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LA_StudentNurse
142 Posts
For those of you who are interested in the ISu distant learning site, I just recently signed up for the ISU distant learning program through Sanoma State/ISU program.
Fortunately, I had all my nursing preprequisites done from another college as well as having a bachelors in social work. While I have not started the ISU distant learning program (other then taking 1 nursing challenge course--psych), this is what I have learned:
1. It is much cheaper to take pre requisite courses through a community college (if necessary nights, weekendns, accelerated semesters, etc); if that does not work, then do it via the College Network. I do not know anything about the quality of their prereq classes.
2. Call to the ISU LV-BSN telephone specialist who is the liaison between TCN and the ISU nursing distant learning dept. She will send out to you the info about the program. She will want to set you up with the TCN area representative, and he is a salesman designed to sign you up. He/she will push you to sign the contract right then and there. **Don't. Sleep on it, read the contract and make sure what is on it reflects what you know and the representative said.** You can always have the representive come out again or if he/she does not want to come out tagain, you can call TCN directly and sign up that way (via filling out the forms and faxing them back). REMEMBER: you are the consumer. DO NOT LET THEM PRESSURE YOU. The program will be there in the future. Take your time as the program is expensive. You are in charge and you will be paying for the courses.
3. However, once you have all your nursing prerequistes done, you ISU will make you take 4 challenge course tests (psych, adult med, family med, maternity). You can pay ICN for their challenge review courses whose cost is about $2000 and sometimes they give you a scholarship and the cost would be about $1500-1800. NOTE you do not have to take TCN courses for the challennge test; if you do take the TCN review, do not pay the technical IT fee --sometimes they try to get you to pay the extra charge.
If you decide to study on your own (which you certainly can and pass the challenges), get out your RN NCLEX review book that also has course reviews and questions, your notes from school, and after reviewing take the NCLEEX review questions for the subjects you are challenging...as many as you can. There is no secret what is on each challenge test (the challenge test questions are like the NCLEX)--the only secret is what questions will be on the challenge. I took the psych test and found it very easy. The questions were NCLEX type and straight forward. The adult med seems to include lots of things--ABGS, nutrition, cancer, and death and dying--among some of the areas on the TLC reveiw course.
4. To take the ISU challenge tests, you must apply to the ISU. You cannot take the callenge tests until you have a university ID...which means you have to apply to the university and be accepted. You can have a delayed start if you tell them you are distant learning and will not start will you are accepted into the nursing program. There is a $25 fee to apply to ISU, and you have all your transcripts sent directly to ISU. Make sure you check with the admission office to see that the transcripts were received. I had a problem with 2 colleges who did not send the transcripts. Until all transcripts are in, you will not be reviewed by admission and admitted to ISU
5. Now the TCN is out of the picture (unless you pay for their review courses); you will have to pay for the ISU nursing challenge exams--anywhere from $300-$500 (+/-) Next, you will have to arrange for a proctor (ISU has published their proctor requirements.) There is a Distant Learning Association (I think that is the name) and they havepublished names of colleges that do distant learning proctoring--otherwise it may be difficult to find a proctor. Out my way in Los Angeles I saw that UCLA proctors distant learning students and so doother local colleges...the college will charge a nominal fee for the proctoring. UCLA is $25 an hour; some colleges charge $30 for the test (not an hourly fee); some charge $15 an hour.
6. You pay ISU half of the challenge course fee up front and can you can take the test 3 times; if you pass on the first test, no need to take the test 2x more. You get about 3 hours to take each challenge test--more than enough time. If you fail three tests, then you have to show ISU that you purchased the TCN course for the challenge test before you can pay again and take the challenge test again...I think that is the what they said. When you pass, you pay the rlast 1/2 the challege fee. After that is all done, you repeat the rest of the courses.
7. ISU requires you to also take the ATI test (I believe it is a readiness for college exam)...in fact, ATI also has a very goood NCLEX review that is comparable to Kaplan's. In fact, ISU requires every nursing student who is going to take the NCLEX to purchase the ATI NCLEX review. NOTE: TCN will try to get you to pay out money for their TCN NCLEX review course. That is an extra expense that you do not need. When ready to graduate from ISU, the university will require you to show that you have paid for ATI NCLEX review course and passed it. Don't waste your money buyig the TCN NCLEX review!! They will push hard to sell you this.
8. Once you have jumped through all the hoops, then you apply to the ISU Nursing dept to be admitted to the program. Once you are admitted to the nursing program you are on your way to your BSN.
9. What comes next is reading/learning the distant learning nursing course work and simultaneously doing your clinicasl--which is arranged for you via ISU distant learning dept. If you have a clinical proctor who will work with you, you can ask that they be your clinical proctor . Otherwise, you the clinical they give you. In Los Angeles, there is no problem getting a clinical site. For smaller cities, it could be a problem.
10. According to ISU, they just graduated their first distant learning LVN (LPN) to BSN class. Do not know if the distant learning NCLEX pass rate is separate form the regular ISU nursing NCLEX grad pass rate. If so, it would be interesting to see the pass rate for distant learning.
11. Remember: when doing distant as I have a 90 yo bed bound, frail mother and only work nites part time. Otherwise, I have lots of time on my hands. Going to an established college/university program would be difficult for me. I always felt that all nursing programs should be offered as a regular program and also a distant learning program. After all, how difficult is it to tape lectures and enable the students to see them via the web. It is done all the time with Instructional TV courses. With the cost of gas now, it makes sense to offer distant learning to nursing students.
I would be free to talk to anyone about what I know. Remember: you are in charge. Do not let anyone put pressure on you to sign a contract. Take the paperwork and think about it. The program will be available when and if you want to sign on the dotted line.
Success to all