Diploma RN-Bachelor's degree:Do we get ANY credit???

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Help! I'm very frustrated. This is about the 5th time in 10 years I've gotten the bug to check into getting a bachelor's degree but each time I get discouraged because I discover I basically get NO credit for any of the basic courses I took because they weren't taken at a university but, rather, through a diploma nursing program. I would have to retake them all - anatomy, physiology, english, psychology, etc. as well as the nursing requirements! This has me going back to school for about 3 years! I took all those darn classes years ago and have no desire to repeat them at my age. I find that I get a few credits for my diploma but not much. Does anyone know of any credible institution that allows a diploma RN the credit for these basic courses or is it "too bad, so sad" for us diploma nurses who wasted our time getting our RN years ago because we didn't know it would be discounted 30 years later!??!

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Just do it, just get the BSN you can't go wrong. Diploma nurses, who really received the best nursing education, have to do more in school. I did. My BSN has been priceless.

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med Surg.

Wow that's sad. I graduated a 3 year diploma program in May and our associated sciences, anatomy, human physiology, psychology, etc. etc. were taken at a local community college and the credits are all transferrable. I'm surprised to hear you're having such a problem.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

That really is too bad. Are you looking at several schools? How about those that are online? I may be mistaken, but I was under the impression that many schools that offered the RN to BSN pathway required just a valid license. Again, I could be wrong, but it doesn't seem fair that you should have to start back at the beginning.

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I just really don't know if, at age 48, I want to invest that much time and money into it all. I'd be 55 by the time I was done since part-time is all I could do right now. The other piece of this puzzle is that I maybe don't want a BSN at all but, instead, a BA. I feel like I've been there, done that when it comes to nursing and if I'm going to have to invest that much time, I may as well actually learn something different (Not that I wouldn't have a whole lot more to learn about nursing but, like I said, I went that route once). I'd still end up with an RN and a bachelor's degree. But my main frustration is that no matter which type of bachelor's I would choose, it looks like I have to repeat the basics and that just doesn't seem right.

I sound like a whiner - maybe I am on this topic. A little history: I'm a nurse who went back to nursing after a 15 year absence to raise kids. I vowed that I wouldn't return to nursing in a million years but, when the inevitable "kids don't need me 24/7 anymore" hit a year or so ago I realized nursing was all I was qualified to do. I was fortunate enough to land an elementary school nurse job 2 miles from home - something totally new to me - and I absolutely love it. I'm not that passionate about nursing per se and find the school setting the perfect balance of nursing skills, people skills, organizational skills, technical skills and, not so unimportantly, 'mom' skills. However, in about 6 years when my youngest child graduates from high school I want to move back to my home state but have discovered that I wouldn't be qualified to be a school nurse there due to my lack of degree! Talk about a slap in the face. So, there you have it. More than anyone wants to know. It's just disheartening to realize that, even though I'm an RN, I will have worked a total of 20+ years, 7 of which will have been in the field of school nursing, I won't be able to continue just because of that damn 'piece of paper'!

Sorry for the length of this post!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

If your interested in online, the program I am in has a track for Diploma RNs.

Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences. http://onlinenursing.fhchs.edu/

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

I don't know your location, but make sure you look carefully at the actual curriculum for the BSN programs you're considering. I'm a recent diploma grad looking at several state & private universities in my area and one online program - all of their websites contain considerable information on navigating the RN - BSN route.

Each program has its quirks on acceptance of previously earned credits, but in all cases I will receive credit for most of my basic courses and a block of credits granted for my nursing courses and work experience as a licensed RN.

PM me if I can help ... :)

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