Fastest Route to Bachelors Degree??

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by threedogs, Jul 1, 2007.

Loading...
  1. threedogs

    threedogs New Member

    Hi Everyone!

    I've been lurking here, off & on - now I need to speed up my degree status, so I've come out of lurkdom.

    Been attending a local community college here (I'm in the Boston area), & love it, but feel like I'm going to be stuck here forever. I'm an (ahem) 'older' student (I'm 54, but don't feel like it.. except for first thing in the morning...) and I've decided that I better get into a decent paying field fast - before I end up retiring first. :rolleyes:

    I'm planning to go into a health field; still researching, but I'm considering Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy or Nursing - all pay well & are in demand (sick of living off of rice & beans). For schools, I'm considering the big three. After next semester, I'll have 41 credits here in this community college, although I have some more credits from another college that didn't apply towards my L.A.degree, about 14, maybe more.

    My goal is to get my Bachelors (not Associates - I'm greedy) by the end of this year. There are several graduate programs that interest me here, that require any bachelors, (along with some science & math prereqs - working on that).

    Is there any way to figure out which school would be more generous in accepting my credits, and also which would be fastest for me to complete - without applying to them? Money is a big issue for me right now (hopefully, if my plan works, this will be temporary!)

    Thanks for any suggestions!

    Lynne (and her three dogs!)
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Hi Lynn - Look here: http://bain4weeks.com/

    Give your dogs a kiss for me. My 2 (Tasha & Halley) are ready for dinner so I'm offline.
     
  3. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    There are programs out there (e.g. UF and Nova for pharmacy, St. Augustine for Physical Therapy), that will let you start with an AA as long as you have the right prerequisites. You might want to check with the schools you are interested in going to and find out exactly what you need. You might save yourself from taking extra courses you don't need.
     
  4. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    I would imagine that one of the big three (Excelsior, COSC, or TESC) would be the best and fastest route. Some credit can be obtained via a portfolio challenge.

    However you might want to look at the BS Applied Studies offered by Cal State University Dominguez Hills.
     
  5. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Testing out through CLEP, DSST, and DANTES are popular ways to earn credit hours relatively quickly if you are motivated and a good test taker.

    If you post the credits you have completed so far, then we might be able to offer a more informed opinion on potential routes towards a BA or BS. With 41 credit hours aready earned an AA or AS could serve as a stepping stone and motivation on the road to the BA or BS. You might only need 19 credit hours at one of the Big 3 (Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, and Thomas Edison State College) for an AA/AS. Research the availability of BA/BS in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy or Nursing.
     
  6. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Testing out is the best. I earned about 51 credits in 6 weeks. What credits do you need? If you want to go into nursing an associates or bachelors degree wont really help because you will need an AS in Nursing. That is certainly the best way to get the most $ for the least education. I have worked in healthcare for almost 20 years and have considered getting my RN many times!
     
  7. Vincey37

    Vincey37 New Member

    I believe Thomas Edison State College to offer the fastest and easiest bachelors degree in the country. No upper level courses required for the Bachelor of Arts.
     
  8. StevenKing

    StevenKing Active Member

    I concur with Randell. Having left the healthcare biz after a mere 7 years - you can't go wrong with nursing---in terms of least education required and a decent ROI.

    However...go in with your eyes wide open. Entering nursing today means:
    12-hr shifts - these get easier with time.
    Revolving shift work - most nurses are expected to flip between days and nights. Some have really sweet deals worked out enabling them the same shift (i.e. just nights) for specific needs or wants. Of course, some are lucky enough to end up working in clinics and have the best hours. I was never so fortunate - my entire experience was in the ICU (intensive care unit) [read: very sick, usually older population]. Ask 10 nurses and you'll get 14 responses about shiftwork...
    Paperwork. Until integration of paperless patient records becomes more of a national issue - there will be mounds of paperwork to perform. The liability surrounding most of it is astronomical.
    Body Fluids - Nursing can be messy - especially when you're starting out. It's been said that nurses eat their young. Some of this thinking stems from the fact that new nurses are sent to places where veteran nurses don't want to work. While that insight won't win me the Eistein brilliant thought of the day award, it implies that new nurses spend time in a medical-surgical floor (med-surg, for short). These floors are veritable catch-alls for medicine or surgical patients.
    Physical strain - if you're assigned to floors where there are very sick patients you'll be doing their mobility. Turning patients, lifting patients, and helping patients mobilize can be very taxing physically. Some floors are excellent at team approaches so partner-teams tackle "bigger" issues. Some are not...
    Doing more with less - expect to work with 6-8 patients in a shift. This can be in a constant state of flux with discharges/admissions. BLUF: you are responsible. If an order is missed - it's your fault. If a patient doesn't leave the floor, in the proper way, at the proper time for a procedure: it's your fault. If the patient does something really goofy (like yank out an IV line) you'll be fingered for blame because you were supposed to "watch" your patient. You are responsible to make sure all drugs are dispensed accurately and appropriately.
    While not attempting to be exhaustive, just understand this: nursing implies organization. Making notes on the fly to record in a chart later - carrying supplies with you to make on-the-spot corrections are par for the course. If you select nursing and desire to excel (and move up in your career) you have chosen a wide-open field where the sky is the limit.
    A friend of mine started as a surgical tech - became an RN - and is a fairly new CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist). His final salary is well above six figures and he has more work than he can imagine.
     
  9. bing

    bing New Member

    One may get a bachelor's degree from TESC without upper level courses? Is this something unique to TESC over Excelsior and Charter Oak?

    Bing

     
  10. Vincey37

    Vincey37 New Member

    Yes it is. Both Excelsior and COSC require some upper level coursework in their bachelors degrees.
     
  11. saabsrule

    saabsrule New Member

    What if a person has a majority of Business related class can you still get a BA from TESC? Or does the credit have to be in Gen Ed./ Humanities type of class.
     
  12. Vincey37

    Vincey37 New Member

    There are 27 credits of "free electives" in the TESC BA program.
     
  13. threedogs

    threedogs New Member

    Just wanted to post a quick thank you to everyone. I'm running out the door right now, & will post more later - I really, really appreciate everyone's input.

    Thanks SO much! :D
     
  14. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Which BA are you talking about? I just checked two TESC BAs (Nat Sci/Math and History) and both require some advanced, upper or graduate level courses
     
  15. Vincey37

    Vincey37 New Member

    The Liberal Studies Area - essentially the BA without a concentration.
     
  16. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Lynne,
    If you are still considering things and the online route, check into Excelsior or TESC. I dont know much about TESC, but have met several people living here in SC who have gone through the nursing program at Excelsior.
    They essentially had an A.A. degree related to a health care field and capped everything off with a B.A. (R.N.'s I believe). I'm not sure, but I also believe Excelsior offers a Master's program in other health related fields too.

    The people I have met locally who out of the big three, attended Excelsior and had good things to say about it....so to me it seems Excelsior is really set up to help students out there who are going into the nursing/health care fields.

    I with the others out there, eveyone really needs to see your credit hours earned to help. Too bump up your hours earned look into Clep & Dantes tests, most every school offers them and they are real good way to shave time off your end goal & cheaply apply to electives.

    atb,
    Gavin
     
  17. threedogs

    threedogs New Member

    I decided to enroll in my local community college full time for the second summer session - 12 credits in 6 weeks. Whoopee - sort of like one of those whirlwind tours of Europe (lets, see.. this is Monday, so it must be Rome - no, it's 'Human Growth & Development'...) Actually, three are online, so it's not too bad.

    Haven't figured it all out yet. I like the possibility of Excelsior (the LPN program at my school - too late for me to enroll, and besides, I don't feel like starting all over again - even mentions taking Excelsior classes for credit. I'll take the whole degree, thank you)

    Also, more schools are offering programs to become an RN with any Bachelor's Degree, so that's a possibility, once I actually have the bachelors.

    If I decide to go ahead & pursue this, I don't think I'll aim for working the typical hospital shift, although I realize I may have to do that for awhile. There are so many different jobs available for nurses out there - need to find what is right for me. At least the demand is there, so I think I'll have an easier time calling my shots (ha - no pun intended); at least I THINK that's true!

    I will post my credits once I can find my documentation. Just moved (back to the very apt I left only five months before - always willing to admit a mistake!!!) so I have boxes of stuff here, still.

    Thanks so much (now back to my school work)

    Lynne

    P.S. Kismet - the dogs said thanks for the extra kiss.
     

Share This Page