Becoming a RN...many questions

frann · Apr 11, 2004

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my goodness so many questions.

A private college is not state funded , have higher tuition rates and have less students to teacher ration

A community college is state funded, have lower tuition rates and more more students to teacher ratio.

Online programs and I may be wrong are used to complete-either your lpn, adn into a bsn

lpn-licensed practical nurse. about same duties as rn, but less pay.

adn-associate degree nurse. get this degree from community college. usually complete this in 2 years , but must do about 1 or more years of prerequisites.

bsn-bachorete of science nurse. 4 year college degree. gets paid a little more than adn.

must ask the school you are going to if classes are transferable.

good luck

which is beetter?

I don't think it would be possible to take everything online. maybe some english or math classes.

I appreciate any tipps and help :uhoh21: :uhoh21: :roll

TopCat1234 · Apr 12, 2004

first of all, welcome to allnurses! i am a potential nursing student and you came to the right place to get all your questions answered! this has been a godsend and wealth of info for me.

keep reading the different forums and such and you should get an overall idea of whether or not you should pursue a career in nursing. in the meantime, i'll try to answer some of your questions.

i'm looking for a possible part time school or night programm in southern ca or austin/dallas, tx

i am not aware of any programs in southern california that are part-time or at night, especially since you are just becoming a nurse; however, i am sure someone can correct me on this.

private or community college or online ( i read about deaconess)

either/or; however you may have greater difficulty (or what i perceive as difficulty) with completing and documenting clinicals required for your initial rn licensure thru an online program. from reading this board, i thought i saw that a deaconess education is not acceptable by the california board of registered nursing to be licensed in the state of california.

what is the difference between community and private?

community college is much less expensive - you can get probably get your degree for under $5000. public college would be a bit more expensive - $10,000 or less if you are a state resident. private college is much more expensive - $15,000 or more.

community and public colleges also tend to have waiting lists - some as little as one semester, others as long as 5 years. private colleges usually do not have waiting lists - you can get in right away, due to the expense involved. but private colleges also may have more stringent admissions requirements as opposed to community and public colleges.

the difference between lpn-asn-adn?

lpn is licensed practical nursing. most lpns provide basic bedside care, taking vital signs such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. they also prepare and give injections and enemas, monitor catheters, apply dressings, treat bedsores, and give alcohol rubs and massages. lpns monitor their patients and report adverse reactions to medications or treatments. they collect samples for testing, perform routine laboratory tests, feed patients, and record food and fluid intake and output. to help keep patients comfortable, lpns assist with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene. in states where the law allows, they may administer prescribed medicines or start intravenous fluids. some lpns help deliver, care for, and feed infants. experienced lpns may supervise nursing assistants and aides.

asn and adn are the same: asn is the associate's of science degree in nursing and adn is the associate's degree in nursing. both are considered registered nurses. rns differ from lpns/lvns because rns work to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. they are advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities. when providing direct patient care, they observe, assess, and record symptoms, reactions, and progress in patients; assist physicians during surgeries, treatments, and examinations; administer medications; and assist in convalescence and rehabilitation. rns also develop and manage nursing care plans, instruct patients and their families in proper care, and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain their health.

do you know schools in these areas that you would recommend?

depends on how you want to proceed. you mention that you already have an ma. so you can get your associate's, bachelor's or master's degree in nursing. you can go to an adn program, or you can go to a traditional bsn or accelerated bsn program, or you can go to a direct-entry msn program.

after taking my prereqs, how long is the nursing part?

once again, it depends on the program. accelerated bsns and direct-entry msns can complete the nursing part in as little as 12-16 months. adns and bsns usually take 2-3 years, not counting time spent on any waiting lists.

how much home study hours do you have per week? online and /or college path?

i am anticipating nursing school to be akin to a full-time job. 6-8 hours per day in class and/or clinicals; 20-30 hours of outside study per week. that is 9-12 hours per day total. again, someone can correct me on that if i am wrong.

can i transfer any credit that i have in anatomy/physiology and phlebotomy?

depending on the school, anatomy/physiology & phlebotomy can usually be transferred if completed in the last 5-10 years.

what is better? online or on site?

it really depends again. i am looking forward to being onsite for my nursing program for the camraderie and contacts. but i also understand how that can be a burden for some.

hope that helps!

topcat

suzanne4, RN · Apr 12, 2004

Would definitely not recommend on-line training for your initial training, no matter how many schools that there are and what they are telling you. Many of the programs are not recognized by the Boards of Nursing, and you need approval form the BON in order to be able to write the NCLEX exam. The on-line programs are fine if you are trying to complete a BSN after getting an ADN, etc. You would be much better off and get much more out of your program and training by having other students with you, etc.

Hope that this helps................ :balloons:

Sheri257 · Apr 12, 2004

either/or; however you may have greater difficulty (or what i perceive as difficulty) with completing and documenting clinicals required for your initial rn licensure thru an online program. from reading this board, i thought i saw that a deaconess education is not acceptable by the california board of registered nursing to be licensed in the state of california.

i also don't think there are any online programs accepted for inital rn education and licensure in california anymore, although it's always best to check with the born to find out for sure. the only approved online programs i've been able to find involve advanced degrees like adn-bsn, for when you've already become a licensed rn.

:smokin:

ma215 · Apr 13, 2004

Thank you so much for the Info.

I defenetly want to go to school for RN instead of online, I prefer to be in contact with people.

Unfortunately there is a 2 year waiting list in my area and now I'm searching for schools in different states.

Are there any schools you would recommend in your state?

Thank you

:) :)

TopCat1234 · Apr 13, 2004

i'd be happy to share what programs i am looking into. i will be graduating with a bachelor's degree in finance in a few weeks. so i am looking at two types of programs:

a second degree bsn or accelerated bsn for those with a non-nursing bachelor's degree
a direct-entry msn for those with a non-nursing bachelor's degree

the second degree bsn is designed for non-nurses who have bachelor's degrees in non-nursing fields. you get credit for having completed your ge requirements, allowing you to complete the nursing portion of your coursework (and earn your bsn) in two academic years or less. the accelerated bsn is similar, but you complete the nursing courses more quickly, usually in 12-16 months.

the direct-entry msn, also sometimes called "graduate entry" or "master's entry" is designed for non-nurses who hold bachelors' degrees in non-nursing fields. these programs give students credit for having completed their ba/bs. direct-entry msn programs typically require three years to complete, with the first year being devoted to entry-level nursing coursework (similar to an accelerated bsn) and the last two years to master's-level study.

in southern california, there are very few of these programs. for accelerated bsn, there is mount saint mary's college in los angeles and california state university, long beach. for second degree bsn, there is loma linda university school of nursing in loma linda. for the direct-entry msn, there is western university of health sciences - college of graduate nursing in pomona and university of san diego - hahn school of nursing. i am applying to all except mount saint mary's and loma linda, as the drive would be too much to those two schools.

mount saint mary's and university of san diego are very competitive. cal state long beach and western programs are fairly new and not as competitive yet - but you may wish to move quickly on those. loma linda - i am not that sure, as i had ruled them out early based on distance. i know western has a dec 1 deadline for applications for fall 2005. san diego has a september 15 deadline for june 2005. the mount has a november 1 deadline for may 2005. loma linda has a september 30 deadline for winter quarter, january 2005. cal state long beach has no deadline - they have rolling admissions and you can apply when you only have one pre-req left to complete.

websites for all:

http://www.msmc.la.edu/admissions/applyingtomsmc/nursing/default.htm

http://www.sandiego.edu/nursing/

http://www.westernu.edu/xp/edu/nursing/msn-e.xml

http://www.llu.edu/llu/nursing/programs.htm

http://www.csulb.edu/depts/nursing/

hope that helps!

topcat