A nurse has an RN but did not get a diploma or BSN

[enchantmentdis]

Hi folks: Quick question. If an RN became a nurse years ago but did not graduate from nursing school, either with a BSN or Diploma, what would they have to go through to get accepted into an online program to finish the BSN? The nurse of whom i am referring took the NCLEX a year before graduating in the BSN program, and never finished the BSN. He now wants to endorse to another state but cannot unless he "finishes nursing school". He has been an RN for 20 years.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

why isn't he asking these questions? Seems he needs to be more pro-active

He is being pro-active and asking questions. Just having trouble getting the online BSN programs to allow certain classes he took along time ago. I am also interested in this because i rarely have seen nurses who have not graduated from their nursing schools. Do you have anything constructive to add classicdame?

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

I consider it a big oversite that the school this guy attended to allow him to nearly get through the program, take the NCLEX before he's finished just to cover a nursing shortage, and that no nursing instructor warned him that by doing so he would be unable to endorse to other states or be hired in certain RN positions.

[enchantmentdis, BSN, RN]

To "classicdame": I have showed my friend this site and tried to get him to join, or to at least read through some of the posts. His response was "oh, i've been there before, just a buncha mean nurses, very critical, know it alls, they are sarcastic and treat the other posters like garbage and are not helpful". Imagine that. Lol.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the faculty did tell the students exactly that, and the students blew it off because they said to themselves, "Bonus! I get to call myself an RN and save a year of tuition!" And then promptly forgot or didn't care about the only-in-California thang. Until they did, like your friend.

This is also a cautionary tale to those who take online "degrees" that are only approved for NCLEX in one state. Sure, go ahead and do that. But you never know when life will intervene and there you are, being forced to take a real education after all.

[MunoRN, RN]

BSN programs in my state used to have a similar option, but you ended up with an ADN. You could do your BSN pre-reqs, then the program, leaving about a year's worth of General Bachelor's requirements left (Art History and the like). You could then transfer your credits to an ADN program and get an ADN degree so you could take the NCLEX and then work while you took your last year's worth of random classes to fulfill your Bachelor's requirements. They found that too many people were just sticking with their ADN so they took away this option.

In theory your co-worker could do the same, although it's unlikely that all, or even most of his 20 year old credits will transfer, but it's worth a try.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

To "classicdame": I have showed my friend this site and tried to get him to join, or to at least read through some of the posts. His response was "oh, i've been there before, just a buncha mean nurses, very critical, know it alls, they are sarcastic and treat the other posters like garbage and are not helpful". Imagine that. Lol.

He states he wasn't told of the ramifications of not finishing school, doesn't like the people here, but knows now what he needs to do. Sounds like that's a wrap.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

OP's question has been answered. Will close thread.