I NEED the impossible in an online school !!

Nursing Students Online Learning

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If anyone out there knows how to find this magical university, let me know! I have done an extensive spread sheet to find the program I need, and I can't find it, so my last hope is to put it forth to all of you!!

I need my FNP. I live in Washington State, I want to go straight online. I know independent learning, this is how I achieved my BSN. What I need now is a program that:

Does not require that #$%$6 waste of time GRE.:angryfire (I've studied for it, sure, but how does this make me a better clinician?

Is self-paced

Does not cost the MOON to be working in

Is accredited through nationally recognized boards

Can either get my MSN and or FNP and or Doctorate (or qualify me to go onto FNP), from the BSN

Can be done in a reasonable amount of time (not a ridiculous number of classes)

No more than 700 (please!) practicum hours:yawn:

Can be done online, with very few (say four days per semester) on-campus days

At a school that has a record of onlline learning (not a newbie, that's just too painful)

Has a reasonable number of classes but must include Assessment, pathophys and pharmacology:up:

Has at least two entrance semesters/terms per year so that I don't have to wait a year to get in

Actually has openings for new students

Has educators who know online learning:cool:

IDeally, but not mandatory, online textbooks!! oh these are fantastic !!

And, a really good library, that helps a ton, and

... last but not least...

NO thesis. I want to be come a clinician, and not an research clinician, I want family practice, so no wasted year doing a thesis. :yeah:

Ok, so that's quite a list, anyone think of anything I missed,definitely add to the list, but wouldn't this be just a fantastic program for those of us with kids and job and ... and ... and... but need to advance our careers?

Best,

Cindy1ou:eek:

Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.
Great thread. I'm on the same quest. I'm looking for a program that meets the OP's criteria with the exception that it requires perhaps only one or two campus visits, if any at all.

so, Freedom42, what is "the OP's"?

there's lots of online schools that you never go to their campus! The problem is that they tend to be in informatics, teaching, administration, etc., and whereas you will do clinicals/practicums, there really is no need to go to the school's campus. Your practicums tend to be in your community, doing the teaching, admin, etc, that you are going to school for. What's tricky is coming up with a school that gets you certification for a direct patient care role, such as FNP, without going onto a campus, because they need to observe your skills.

Let me know how your search goes!

Cindy1ou

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.

O wow, that's a new one too. I'll check it out and let you know what I find, thanks!

Cindy1ou

Also, this one has been recommended to me, but I haven't looked too closely at the particulars:

http://www.southalabama.edu/nursing/postbsn.html

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Wow, this is a totally new one, thank you so much, I will definitely look into this one too. And, you're right, I won't find the perfect combination of every criteria, it's going to be a trade-off, some things are more important than others and hopefully I'll find a combo that is do-able.

If you've already got a BA, you could do a BSN bridge program where they just add the science and nursing piece, added to your general BA. You should get through pretty quickly and with a BSN, I would think. It seems like there are quite a few bridge courses.

good luck to you too, and thanks for the tip !!

cindy1ou

Cindy,

Could you inform me where this is possible? I've thought about doing a BSN online but could never find a good online program that didn't already require being an LPN. I already have a B.S and an M.S (non- nursing degrees). I intend to move to Seattle,Washington in the future so i'm interested in a program that will allow me to practice there. Please share :specs:

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so, Freedom42, what is "the OP's"?

there's lots of online schools that you never go to their campus! The problem is that they tend to be in informatics, teaching, administration, etc., and whereas you will do clinicals/practicums, there really is no need to go to the school's campus. Your practicums tend to be in your community, doing the teaching, admin, etc, that you are going to school for. What's tricky is coming up with a school that gets you certification for a direct patient care role, such as FNP, without going onto a campus, because they need to observe your skills.

Let me know how your search goes!

Cindy1ou

Hi, Cindy:

By "the OP's" I meant the original poster's criteria. You and I are thinking along the same lines.

Great thread. I've bookmarked it.

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.
Cindy,

Could you inform me where this is possible? I've thought about doing a BSN online but could never find a good online program that didn't already require being an LPN. I already have a B.S and an M.S (non- nursing degrees). I intend to move to Seattle,Washington in the future so i'm interested in a program that will allow me to practice there. Please share :specs:

Gabby are you working in the medical field, I may have misunderstood your question. If you are a nursing assistant, you do have a little way's to go before you'll find anything online. Laws and standards prevail where an individual ends up licensed to do a certain work, the oness is on the part of the licensing agency to stand by their criteria for licensing, so that everyone knows at what standard each individual is being held. Licensing agencies won't allow individuals to sit for licensing tests unless they have been taught in a way that their work can be observed by educators. That's not possible in an online class. As you move up the ranks, however, nursing educators allow contracts to be made between preceptors and the schools, where the responsibility for observation is shifted to the preceptor. These contracts are binding and must be made well in advance of the practicums they're designed to provide.

Years ago this wasn't the case, especially in rural and underserved areas, you could practically teach someone the nursing role by one on one preceptorship, but this was in person as well.

I would suggest finding an in-class program or technical school that will get you closer to where you want to be. Have you thought about surgical assistant? Needed in every OR, fairly short program, nearly instant job placement... ???

Best of luck in your pursuit!

Cindy1ou

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I had a BA when I started nursing school. I basically had to start from square one. I didn't have the right sciences or maths. Very few things transferred. A BSN requires labs. These can't be done online. The practicums can't be done online. Unless you have a nursing degree of some sort, you have to go to a campus. It is very frustrating to go into nursing for this reason, but it has to be done.

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Gabby are you working in the medical field, I may have misunderstood your question. If you are a nursing assistant, you do have a little way's to go before you'll find anything online. Laws and standards prevail where an individual ends up licensed to do a certain work, the oness is on the part of the licensing agency to stand by their criteria for licensing, so that everyone knows at what standard each individual is being held. Licensing agencies won't allow individuals to sit for licensing tests unless they have been taught in a way that their work can be observed by educators. That's not possible in an online class. As you move up the ranks, however, nursing educators allow contracts to be made between preceptors and the schools, where the responsibility for observation is shifted to the preceptor. These contracts are binding and must be made well in advance of the practicums they're designed to provide.

Years ago this wasn't the case, especially in rural and underserved areas, you could practically teach someone the nursing role by one on one preceptorship, but this was in person as well.

I would suggest finding an in-class program or technical school that will get you closer to where you want to be. Have you thought about surgical assistant? Needed in every OR, fairly short program, nearly instant job placement... ???

Best of luck in your pursuit!

Cindy1ou

Cindy,

Thanks for the quick reply. No, i'm not a CNA, and don't have experience in the healthcare field. I will be applying to a on campus program but i would have prefered something online (i know it can't be offered totally online though). I haven't been succesful in finding any that doesn't require being a LPN first. Thanks for the info.

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Specializes in ER, OR, Medical Aesthetics.
Cindy,

Thanks for the quick reply. No, i'm not a CNA, and don't have experience in the healthcare field. I will be applying to a on campus program but i would have prefered something online (i know it can't be offered totally online though). I haven't been succesful in finding any that doesn't require being a LPN first. Thanks for the info.

Just happened to be online, ... have to say, that is very curious, what you are running into!! You need a BS bridge course then, and a job in a hospital! Lots of people have started with ward clerk (unit coordinator) type positions, CNA - which you can get in a short time, evenings usually through nursing homes. You can work your way up the ranks while your'e studying, steadily increasing your experience and knowledge at the same time. If you are working in the healthcare arena, in any capacity, you will be exposed to the jargon, the culture and everything about becoming a healthcare professional. I had so many cohorts in nursing school who were working in banks, restaurants, etc, and even though they were making a lot more money than I was, my little tech job in the hospital got me through my tests. Where they struggled, I'd seen it done, helped and talked about it. When I graduated, I was actually a real nurse. There's a world of difference, see if you can get your foot in the door, doing almost anything... that's my best advice.

Cindy1ou

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Hi Cindy1ou,

I hope you do post your spreadsheet! I have been putting one together as well trying to find a school that meets almost the same criteria as you but it seems that school does not exist! And as Purple Scrubs said, it is like running through a maze on some of the school websites to find out basic information (i.e, cost per credit hour, site visits required, etc.)

Here is a link to a post that lists online MSN programs:

https://allnurses.com/post-graduate-nursing/online-msn-np-158666-page3.html

Frontier sounds like a great school and there are quite a few threads from happy students on the Nurse Practitioner forum.

Schools I have found that do not require the GRE are:

University of Cincinnati

University of South Alabama

University of Southern Indiana

Indiana State University

Ball State University

Good luck....and really hope you do publish your spreadsheet...and LunahRN publishes her RN-BSN spreadsheet again. I'm an RN and have a BS-Biology but have not had much luck finding a reasonably priced bridging program so thinking it might be easier to do RN-BSN online first.

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