Getting you RN through home schooling??

[Jamaican MD]

Hey

I have a BA in English, and am really interested in nursing. I have already been accepted to nursing school, but cannot afford it. I've expressed this to the school, but they won't budge.

Some of my coworkers are doing "home school" programs in nursing. There are two that I know of: one at Excelsior college and the other is DLSII. They are MUCH cheaper than a traditional program. I have significant healthcare experience, and am not really concerned about learning the clinical stuff (because I see it/do it every day at work). I just want to know what you think about these kinds of programs. Will I be able to get a job?

Isn't an RN an RN?

(PM me if you would prefer)

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[AxisNP]

The main thing is look to see if they are certified. If they are not certified then you can not sit for the exam. If you can't sit for the exam then you won't be an RN. Just having the degree doesn't make you an RN.

Also you will still have to put in your clinical time. This can be difficult depending on the program. Find out how they have you put in your clinical time and test you on it. Sometimes it involves a lot of travel.

 

[Jamaican MD]

Thanks for the reply. Both programs are nationally accredited. As far as clinicals go, the reason that you have to be licensed is because there is not clinical component.

 

[AxisNP]

Licensed in what?

What is is the National accreditation?

To take boards you have to have a certain number of clinical hours. That is in the US. Most of the time if the school has the state accreditation and is accredited by ANA and/or NLN then it fulfills that clinical time.

The main thing is make sure you will be able to sit for RN broads once you graduate. If you can't sit for the exam then you will not be an RN.

I have seen ads for many nursing schools that will give you the degree but you can not sit for the exam and become an RN. Regents College is one of the very few distant learning schools that you can sit for boards that exists.

I'm not saying you can't get a nursing eduction from home. Just be very careful. Many people have spent money only to find out they couldn't practice. Not just in nursing but in other fields as well.

AxisNP

 

[julie walker]

Hey Jamaican MD,

What's up? This is the first time I am seeing a jamaican here. I am a nursing student in florida and AxisNP is right. You should check for accreditation. I just cannot imagine a nurse getting a degree without clinical experience, that is totally impossible. You need to check around to see if the program you are looking at is accredited or else you will lose your money and your precious time.

Are you in Jamaica? I know the University of the WEst Indies has a good nursing program but the spots are very limited. Why do you decide to become a nurse? For me this is a dream from I was a young kid. I am so happy to have gotten the opportunity to realise my dream. I only have the clinical portion left and I hope to graduate may 2005.

Good luck! and do a research on the school before you spend your money. One love!

Peace!

Julie.

 

[manna]

My understanding as far as online RN programs go is that most of them are actually degree-completion programs for students who are already RNs wishing to get their BS, or maybe even LPN upgrades.

 

[Noeljan]

I agree with Manna
I have my BSN from SUNY BUffalo, but there are a few RN's I know from work that are Assoc. degree RN's getting their BSN online. I can't say I agree with it, but it can be done. Good luck.
I almost forgot,
I do think you need your RN first, because the people I talked to do their classwork online, but still have to attend clincials somewhere(usually in the state/town where the online program is through) But, if you have no nursing experience at all it would be kind of tough to just jump into the clinical setting. I mean in nursing school we had lab a couple times a week for an entire semester before we ever even started a clinical, and still you will be lost(at first) Each semester after there were new skills and SPTS you have to pass in the lab before you can just go out and do them on people. Now if you are already an RN you at least have the skills you just are furthering the education component. I cannot see how you would do this with no classroom time(from online straight to clinical)

 

[lalee]

I've also heard that the Excelsior (previously Regents) program is being reviewed in several states and may possibly lose their accredidation/certification, or something along those lines. I've known several RNs that went this way, however it was from either LPN to RN (assoc.) to BSN. I would be a bit skeptical of a program that accepts students without ANY clincal (nursing) experience.
That's just my opinion!

 

[AxisNP]

Well if it used to be Regents then it does have Clinicals. Or at least when it was Regents it did. No, I didn't go to Regents. LOL Just looked into it at one time.

I don't know why though someone thought it was cheaper. Unless something has changed it was extremely more expensive back when I looked into it. The reason I didn't go that route was because 1) it was very expensive and 2) you had to do the clinicals in a very compressed way and only where they offered them. For me the closest place was in another state so it wasn't all that convenient. And that was to do the ADN to BSN.

Fortunately for me I didn't have to do the BSN. I already had a Bachelors in another field so found a graduate school that accepted that. In that there were some graduate nursing programs that did not accept the Bachelors in another field/ADN combination and some do. I found one that did so it all worked out for me.

HOpe that made sense.

AxisNP

 

[AxisNP]

I graduated from SUNY at Stony Brook

I am a practicing NP right now.

Axis NP