Nursing Students Western Governors
Published Nov 18, 2014
Just curious if there were any complaints about the program for RN-BSN at WGU? I am unhappy with my current school and realize it will take much longer to finish my degree than I would like. Also how difficult is the statistics class? Thanks
featherzRN, MSN
1,012 Posts
Other than that, and the pass/fail grading, I think the main drawback is that you're going to run into people who simply aren't going to take it as seriously as a degree from a brick and mortar school, even if the B&M schools program is totally online, too. And that person may be the person doing the hiring/admissions.
Could totally be true.. That said, my 20+ years ago ADN is from Excelsior (online school with no clinicals! ) and I have never once had difficulty finding employment. Wasn't even mentioned. So unless you are trying for a highly competitive slot my guess is there will be no issue. The main 'con' with WGU is the 3.0 GPA - but as I don't have plans to 'move up', this was not an issue for me.
benegesserit
569 Posts
I agree. I did choose WGU, so obviously people's incorrect perceptions weren't a deterrent for me. As far as I can tell, hospitals around here want just an accredited BSN. And since plenty of WGU people have gotten into programs for higher degrees, I'm not too worried about that.
But it is a potential Con to take into consideration.
TheCommuter, BSN, RN
102 Articles; 27,612 Posts
My former chief nursing officer earned his MSN degree online from Walden U, and a former director of nursing education earned her MSN degree online from U of Phoenix, so I think the online degree stigma is slowly disappearing into thin air.
ERnurse71, ADN, BSN
61 Posts
You all are so knowledgeable!! Thank you thank you!! On average how long does each course take someone to complete? I know it based on competency... Just wondering ☺
klone, MSN, RN
14,796 Posts
Totally depends on how many tasks there are. I can generally submit one task a week, with between 4-8 hours spent on the task (I pretty much only do homework on Saturdays, the other days I just try not to think about school). So if the course only has 1 or 2 tasks, I am able to finish it in a couple weeks. I'm working on two courses in my last two weeks of this semester - each course only has one task/paper, so I plan to finish both (2 credit) classes in under two weeks. Another class had 5 tasks, and that class took 2 1/2 months for me to finish (with a bit of procrastination).
If you do schoolwork more than one day a week, then you should easily be able to do 2-3 classes per month.
It really varies from person to person and from course to course. Some courses many people can complete in a few days, or even a few hours (Care of the Older Adult, Information Management). Others necessarily take, at a minimum, several weeks (the Community Health practicum).
But basically, you need a class every 1-2 weeks to get done in one semester (assuming you need the typical 34ish units), ever 2-4 weeks for two semesters, and 4-6 weeks for 3 semesters.
I have the motivation to get this degree completed asap... Just not a whole lot of free time... I'm currently enrolled in a RN-BSN program online and am only able to take 2 x 3 credit hr courses. Working full time with 2 children. I love the way WGU allows terms of courses just not sure I can complete more than 2 in the term.. That would be more expensive than what I currently am doing. Arggggg decisions decisions lol?
I definitely think you could do more than 2 in a term. They do require at least 12 credits completed per term. How many hours are you currently spending per week on schoolwork?
I think you'll find it much easier to get through classes at WGU. It's not that WGU is easier, but the ability to cut through the BS and get as much done as you want when it's convenient for you really makes a difference.
Most students work full time. Many have kids. I got through 12 units my first semester while working 48-60 hour weeks for much of the time. While pregnant. With three other kids at home. And when I say "at home", I mean that literally, because we homeschool. And I'm an epic procrastinator. If I wasn't, I probably could have easily gotten through more despite everything else going on.
Between 2 jobs I work about 60 hours a week as well. Just want to get this done lol
Jane Doe, RN
16 Posts
I completed my BSN in Sept. 10 months for 40 credits. I absolutely loved WGU. Stats is not really that bad. It is mostly theory. I had a wonderful mentor. Great program/price