Reputable online programs

RunBabyRN · May 17, 2014

Are you looking for an online prelicensure program? There aren't any that are accredited. If you have your RN, and are looking for a bridge program (RN-BSN), you can do a Google search.

Are you active duty military? Are you able to apply to a commissioning program? I know they're very competitive (I looked at doing one when I was a corpsman), but it's one option.

Whatever program you do, be sure that it's accredited and that all units are transferable. Some for-profit schools offer RN programs that don't meet these criteria, and many states won't let you take the licensure exam or get licensed in their state.

I hope that helps some!

504 medic · May 17, 2014

Thanks RunBabyRun,

I was trying to see if my friend could continue to work and still go to school (There are some accredited Paramedic programs that are online), but without accreditation, it doesn't make sense for her to do it. Yeah, if she was in the military, she would be set: get paid...get benefits...go to school...get bumped up to the O-corps...you couldn't beat that deal if you had a stick!

Do you run competitively?

RunBabyRN · May 17, 2014

Thanks RunBabyRun,
I was trying to see if my friend could continue to work and still go to school (There are some accredited Paramedic programs that are online), but without accreditation, it doesn't make sense for her to do it. Yeah, if she was in the military, she would be set: get paid...get benefits...go to school...get bumped up to the O-corps...you couldn't beat that deal if you had a stick!
Do you run competitively?

I'm not fast enough to actually be competitive! But I do run races. I ran my first marathon last summer, and am working toward getting into ultradistance trail running.

Some nursing programs are set up for people who are working, but most aren't, really, unless you have a flexible job. It's tough. The key is to really save up money, pinch pennies everywhere you can, get grants and scholarships as much as possible (or go through the VA, like me!), and use loans if absolutely necessary. Hopefully she'll be able to find a way to make it work. If she were to do an ADN program, she would probably finish faster, pay less in tuition through a community college, and then she could bridge to BSN if she chooses to at some point while working as an RN. She has options, but yes, it's definitely tough when one has bills to pay!

504 medic · May 19, 2014

@ RBR: A bunch of my cousin's kids out in WA state are ultra runners...I'm sure I could do it in a pinch (zombies, etc) but Halfs are my max. I don't have the recovery gene to do much more without incurring overtraining injuries. I've run/rucked enough on asphalt, now I try to run on grass/trails as much as possible, to limit the damage. Rubberized tracks are the bomb!

I think students of medicine, more than any other profession, need financial planning help early on...it's a long arc until the salary reward swings back to you, but the educational debt is there from the get go. Either that or make Ramen much more nutritional.

RunBabyRN · May 19, 2014

@ RBR: A bunch of my cousin's kids out in WA state are ultra runners...I'm sure I could do it in a pinch (zombies, etc) but Halfs are my max. I don't have the recovery gene to do much more without incurring overtraining injuries. I've run/rucked enough on asphalt, now I try to run on grass/trails as much as possible, to limit the damage. Rubberized tracks are the bomb!
I think students of medicine, more than any other profession, need financial planning help early on...it's a long arc until the salary reward swings back to you, but the educational debt is there from the get go. Either that or make Ramen much more nutritional.

I did my first marathon on asphalt last summer... Probably my last. Halfs are about my threshold on pavement. Trails, on the other hand, I can run all day long with enough supplies with me. My heart is in the trails! Definitely easier on the body.

I totally agree about financial planning. We have such a screwed up sense of finances in this country, and we're paying for it (no pun intended). I see a ton of people on here talking about paying $40K a year for a nursing program- WHAAAT?? Horrible. I do have some debt from my own schooling, but the payments won't be astronomical, and it's the only debt we have. Some people on here end up with $100K+. Absolutely ridiculous.

Hopefully she can figure something out!