choosing right school

VivaLaVespaGirl, BSN, MSN · May 7, 2014

If your ultimate goal is to get your BSN and then Masters, I would suggest looking at colleges that have transferable credits. Are there any other schools in the area that offer nursing programs and have transferable credits?

RunBabyRN · May 7, 2014

I agree, transferable is really important, especially if you plan to continue your education.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · May 7, 2014

Riverside is a diploma program but it has ACEN accreditation which Fortis does not have if I am spelling the name right. A lot of RN to BSN programs require the ACEN accreditation. There are some that do not.

ACEN is important for diploma and associate degree nurses who plan on continuing school. If you do not want to go to a school that has the ACEN, then it is important to evaluate schools that will accept students who did not graduate from a NLN accredited school. I know my school was not a NLN/ACEN accredited school (they're the same body, just changed their name), however the school had set up extensive partnerships to ensure that graduates could transfer. So I knew that even if the school lacked NLN accreditation upon graduation, I had options. They managed to get it back before graduation.

So does it matter where you go? Yes and no. If you have plans to carry on, then it is very important to plan ahead. I would personally go to Riverside and then look into RN to BSN programs online that accept diploma nurses.

lpachecokaya · May 8, 2014

thank you all so far for the sound advice.. truth of the matter is I just really want to go to school! and instead of the process being easier it is much more complicated !I have researched in depth all of the schools in the area. None of the Fortis credits transfer, they only have an articulation agreement with Kaplan University for BSN, but from my research it is another 30k! so in total 60 K for me to get my schooling thru Fortis, which is A LOT of money! Riverside also as an articulation agreement with ODU, but ODU is super competitive. I am looking into Thomas Nelson Community College , which means a lot of prereq's , which may be worth it in the long run? especially if I want to continue with schooling. At least the credits transfer, and it is half the cost. Has anyone out there encountered this issue with school? When you finally decide to further your education, so many road blocks! I am seriously starting to get discouraged, maybe I should pursue something else.... but nursing is my calling ! I am looking for a quick, good program .. and maybe what I need is to invest more time into becoming an RN , instead of looking for a quick process. I just want to make sure I make the right decision so that I will be confident and competent as an RN .

Lev, MSN, RN, NP · May 8, 2014

Another good measure of program quality is NCLEX pass rates. See your state's board of nursing website for this information.

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · May 8, 2014

Well, there are a lot of RN to BSN programs that accept diploma nurses. I know University of Louisiana at Lafayette accepts diploma nurses. However, I don't know if you will have to take extra classes. You don't necessarily have to go to a school that has an agreement but it is a lot harder to find a school that will accept an applicant that graduated from a school that was not ACEN/NLN accredited.

RN-BSN Requirements, Admissions RN to BSN Program | Chamberlain

Admission Requirements â€" Online RN to BSN | University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Chamberlain may accept students who have an associate degree from a non-NLN school. I would email about it though to find out more information. I don't see it listed but I may have missed it.