licensed Practical Nurse / Licensed Vocational Nurse

you can usually get a certificate in 12-15 months
but it has to be done at a local school in person

then you can do an online college, like Excelsior (they require applicants to be paramedics or LPNs or similar) and get your Associates of Bachelors and then become an RN

but some states will NOT accept an online degree. I know that Florida didn't at one time, I don't know about now.
So if you earned a BS online and passed the test for RN and even worked for a year, and then moved to Florida, you would not be able to work because they would not accept your degree.

some local schools also offer an LPN to RN associate degree program.
So you first earn your certificate as an LPN/LVN and then sometime later you enter the degree program and complete it in 12 months (because you've already got a bunch of credits)

here in new york state they have a workforce job training program for low income people. You can apply to the program and if accepted, the state will pay for your LPN training.

 

That's great I had no idea any online course had labs! (Which are required)

That’s right every state is different.

It is for a management position, the only thing it could be used for is a entry level job which is what you can get with no experience and a RN, btw a I'm not confusing a BSN with a RN.

That is not true. My wife has a BSN that works under her. She also worked as a director at a hospital and is currently a director at the facility she works at. BSN's receive no pay increase above an RN. The pay scale is the same. Why? Because there still RN’s!


You seem confused Japhy...

Above when I said there were no online Nursing Degrees, you said "not true" (there are) then you say that there are "no" online degrees. Which is it?

I start my Nursing Administration internship a few months. The vast majority of management positions above the floor level directors are not Nurses.

Just so people understand, and I know this might only apply in Texas. An LVN is a non-academic program. A RN is an academic degree program. A RN and a LVN have the same Nursing skill level and a LVN can do the exact same thing an RN can do. One just does not require Math, English and Psychology courses..etc. This why there are so many LVN to RN programs out there, because they don't require clinical training, only clinical testing. My local community college has a 9 month Online LVN to RN program with only one week on campus, but most only take year.

 

That's a good plan for her. In one year she could be at work.