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RN online? - humboldtjake - 10-08-2013
Hi,
I have a BA from a RA school. I was looking to see if this scenario is possible:
-Transfer my BA to one of the Big 3
-Take additional science and pre-med courses via straighterline
-Take a local RN rotation
-Earn a BSN or Associates in Nursing from one of the Big 3
I am also okay with getting a Physician Assistant certificate as well. I don't think its able to be done this way. PA-C might be easier to obtain, otherwise ultimate goal is Nurse Practitioner, which are usually 1 year online programs.
I currently work as a Healthcare recruiter, but I have been interested in doing administrative and clinical work and I figured becoming an RN or NP would help a lot with my career goals.
RN online? - sanantone - 10-08-2013
Nope. Tesc offers a second degree bsn that requires you to go to their campus. Ec's RN program requires licensure as an lvn/lpn, paramedic, midwife, military corpsman, or some higher level medical profession that probably wouldn't even have an interest in becoming an RN. Cosc does not offer a nursing degree. Wgu does offer a second degree bsn with local clinical rotations, but it's only available in certain areas. There is another program (might be UT Arlington) that only requires a cna.
Np programs are not 1 year online programs, iirc. Dnp programs can be 1 year for those who are already NPs with an MSN. I'm not familiar with a PA cert. I've only heard of 2-3 year masters programs. If you become an rn through a local program, wouldn't you already have an associates in nursing?
RN online? - Jonathan Whatley - 10-08-2013
sanantone Wrote:There is another program (might be UT Arlington) that only requires a cna.UW Oshkosh has a hybrid professional entry second-bachelor's BSN program where students qualify as CNAs either before the program or just at the start IIRC. The program insists that students forego all employment for the year. Expect admissions to be highly competitive.
RN online? - clep3705 - 10-08-2013
Your scenario is not possible, not even remotely so.
There is a lot of confusion because there are so many so-called online nursing programs. Here's the reality.
An online BSN degree program is for people who already are Registered Nurses. About 50% of all nurses do not have a BSN. Instead, they have an associate degree in nursing (ADN) obtained from a community college. About 13.9% of RNs don't even have an ADN, but that is becoming less common.
So, the only students in online BSN program already are nurses. The overwhelming majority are employed as nurses and they've found out that they need a BSN to advance. Two of the key courses that online BSN programs have that ADN nurses haven't had are pathophysiology and a research course teaching nurses how to read nursing research. You might find a lousy online BSN program that doesn't have pathophysiology.
You're not a nurse, so you're not going to be in an online nursing degree program. Not going to happen.
There are online MSN programs. The typical online MSN is for BSN holders studying nursing administration or something else of a nonclinical nature.
There are a few one year NP programs. A one year NP is possible only on a full-time basis, usually in something like psych nursing. A hands on clinical NP like family practice isn't going to happen in a year. All clinical NP programs require graduate level pharm, patho, and health assessment. Completing those courses will take at least two semesters. They are prerequisites to the clinical practicums. If you do enter an online NP program, it will be up to you to find your own preceptors to teach and supervise you. Finding a preceptor is a big deal and it is nontrivial. Yes, I know somebody will say he or she had no problem finding a preceptor, but a few exceptions does not disprove the rule. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Some people do complete a clinical NP in about a year, but that's because they already have an MSN and have taken the three graduate level courses mentioned previously.
A DNP can be done in a year or two, but that is true if the person is already an MSN or a clinical NP. DNP curriculums do not contain a clinical component. They cover nursing research and running a practice. No additional patho, pharm, or health assessment.
Nursing programs are looking for butt in seat science courses. The number one nursing school in Texas will not accept online pharm courses in transfer, nor will they accept online science courses. Straighterline isn't even an option for them. The school you attend does make a difference. You can do your clinicals at the top hospitals in the world or you can do them at a rural long term care facility.
Realistically, becoming an NP takes years.
PA programs are two year master's degree programs with many hard science prerequisites. Completing the prerequisites typically takes 2 years.
UT Arlington does not require a CNA. It is interesting that NONE of the top nursing schools require a CNA.
RN online? - sanantone - 10-08-2013
It was probably Oshkosh I was thinking about, but I think you're using a very strict interpretation for what counts as an online program. If someone really wanted to be picky, then there ARE distance programs like Excelsior's for non-RNs. There are nursing programs that don't require you to be an RN that have all of the didactic portions online while the clinical portion is done locally off-campus. The OP did say he/she planned on doing rotations locally. WGU's program works that way and so do some other programs. I do understand the reasoning behind Oshkosh and Excelsior's requirements because their programs are for non-RNs and are offered from a distance. I'm not sure how many top nursing schools offer distance nursing programs for non-nurses.
If the OP is interested in moving, UT Austin does have an alternate-entry MSN (it's for non-nurses) that will accept online prerequisites, even from Straighterline. I believe UT Austin is #2 for nursing in Texas and #32 nationwide. UT Health Science Center - Houston is #1 in Texas and #21 nationwide, but that's only because there are umpteen million schools ranked #21. The next highest rank is #32, so UT Austin is really not that far behind. UT Austin has a score of 3.9 while UTHSC - Houston has a score of 4.0. Since the OP was considering the Big 3, I don't think he/she even cares about attending the top nursing programs.
RN online? - clep3705 - 10-08-2013
The UT Austin alternate entry program is a fast track BSN followed by a two year MSN. You do the work of the BSN without actually receiving the BSN. By conferring only an MSN, the school has some flexibility in how they do the BSN part of the program because technically they aren't conferring and BSN and thus aren't subject to undergraduate rules and regulations.
Accelerated BSNs have very high attrition rates (up to 50%) and most schools have abandoned them. I don't expect this alternate entry program to be any different. Attrition rates in undergraduate level nursing programs leave too many students with too much debt they are unable to repay. New grad nurses are finding it very difficult to get that first job with 40% not finding a job in 18 months. If you can go to nursing school without taking on any debt, go for it. If not, be very cautious. Talk to new grad nurses instead of non-nurses and nursing school officials.
RN online? - sanantone - 10-08-2013
clep3705 Wrote:The UT Austin alternate entry program is a fast track BSN followed by a two year MSN. You do the work of the BSN without actually receiving the BSN. By conferring only an MSN, the school has some flexibility in how they do the BSN part of the program because technically they aren't conferring and BSN and thus aren't subject to undergraduate rules and regulations.
Accelerated BSNs have very high attrition rates (up to 50%) and most schools have abandoned them. I don't expect this alternate entry program to be any different. Attrition rates in undergraduate level nursing programs leave too many students with too much debt they are unable to repay. New grad nurses are finding it very difficult to get that first job with 40% not finding a job in 18 months. If you can go to nursing school without taking on any debt, go for it. If not, be very cautious. Talk to new grad nurses instead of non-nurses and nursing school officials.
I remember the statistic of 43%, and I've heard the anecdotal stories of not being able to find a job. However, I think I looked further into that statistic and found that it was for California only. GWU's study on new nursing grads showed a very low overall unemployment rate. I don't doubt that new nursing grads are having a hard time finding jobs since older nurses are holding off retirement and some hospitals don't have the funding to hire more nurses or inexperienced nurses, but I've also heard from some nurses that the jobs are easy to find if you're willing to move.
Quote:A survey by the National Student Nurse's Association showed 36% of newly licensed RNs graduating in 2011 were not working as registered nurses four months after graduation.
I think 4 months out is a really short time span to look at.
Quote:In California, the problem looks even worse. About 43% of newly licensed RNs there still did not have jobs within 18 months after graduation, according to a separate 2011 survey conducted by the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care. (*See correction)
The article had a mistake when it first came out. They didn't put that the survey only included participants in California. Does it really matter if someone listens to a nurse or non-nurse if the nurse is using a misapplied statistic? It's kind of like when a police officer misquotes a law that he regularly has to enforce (I've witnessed this a few times). My veterinarian told me my dog needed knee surgery, but I did some research and found out he wasn't up to date on his research. He told me to see if my dog's leg would get better after restricting exercise. Well, it didn't get better and I thought I would have to pay for a $1k-3k surgery. I did some research and found out that I should exercise her more. The muscles around her luxating patella strengthened and she hasn't had any problems for almost a year. The surgery wouldn't even have guaranteed success or longevity.
For nursing jobs, new grads need not apply - Jan. 14, 2013
Georgetown found that the unemployment rate for new nursing grads was 4.0%. I don't know if these new grads were employed in their field; I'd have to find the more comprehensive document Georgetown put out.
http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.Final.update1.pdf
Edit: I found the full report, but I don't have time to go through it right now.
http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/whatsitworth-complete.pdf
RN online? - clep3705 - 10-08-2013
For those of you wanting more information, I recommend going to http://allnurses.com and reading the opinions of many, not of two. There isn't a single answer that is right for everybody.
RN online? - humboldtjake - 10-09-2013
sanantone Wrote:Nope. Tesc offers a second degree bsn that requires you to go to their campus. Ec's RN program requires licensure as an lvn/lpn, paramedic, midwife, military corpsman, or some higher level medical profession that probably wouldn't even have an interest in becoming an RN. Cosc does not offer a nursing degree. Wgu does offer a second degree bsn with local clinical rotations, but it's only available in certain areas. There is another program (might be UT Arlington) that only requires a cna.
Np programs are not 1 year online programs, iirc. Dnp programs can be 1 year for those who are already NPs with an MSN. I'm not familiar with a PA cert. I've only heard of 2-3 year masters programs. If you become an rn through a local program, wouldn't you already have an associates in nursing?
This is incorrect. As a healthcare recruiter, I know that there are plenty of 1 year MSN, which qualifies the degree holder to practice as an Advanced Practice RN. This is an NP. The University of Texas at Arlington has a 1 year MSN. However, you must have a BSN in order to take this.
Other people have been saying that PA are now masters degrees. This is in the middle of happening. Most PAs have a Associates degree in Physician Assistant studies or a PA certificate, hence the abbreviation, PA-C that many PAs use. I have seen that masters are becoming more common. The statistic that 80% of RNs only have a AS in Nursing is not true. I would say that about 65-70% have a BSN now. The only people I have seen still with a AS are older nurses.
RN online? - rebel100 - 10-09-2013
In Florida PA is super competitive. I know a couple of folks that got wait listed for MD school (they were qualified to become MD's or DO's but there weren't enough seats) and opted for PA instead...point is that PA schools only have so many spots and the competition for those is fierce.
I'd like to know more about 1 year NP programs. I haven't heard of those before.
I haven't dug too deep but the UT Arlington NP designation looks murky to me, from their site: "Depending on course work completed for the MSN and current advanced practice status (as applicable), an individualized certificate degree plan will be developed." College of Nursing: Nurse Practitioner Programs
With that said, Miami Dade College (formerly a CC) has a PA program at the Bachelors/Associate level...though they seem to heavily favor local students in the admission process. http://www.mdc.edu/medical/aht/pa/default.asp