I have been a RN for about 1 1/2 years now and am starting to look towards going back and getting my BSN. I need something online since I work full time and have children, but also something that is inexpensive. What has been your experience with getting your
BSN online? Do you have to do any clinicals and if so how does that work? Are there any programs to help financially?
Have a wonderful new year and thank you for your responses.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
@ Klone- Do you mind giving me more info on WGU's BSN program? Planning to get my BSN through them. Thanks!
Sure - their program works in semesters - you pay tuition by semester ($3250/semester, I believe) and you finish as many classes as you can in each semester. You have to finish a minimum of 12 credits per semester (each class is around 2-4 credits) but you can do as many more as you can fit in during the semester. Semesters last 6 months. A class might take anywhere from 2-5 weeks to finish, depending on how motivated you are. To finish a class, you complete various tasks, which are usually papers or powerpoint presentations. For a few classes, you actually have to take exams, but those are just a couple classes, definitely the minority. Each class has about 2-4 tasks to complete. You submit a task, it gets graded and you have either completed it successfully or they send it back to you for revision. Once you've completed all the tasks for that class, you've passed the class, and you move onto the next class.
It's all work-at-your-own-pace. There is no group work at all. You check in on a regular basis with a mentor (weekly or every other week) who makes sure you're doing okay, gives you helpful advice and points you in the right direction if you have questions on your current class. There are also class mentors who are the experts on the specific class you're currently taking and are the go-to person for specific class questions. There are also community message boards for each specific class, and a Facebook page for the RN-BSN program students that is also extremely helpful.
There have been many people who have completed the program in one semester. It can be done if you are very focused and a strong writer.
Sure - their program works in semesters - you pay tuition by semester ($3250/semester, I believe) and you finish as many classes as you can in each semester. You have to finish a minimum of 12 credits per semester (each class is around 2-4 credits) but you can do as many more as you can fit in during the semester. Semesters last 6 months. A class might take anywhere from 2-5 weeks to finish, depending on how motivated you are. To finish a class, you complete various tasks, which are usually papers or powerpoint presentations. For a few classes, you actually have to take exams, but those are just a couple classes, definitely the minority. Each class has about 2-4 tasks to complete. You submit a task, it gets graded and you have either completed it successfully or they send it back to you for revision. Once you've completed all the tasks for that class, you've passed the class, and you move onto the next class.
It's all work-at-your-own-pace. There is no group work at all. You check in on a regular basis with a mentor (weekly or every other week) who makes sure you're doing okay, gives you helpful advice and points you in the right direction if you have questions on your current class. There are also class mentors who are the experts on the specific class you're currently taking and are the go-to person for specific class questions. There are also community message boards for each specific class, and a Facebook page for the RN-BSN program students that is also extremely helpful.
There have been many people who have completed the program in one semester. It can be done if you are very focused and a strong writer.
Hope this helps!
What kind of accreditation does the program have? Did you finish in 1 semester? Do you think you could finish in 1 semester while working full time? How many hours did you spend working on your assignments each week? Can you sign up and then keep taking more and more classes once you finish? It seems like it would really be worth it to complete in 6 months. Will they accept community college or other university credits?
Does anyone worry about applying to grad school with only a 3.0 gpa? I would worry if it was me, but don't know if other people are getting their bsn's as a terminal degree or if they are planning to go on...
Does anyone worry about applying to grad school with only a 3.0 gpa? I would worry if it was me but don't know if other people are getting their bsn's as a terminal degree or if they are planning to go on...[/quote']
I am at WGU right now finishing my Bachelor in Business. I really like the school and planned on going here for my BSN, but I'm planning on getting an advanced degree. For that reason alone, I'm looking at another program. I'm worried about the GPA thing also.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I know of many people who have gone on to go into APRN programs with a BSN from WGU. it hasn't seemed to be a problem. There is a person on this board who said she was accepted into two different CRNA programs, and I know they're highly competitive.
WGU also offers two different MSN programs if you want to get a non-clinical MSN.
Wow that's amazing! I know our average gpa for our class is 3.7 ( crna school that is). I would hate to limit myself to where I apply based on gpa but glad others are getting in. I know different schools have different requirements and different competitiveness.
Ohio University only admits students from surrounding states (and California?). Need to call Admissions office to see if you would be eligible. I live in Illinois and was not able to apply. :-(
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@ Klone- Do you mind giving me more info on WGU's BSN program? Planning to get my BSN through them. Thanks!