Nursing Programs Online

[poetryeclipse]

If I am able to go to Ecpi this coming February(If I get financial aid taken care of) I wanted to know if online Nursing Programs were reliable. What I mean is are they just as good as a 4 year college you attend on campus? Can you go for RN? I have to admit I've been thinking about possibly trying to go to an online college while attending Ecpi or after I take my NCLEX PN exam. Could anyone recommend an online college that is regionally accredited?Thanks.

~amber~

[Murse901, MSN, RN]

Excelsior and Deaconess are the two big online nursing programs that I can think of. I don't know much about Deaconess, as I haven't researched them much, but I've done a lot of looking into Excelsior.

The general feeling I get on Excelsior is to stay away from it, unless you have no other choice. The program is regionally accredited, and is 100% legit. However, a few states don't recognize Excelsior grads and will not license them (California is the biggie, since that's where the good majority of nursing jobs are right now). Also, I've read a lot of horror stories on the CPNE (basically, the lab/exam final at the end of the program). It doesn't seem like it's worth the investment.

This has lead me to just forget about online ADN programs altogether. I will most likely go to Excelsior to pick up my BSN, however. But, I'll be getting my ADN at the local community college after I get my LPN (despite the fact that I've heard it's a very unorganized program).