<p>I would imagine this has been addressed here before, but I'm going to ask it anew with the hopes I won't be laughed off the board....</p>
<p>Daughter; ambitious 3.8 GPA, SAT not so great (not a good tester) 1020, high honor student and on the Honor Society. Parents; new to college dealings and no college funds (gasp).</p>
<p>Is it a terrible ideafor daughter to get her two year ADN, pass the RN and then pursue the BSN on-line? She's been accepted early admission to a two year ADN that offers the BSN on-line if desired. This seems a fairly efficient, economical way to go. Am I missing a piece of the puzzle here? or is this an ok route to take?? As opposed to going straight through 4 years to the BSN incurring a lot of debt?</p>
<p>Will she be as employable with having obtained her BSN online? We/she definitely see the need for the BSN. That's not in question. She hopes to further to CRNP.</p>
<p>I do think she is dedicated/motivated enough to see it through just want to make sure I shouldn't be giving her some different advice. She is definitely on board with this plan.</p>
<p>Thanks for any input and try not to burst my bubble too much ;)</p>
<p>Don’t worry about being laughed off THIS board. We are all here to learn and share. If you post a question then there are likely many others that currently (or in the future will) have the same concerns…so you are actually helping others by asking.</p>
<p>It actually is not a bad idea to quickly get your RN and start earning sooner rather than going into debt for a BSN. MANY people have pursued this route successfully through hospital programs and community colleges. Until relatively recently most RNs started their careers via this method.</p>
<p>The main problem with pursuing a two year ADN/RN is that eventually your daughter will probably want to convert to a BSN. More and more hospitals and RN jobs are requiring BSNs (and beyond). Obviously this will will involve going back to school at some point. Going back to school is often difficult because of life/children/finances and just getting out of the habit of studying. </p>
<p>I have to admit that I know next to nothing about nursing correspondence courses. Is there a community college close to where you live that will enable your daughter to live at home while pursuing her RN? If the correspondence course is your only choice then I would be extremely careful about where/now their students get clinical experience and where and how many find jobs upon graduation. I’m not saying that it’s not a good idea only that you need to verify with hospitals or future employers whether anything the school tells you is 100% accurate. In addition I would check with any future BSN colleges/programs that your daughter might want ot enroll in to confirm they will accept her credits from the correspondence program. Just call me cynical but I often question what people tell me when they want my money.</p>
<p>Good luck and certainly post any other questions you might have.</p>
<p>Just be careful about transferring of credits. It is much easier to transfer credits between different institutions than it used to be, but I would still do some investigation and ask some questions if you might need to attend more than one college.</p>
<p>Many years ago, my sister graduated with a 3 year RN degree from an independent hospital based school. She was amazed when she went to get her BSN and found out that most colleges would only recognize a few of her credits. There were a few colleges at the time that did accept them, but she had to search to find them. Hopefully, that problem is now not common. </p>
<p>I believe it is now relatively easy in most states to transfer credits if you stay within public colleges within the same state. Also, many private colleges have matriculation agreements to accept credits from feeder colleges.</p>
<p>Thank you both Aglages and Charlieschm for the input!</p>
<p>I’m glad no one is coming out with strong feelings against this. <em>sigh of relief</em></p>
<p>The 2 year campus based ADN program daughter has been accepted to ALSO offers the BSN (on-line only), so I feel the credit transferring wouldn’t be a problem. The program is also NLNAC accredited, I’m assuming that is in our favor in case we would need to transfer credits though?</p>
<p>Any additional information/thoughts from the board is greatly appreciated :)</p>
<p>Where/how do students in the on-line programs (either ADN or BSN) fulfill their clinical training obligations? </p>
<p>Is there a community college or hospital that offers an ADN program within commuting distance of you?
Logically that does make sense, however I would verify whether credit will transfer with whichever BSN program you are considering.</p>
<p>I’m not coming out against your on-line/correspondence plan (obviously you have to do what is financially feasible), I’m just uncertain how this particular program works and I’m advising that you make sure you completely understand the specifics. The CC and hospital program questions are just intended to offer a few alternative suggestions that might hopefully be affordable.</p>
<p>If she’s interested in continuing on to a CRNP program, you may also want to start looking at some of those programs and seeing what their requirements for admission are so that she is not missing anything. Even if the school she wants to get her masters degree at changes (or even if she has no idea where she’d want to go), you’ll still have an idea of what kind of courses they generally require/accept. I know of a few programs that will take RNs who have a bachelors in another subject as well (I have a BA in psych and am applying for RN programs, so I have been looking into this option as well). Just a thought in case she would like to major in bio or chem, or another related field at a more affordable school near you that does not offer a BSN in nursing. </p>
<p>I know of an online program at a good university near me that has courses online but will work with the student to set up clinical dates/times so that they are still getting in their hours. So that is definitely something you will need to look into.</p>
<p>Getting a 2 year ADN and continuing on for the BSN is not a bad idea. Many BSN programs work hand in hand with community colleges in my area (New England) to make this a seamless process. While there is the option to do this on-line, there are also brick and mortar options that are appealing as well. Students save money by not paying the private or flagship prices for the first 2 years, but still have the ‘local degree’ of well thought of BSN programs. For the right student and the right situation, I think this can be a very smart choice. Good luck to you! If you have other questions, please feel free to message me. I have a bachelor’s degree in a different area and went back to school years later to get my ADN. There are great ADN programs out there that are very highly thought of and your D’s future would not be limited by starting her education in this way if it’s the best financial option for her and your family.</p>
<p>Ballroommom:
I would agree with everything that has been said thus far. The only area of concern I would have is related to your D’s plan to further pursue a CRNP degree. There has been a significant evolution of the Nursing Discipline over the last 5 years with many more BSNs pursuing Graduate Degrees as NPs. The demand for such programs is skyrocketing, resulting in a dramatic increase in competition for available slots. Whereas 5 years ago it was relatively easy to get accepted into these programs many applicants are now finding it is much more difficult. My D was recently accepted into a top notch MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Program and was told that they had many times the number of applicants as they had available slots. Completing a BSN from an on-line program (even if it has accreditation) might put your D in a competitive disadvantage when she attempts to apply to NP Programs. Furthermore, in the not too distant future (5 to 10 years, if not sooner), it looks like A Doctoral Level Degree (DNP) will be required in order to sit for the certification exam to become nationally certified as an NP. This will increase competition further for admission to DNP Programs which (although on the increase in number) are much fewer than currently available MSN Programs. The way things have been in the past with Nursing are unfortunately much more different now for Nurses pursuing Graduate Studies as NPs. I just thought this perspective might be of interest to you. Others might disagree with me. Best wishes to you and your D.</p>
<p>My daughter did something similar. She attended our local community college to earn her associates degree in nursing. She graduated this May. In August she took the NCLEX exam (and passed!). In September, she began working on her BSN. </p>
<p>We knew from the beginning that she’d finish her associates degree and then continue on for her BSN. At her comm. college, we learned about this program. A local state university recently began this program where they offer the BSN classes on the campus of the community college (which is much closer to us). So, in the end, she will graduate with a degree from a state university. Right now she is hunting for a part-time nursing job so she’ll be able to work while continuing with her degree. </p>
<p>This was a very inexpensive way to earn her degree. </p>
<p>If you are especially interested in an online option for a BSN (after earning an associates in nursing) you may want to look at the program offered by Thomas Edison State College. [Thomas</a> Edison State College | W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing](<a href=“http://www.tesc.edu/nursing/1524.php]Thomas”>http://www.tesc.edu/nursing/1524.php)<br>
It is a college in NJ and I have heard very positive feedback on this school. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you have more questions as I sometimes forget to check this forum.</p>
<p>I myself just finished a ASN and started a BSN. Fortunately for me I had a prior bachelors degree so I had to only take statistics in addition to the Nursing classes for BSN. Online BSN’s are very very common. Lots of Community Colleges have connections with RN-BSN to make the transitions to the BSN easier but that doesn’t mean you have to continue with that school.</p>
<p>It could save a lot of money if she did it that way…and while she is getting her BSN she could also be earning money or her job may also help pay for the BSN.</p>
<p>It is perfectly fine for your daughter to get her nursing degree fully online. Many students prefer this option as it allows you to maintain a job as well as study without having to re-locate yourself. You should just make sure that the accreditation of the course is well recognized. You might want to look at [Stevens-Henager</a> College](<a href=“http://www.citytowninfo.com/school-profiles/stevens-henager-college"]Stevens-Henager”>http://www.citytowninfo.com/school-profiles/stevens-henager-college). Many of their healthcare programs including nursing are fully online and they are recognized by well-reputed accrediting organizations. They also assist students in helping them find the right financial aids.</p>
<p>Thanks carlosewers. While my daughter has decided to get the two year associate degree in nursing on campus, she will probably (hopefully) be getting the bachelors degree on-line which is offered at the same campus.</p>
<p>However, I am just curious, when you say nursing degree “fully” on-line, how does that work?? How does the potential nurse learn injections for instance? Seems like there would be lots of procedures/etc that would require hands on training. </p>
<p>Sure! It’s a great college to consider. It offers both on-campus and online courses in nursing at the bachelor’s and master’s level. You need to hold a registered nurse license as a prerequisite to these programs. They also offer an associate degree which is available only on-campus and can be completed in 22 to 28 months. The associate degree will prepare you to be a registered nurse. </p>
<p>The online programs hook you up with local hospitals/nursing facilities in and around your area so that students get the necessary on-the-job practical training they need.</p>