ISU LVN to BSN program California

[LadyinScrubs]

ISU has two distant learning LVN to BSN programs. One is for California LVNs and the other is for non-California LPN students. While the programs are similar there are some differences.

1. The Calif BON has placed a limit on the amount of nursing classes that Calif ISU LVN to BSN students can take during a semester. Other states have no restrictions and non-Calif students would matriculate through the program and graduate faster than Calif students;

2. California ISU students are also students of Sanoma State University and must pay an extra fee to Sanoma State; ISU issues the diploma but Sanoma State is the qualifying university that will sign the paperwork for the Calif BON;

3. Lastly, TCN has one employee--the Sanoma State liaison--who deals with the paperwork and another person who is responsible for arranging the Calif clinical facilities and getting the paperwork signed.

This thread has been started to address the issues that California ISU LPN to BSN students or potential students are facing. Have questions about the California ISU LVN to BSN program, feel free to share.

[LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN]

:stdnrsrck: Those wishing to start Fall 2011 - Have you gotten your letter of acceptance yet? Who out there will be continuing at ISU Fall 2011?

[AshSo]

I am starting fall 2011.. I decided to take just the transition class and next semester I will take the Assessment class. Just to clarify.. u had mentioned that we will get a semester off while they figured out our clinical site. So if I finish the Assessment class Spring 2012 will I have Fall semester off or is it Summer semester off??? They didnt mention that I will have a semester off.

[LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN]

Congratulations. The transition course is a good start, and you will not be too stressed. The first month of the program is the most difficult. The transition course is approximately 5 units. Two units for the transition class and 3 units for the pharm portion of the class. You will have your hands full and there is no need to add the extra stress of studying for the assessment class the first semester. Many have dropped one class after they realized how much study there was. Only after you successfully pass both courses will you be admitted to the program full time.

Have you bought the two transition class books? If you have not bought the pharma book, you will find the book is offered at two prices. The higher price includes the separate cost of the access code to get into the publisher's "My Nursing Lab" website. The content of My Nursing Lab is graded by the professor. If you do not buy the book with the LAB access code, the publisher sells the access code for an extra charge.

Both books give you free access code to "My Nursing Kit" portion of the publisher's website. Make sure you use the free MNK study site, and you can start reviewing the chapter outlines, chapter highlights, and chapter quizes on your own now. You are not graded on MNK (My Nursing Kit). The difference between My Nursing Kit and My Nursing Lab is in the MNL is the professor sees everything you do and she assigns chapters and quizzes/tests from MNL. Make sure you take advantage of the MNK (My Nursing Kit) end of chapter quizzes as the questions could show up on the official tests or on the MNL quizzes/tests.

You will be required to log onto blackboard and take a quiz about how blackboard works. Make sure you take notes as you use blackboard's tutorial as it will help you with the test. You can take the quiz as many times as you want to get a higher grade.

You will have to buy the ATI NCLEX program, about $530, and you will use it through out the program. When you are ready to take the NCLEX,you do not have to buy a study program as you already have it.

You will have to take an ATI critical thinkig exam (extra charge from ATI, about $35), but this test is not graded. This is a proctored test and will need to arrange for a proctor. If you have never taken a nursig critical thinking test of this type, you may want to get a good used nursing critical thinking study guide. It will make your test easier and prepare you for the type of questions you will encounter. I wish I had bought one of the books. The critical thinking test allegedly tests the way you think. I have serious doubts about their rationale. I believe it is not valid if you have never been exposed to this type of question.

Contact ISU about the your class sequence. You start Fall 2011 with the trasition. You would take assessment Spring 2012. The assessment class is not restricted to your Calif cohort group; you will find people in the class who live across the US. I was not thrilled about taking the class as there was so much to absorb and much of it is beyond what we would employ. However, I am very happy I took the class.

The summer semester, when you have no classes, you could take gen ed classes or the pathophysiology class. You are not restricted to taking the patho course from ISU or TCN. You can take it at a community college instead--the credits transfer. It is far cheaper to take it through the community college. If you take it through TCN, all you do is read and take tests; there is no term paper requirement.. Although expensive, my friend found this easier than going to a community college.

The summer 2012 will give ISU the opportunity to arrange your fall clinical site. You should start the mental health class & clinical portion in Fal 2012. From that point you are on schedule.

If you have questions, call the nursing dept as they have the answers. As soon as possible, start reading the assigned chapters as within no time you will be assigned 4-6 chapters a week to read in the pharm portion of the class and then you must also do corresponding MNL portion. As you go through the class, you will note that the transition portion of the class is left behind. Yet, the info shows up again on some quizzes and the final.

Welcome aboard the Fall 2011 ISU Calif nursing cohort group.

[RWynkoop]

I was curious about the admissions process. I saw a disclaimer on the ISU website that there may be a wait list to get into the phase III of the program. If so, what is it and is there anything I can do expedite the process (beyond the required admissions process).

Also, I would like to see some feedback on anyone who has completed/ in process of completing Phase II. How difficult are the exams, what kind of prep did you do, and is there any support from the university for these exams?

thanks for any input!

[AshSo]

Thanks ladyinscrubs for your reply!! This helps so much!! Keep us posted when you start Mental Health :) Best of luck to you!

[Franticoola]

ladyinscrubs....

if you like, i can send you a copy of the semester's syllibus for the last class. this may give you an idea what to expect. send me a email or private message. btw make friends with your calif fall 2011 cohort group because this is the person(s) you can complaint to, whose shoulder you can cry on, and someone you can discuss question/problems with. i had two. both of them did not live close to me but with im, emails, and telephone calls exchanged we became friends. sometimes being a dl student can be isolating....."

i would like a copy of nurs 208 & 304 syllabus and whatever information you can send. here is my email: [email protected]

[LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN]

ladyinscrubs....

if you like, i can send you a copy of the semester's syllibus for the last class. this may give you an idea what to expect. send me a email or private message. btw make friends with your calif fall 2011 cohort group because this is the person(s) you can complaint to, whose shoulder you can cry on, and someone you can discuss question/problems with. i had two. both of them did not live close to me but with im, emails, and telephone calls exchanged we became friends. sometimes being a dl student can be isolating....."

i would like a copy of nurs 208 & 304 syllabus and whatever information you can send. here is my email: [email protected]

the syllibus for our spring 2011 class may give the fall 2011 student an idea what to expect. however, the professors teaching those two classes may have changed and as well as the info in the syllibus.

if the fall 2011 student is antsy to get started, i suggest buying the recommended pharmacology book. you do not need to buy the book from the isu bookstore but the bookstore has the titles of the required books. start reading/outlining the chapters and working on pearson's free website, my nursing kit.

review med math as you will be tested.

reading the transition book is informative, but very few whole chapters are actually covered. the professor seemed to pick and choose pages/chapters from the book.

you could start reviewing the jarvis assessment book. during the assessment class, you will cover just about every chapter and will write soaps for each section. become comfortable with what is contained in each chapter. your final assessment dvd will be based on the information found on those pages. go to the jarvis book publisher's website. there, for free, you will find chapter highlights, notes, and assessment checklists for each section. while the professor may have a different checklist, it is very close to the checklist the author provides.

the most important thing you will do is find a bsn who can proctor your weekly lab assessment. you will also need an assessment subject because the proctor must observe the week's assigned assessment. if you cannot locate a proctor, you cannot proceed with the class.

franticoola, is very right about making online cohort friends. dl can be isolating and having a friend(s) to share ups and downs can be very supportive. franticoola, what part of the state are you located?

[Franticoola]

the syllibus for our spring 2011 class may give the fall 2011 student an idea what to expect. however, the professors teaching those two classes may have changed and as well as the info in the syllibus.

if the fall 2011 student is antsy to get started, i suggest buying the recommended pharmacology book. you do not need to buy the book from the isu bookstore but the bookstore has the titles of the required books. start reading/outlining the chapters and working on pearson's free website, my nursing kit.

review med math as you will be tested.

reading the transition book is informative, but very few whole chapters are actually covered. the professor seemed to pick and choose pages/chapters from the book.

you could start reviewing the jarvis assessment book. during the assessment class, you will cover just about every chapter and will write soaps for each section. become comfortable with what is contained in each chapter. your final assessment dvd will be based on the information found on those pages. go to the jarvis book publisher's website. there, for free, you will find chapter highlights, notes, and assessment checklists for each section. while the professor may have a different checklist, it is very close to the checklist the author provides.

the most important thing you will do is find a bsn who can proctor your weekly lab assessment. you will also need an assessment subject because the proctor must observe the week's assigned assessment. if you cannot locate a proctor, you cannot proceed with the class.

franticoola, is very right about making online cohort friends. dl can be isolating and having a friend(s) to share ups and downs can be very supportive. franticoola, what part of the state are you located?

i am located in ca. you?

[LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN]

Let's hear from the Calif ISU LVN to BSN program. Where are you in the program?

[StocktonNurse, BSN, LVN, RN, EMT-B]

Hello all, I noticed a great thread here and want to ask a question or two to get some good feedback. I am just asking would the indiana state university LVN-BSN degree from california endorse to other states without any problems due to the education done via distance learning. I see this degree just as good as any BSN acquired here in california since indiana state university is connected via sonoma state university. I am at a crossroad right now due to new family situation (new child) and wife going to lvn school. I have been an LVN for over 3 years here in cali. So, I tried to get into a private college (LVN-RN)one town away but was denied since my microbiology was too old (2003). So, indiana university looks appealing and from the way things look, seems like I can apply and use my current prerequisites to get in and take the 4 CSM's to see if I can cross first hurdle. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Also, I would love to see an Indiana State University grad drop an opinion to give me more hope. TIA

[LadyinScrubs, ASN, RN]

. i see this degree just as good as any bsn acquired here in california since indiana state university is connected via sonoma state university. we in calif are at a disadvantage as isu is the only distant learning school authorized by the california bon. for the program to be eligible with the state bon, it is a joint venture with sanoma state univ and lsu

i tried to get into a private college (lvn-rn)one town away but was denied since my microbiology was too old (2003). there are some adn community colleges that do not have a restriction on the 5 year rule for lab classes. you have to do your research to find those who will accept your credits. of course, the can be difficult to get into and there may be a wait list. many community colleges take lvn or advance standing students when a regularly admitted students fails out of a lower level class than the classes you would be taking. that opens up a seat for the lvn.

so, indiana university looks appealing and from the way things look, seems like i can apply and use my current prerequisites to get in and take the 4 csm's to see if i can cross first hurdle. sounds easy, doesn't it. before you can apply, you must have all your prerequisites complege. you will be applying to a university for a bachelors degree and in addition to the nursing classes, you will also have to take general ed classes for your bsn--this is over and above the nursing classes. you may want to take as many classes transferrable gen ed classes at the local community college as you can, it will cut down on the cost of your isu degree. some ged classes you can clep out of or you can go to another distant learning community college authorized by isu and take online classes. if at all possible, take transferrable courses at the local community college--any dl class will be far more expensive.

any advice will be greatly appreciated. also, i would love to see an indiana state university grad drop an opinion to give me more hope. tia

if there are any isu grads, you will not find them on the student section of an. go to the general area and post your questions for isu grads there. you may have more luck.

the major hurtle, as with the isu program outside the state, is placement. while isu will place its calif students, we are to give the placement liaison (aka millie) our suggestions for placement (aka the map for success). it is only millie who does the placement contact but she is only one person and there are many in each class. plus she answers questions on the 800 # information line. essentially, she is spread very thin and she cannot cover every thing. that means things slip through the cracks, and it could be detrimental to you. however, this is the only dl program authorized by the calif bon. millie has stated that it is easier to get student placements at smaller facilities and far more difficult to get placements in the larger metro areas--sd, la, sf. you may have to drive some distance to get to your placement.

the cost of isu is the cost of the nursing program (the university factors in a surcharge for distant leaning programs.), you will also have to pay additional charges for the clinical classes (pay $300 to isu and $200 to sanoma state. this is not a tuition fee but a clincal fee. there are 6 clinicals.

the other issue is finding a proctor who wil monitor your tests (this is not that hard as there are distant learning educational associations who recommend registered proctors) and you will need to get a preceptor. this is very important as one of the first classes at isu is the assessment class. you must be proctored by a bsn for the assessment lab. it is easy preceptoring as the bsn does not teach but watches you do the assessment assignments and signs off that you did it.

i will not mislead you, it is not easy but even with all the costs factored in, the cost of your bsn is far less than if you took it at a calif state university. the nursing program is far more rigorous than if you took it at a brick and mortor bsn school. the great benefit is you do not have to go to the university to sit and listen to a lecture. that in itself saves a huge amount of time and energy. because we are a dl program, you must be comfortable with a computer and writing -- this is how we communicate with the professor and other students. there are written assignments every week and if you are not comfortable with the english language, then that would be a problem. if you have more questions, feel free to ask.

[AshSo]

Was it very hard for Millie to find you a clinical site. I sent in my clinical map for success and was wondering how long she took until she called your two clinical choices. They must have a way to make a deal with the hospitals, i know a lot of ppl who say its hard because we dont have an instructor on site. This is the only prt of the program that worries me.