ADN Students Whom Already Hold a Bachelors in Another Field

Nursing Students General Students

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I just wanted to share some info with you. I am currently a student going for my ADN at MCI and I already have a Bachelors in Management from DeVry. I was just on the phone with the University of Phoenix because I was interested in getting my BSN online after I graduate since I have lots of prior online college experience and know it will work better with a busy RN's schedule. Well I just found out that since I already have a Bachelors I can go straight into the Masters of Nursing program. This I did not know, I thought to get a Masters in Nursing you had to have a BSN, but apparently not the case. Some of you may say Duh, but I am totally shocked.

I figured I would share the good news with everyone since I see that a lot of people hold Bachelors degrees in different fields. I of course do not know how it works with other schools, but this is how it works with University of Phoenix. I am prior military and a lot of my friends have attended this school and speak highly of it.

I also wanted to see if anyone had any feedback on this.

Edit: I forgot to mention that you have to take 3 BSN classes before you start the MSN, it is called a "Bridge Program" for students who hold a Bachelors in something other then Nursing.

:nurse:

Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

I have a B.A. and currently in an accelerated BSN program. I did my research before taking the route I'm on now. After graduating, I plan to get my MSN and specialize.

As non-nursing degree holders, we do have a couple of options. This includes, skipping the BSN route and going directly into an Entry-level or Direct-entry MSN program.

This information is good, but it's definitely not new. Just doing a quick search of possible options would have revealed this.

I knew about the accelerated BSN programs, but I picked the accelerated ADN for a few different reasons (mostly location). I do not know of any direct entry MSN programs in my area nor did I know that was an option without a nursing license.

This is my "quick search" and the reason I am sharing this info is to let others know who may not have realized it was an option. A lot of the students in my school hold prior Bachelors degrees and are planning a Bachelors route after, so for some people this is new information.

You still have to do the BSN coursework - it's just incorporated into the longer and more expensive "master's" program. And buyer beware - University of Pheonix is for-profit and charges WAY more than a state school or even a private non-profit will charge for that MSN, and you can't be certain the employer will consider a degree from UoP worth the paper it's written on.

you can't be certain the employer will consider a degree from UoP worth the paper it's written on.

I couldn't agree more. I hold a previous bachelor's degree in another field from a large, public state university and am now working on my BSN. I was speaking with an employer around the time I was graduating with my first degree. I don't know how the conversation turned in this direction, but basically he told me that if he had 2 similar applicants, one from the University of Phoenix with a 4.0 GPA and one from my public state university with a significantly lower GPA, he would hire the one from the public state university every time, simply because he believed that applicant had put in more work by going to a non-online school. That cemented in my mind the fact that I would never get a degree from an online school.

The problem with UofP isn't that it's online, the problem is that it's a for-profit degree mill that only exists to scoop up federal money and make shareholders rich. There are many online RN-BSN programs from state universities (I know of at least 10 states that have these programs) and as far as I know, getting your RN-BSN from the online University of Texas program is just as respected as getting it an an on-the-ground program somewhere in the UT system (plus, your degree would say "BSN University of Texas at Arlington", it would not indicate online or otherwise).

I would have to disagree with University of Phoenix feedback. Half of my Bachelors is HRM and half is Management. I worked as a technical recruiter and we loved private school students just as much as we loved public school students. University of Phoenix also has many campuses, like the one here in VA Beach.

I have done a good mix of both online and traditional classes. I must say that it was 10 times more work on online because I had to be self motivated, whereas with traditional classes I feel "bottle fed". Also A LOT of my Officer friends went to University of Phoenix while enlisted and they are now Officers in multiple branches. I think most of the stigmata associate with online schooling stems from ignorance of people who have no experience in it and from people who work in HR and lack appropriate training.

Also as mentioned in the OP, you have to do 3 BSN classes for the bridge program.

I also forgot to mention that almost every college, both public and private offer online classes and degrees.

Also in response online degrees do not say online on the degree, they say the name of the school.

What you guys are posting about these schools is incorrect, it goes to show how bad misinformation can be.

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

And, speaking as a BSN (2004) and MSN (2005) grad from UofP, I've never had any issues with employment. I went back after the MSN and got two post-MSN certificates and never looked back.

I have gotten job offers with just about every interview I've gone on and no one has ever questioned the UofP education.

You can hear a lot of rumors but for me, that's just what they are: rumors and untruths.

The problem I have with direct entry MSN programs is that typically you will not be certified for advanced practice afterward. You'll be at the same point from a clinical and professional standpoint as a BSN. The difference is you'll have paid twice as much as a BSN. I hold a BA in English Lit and will (hopefully) be starting a BSN program in the fall. Because I'm a post-bacc student I will only have to complete the core nursing courses. Then after a few years as an RN I will consider going on to an NP program (maybe DNP depending on how things go). The only advantage I see to a direct entry MSN program is if you can find a way to add and educator's certificate to it later. Then you can at least teach at the CC level after some clinical experience.

Just my opinion. I'm sure for some it's a good route to go. My schooling will be coming out of my personal checking account so I can't justify the expense.

Just to clarify for everyone, I am not against online classes or out to criticize anyone. I have taken several online classes for my degree, but they were from my university, not a strictly online school. I do know that some schools won't accept certain transfer credits if the classes are online, from personal experience. Personally, I don't feel that my online classes have required as much effort so if I really want to learn something, I will take the classes in person.

And the employer I was talking to is a trusted source, so I don't think he was just feeding me lines because I wasn't looking for a job from him, but I thought it was good to know how at least one employer thinks since I normally don't get that info firsthand!

Just to clarify for everyone, I am not against online classes or out to criticize anyone. I have taken several online classes for my degree, but they were from my university, not a strictly online school. I do know that some schools won't accept certain transfer credits if the classes are online, from personal experience. Personally, I don't feel that my online classes have required as much effort so if I really want to learn something, I will take the classes in person.

And the employer I was talking to is a trusted source, so I don't think he was just feeding me lines because I wasn't looking for a job from him, but I thought it was good to know how at least one employer thinks since I normally don't get that info firsthand!

Thanks for clarifying Pitaya, I get aggravated when people down these schools. I attended Embry Riddle a traditional school for 2.5 years while in the military and then transferred to Devry when I got out to finish up my BS. I think both are hard, but online required a lot of motivation that traditional didn't. U of P and DeVry are both online and traditional schools. You can take classes both online and on campus. The diploma does not state online, just DeVry like everyone else's. Hopefully people will come around on these programs because they are becoming very popular, more pratical, and meeting university standards.

Again thanks for clearing up :)

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