PA Nurses express concern over Online RN Diploma program based in VA, clinicals in PA

RN34TX · Jul 25, 2006

Although I can see both sides of the issue, I have to laugh at the obvious slanted view paranoia and ignorance about distance education coming from the quotes of the so-called "experts".

As a nurse who has worked in two university teaching hospitals in Texas, I fully agree that there is a big difference between having a precepted clinical experience and having an actual school faculty member doing the teaching, as was discussed in this article.

As an LPN student trained in the midwest, I was not set loose to follow around whatever staff RN or LPN happened to be available and willing to be shadowed by a student on any given day. I was trained by and had to stick with the school faculty. Perhaps one or two days being allowed to observe in the OR but that was it for my LPN program.

Unfortunately, as an LVN and RN in Texas teaching hospitals I have long seen a pattern of faculty pawning off students onto the staff and leave it up to the staff to do the teaching and providing clinical experience.

I rarely see any faculty once they pare the students up with staff nurses.

On the other side.....

I'm also a "Regents" grad RN as described in the article. It lost all credibility with me when I read the part about:

"I also have concerns with this program. We have seen several students come out of the Regents program in NY. They have a prolonged orientation. We have struggled with this group so much at we will no longer take these students as their first place of employment unless they were an LPN who has worked in acute care. We no longer pay for the program in our Be a Nurse Program."

I've worked with far too many BSN grads from prestigious universities who ended up having very much the same "prolonged orientations" like they describe several "Regents" grads to have experienced.

However, I didn't automatically jump to the conclusion that certain Texas prestigious BSN programs should be shut down or that grads from such programs should be barred from employment just because "several" of their graduates were having problems with catching on during a normal length orientation.

The "old school white hat" powers that be who graduated from nursing school in 1972 and now serve on BON's can fight it all they want..........distance education isn't going away and it's only growing bigger everyday.

With all of the attention today on non-traditional methods to becoming an RN and how detrimental it is to the profession, I have to ask.......

Who is addressing the problem of ill-prepared grads from so-called traditional programs who end up in remediation and are ill-prepared as new grads to take on the RN role upon graduation?

I guess no one is since we all seem to be preoccupied with distance method nursing degrees tainting our profession.

Distance learning methods have their problems that need to be addressed without a doubt, but so do the alarming numbers of new grads from traditional schools that I see who are not catching on despite a 12-16 week preceptorship and still aren't able to fly on their own without constant supervision.

Now that's what is truely scary.

deej · Jul 25, 2006

Clinical experiences are scheduled in four of the nine Community Health Systems (CHS) hospitals in Pennsylvania : Jennersville, Phoenixville, Sunbury and Pottstown . Students care for patients with a preceptor under the supervision of faculty and interact with members of the interdisciplinary health care team. The curriculum has a strong clinical focus and students gain the clinical skills which will be essential to their practice as registered nurses after graduation.

Doesn't sound too "online" to me.

vamedic4, EMT-P · Jul 25, 2006

RN34TX...You said it!!! Very well put.

It sounds as though this program, with it's theory and clinicals, was well thought out and can potentially be a good source of a nursing education..."potentially" being the key word there. The results remain to be seen.

But why, if this is a nursing program based in Virginia, are there no clinical sites in the state?? Hmmmm. That's a little fishy.

just my $.02

vamedic4

sunnyjohn · Jul 25, 2006

They do have clinical sites in Viriginia, they are adding more.

http://www.srmcnursing.org/

SRMC is a hosptial in Petersburg, VA with its own nursing school.

http://www.srmconline.com/default.cfm

They use that facility for its traditional nursing program and its traditional radiation science program.

As long as the online students have proper preceptor supervision during their offsite clinical and the clinical training is as rigourous as traditional programs it might work.

It would be easier for the offsite students whose clinical sites are arranged by the school than having to arrange it themselves.

I suppose since SRMC hospital belongs to the Community Health System group of hospitals, if they only uses their facilities in the communities where they will train online students, they won't push out students in local schools.

It does seem well thought out. Time will tell.

traumahawk99 · Jul 25, 2006

nothing like a bunch of control freaks who feel threatened at their power base :). heh. i'd love to attend a board meeting there. i'm sure i'd wind up getting escorted out the door, but it would be a blast to say what would be on my mind :).

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jul 25, 2006

The program meets NLN-AC accrediatrion, the program has met the standards. I don't understand the clinical part of this program but if it meets the criteria what is the issue? There should be one standard to become a RN, not to be determined state by state.

gauge14iv, MSN, APRN, NP · Jul 25, 2006

"The "old school white hat" powers that be who graduated from nursing school in 1972 and now serve on BON's can fight it all they want..........distance education isn't going away and it's only growing bigger everyday. "

AINT THAT THE TRUTH!!!!!

The attitude that "Nursing ain't what it used to be" is exactly what is holding nursing back!

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Jul 26, 2006

Hey....I graduated in the 70's and believe in diverse modes of education don't lump us all together .

We need a national standard to sit for the NCLEX exam the path to the NCLEX should not matter as long as the NCLEX is reflective of nursing practice.

Perhaps, All Boards need to think outside the box, NCLEX exam with a clinical test. But whatever the decision is all the boards need to be unitied.

RN34TX · Jul 26, 2006

Hey....I graduated in the 70's and believe in diverse modes of education don't lump us all together

I was merely making a point.

It wasn't an attempt to lump all nursing grads from the 1970's together.

My favorite teacher from LPN school graduated in the first ADN class from the first ADN program in my home state in 1972.

Perhaps I was thinking of her when I made my comment.

That ADN program, being brand new to the area at that time, received much criticism from the nursing community.

It was way too radically different from the usual diploma and BSN programs in the area and too many people could not fathom that any such 2-year program could possibly produce competent nurses.

Many told her that she would not be a "real" RN upon graduation and that she would eventually be forced to give up her RN credential and become a technician of some sort.

Today no one questions such programs to that extent because they have become the norm.

No surprise, my teacher fully supports LPN's getting their RN via Excelsior's distance learning program.

She knows what it's like to receive resistance from those who refuse to believe that their is more than one way to achieve an RN degree.

indieflower · Feb 13, 2008

Is there any updated information regarding this program?

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Feb 14, 2008

heard nothing new about program itself.

pa bson has suggested new regs that also include who can be preceptor.

pa bon revises qualification regs for nursing faculty...add your ...