LPN to BSN @ Indiana State U...here is the info i got!!!

[TashaLPN2006RN2012]

**(this is the email i got back from ISU regaurding their LPN to BSN degree, and approved states)***some one may want to sticky this!

Thank you for your interest in Indiana State University's distance programs. The LPN to BSN program is a bachelor degree-completion program via distance learning .

Please visit the College of Nursing web site at http://www.indstate.edu/site/nurs/891.html for further information about the LPN to BSN program.

ISU has an exclusive contract with The College Network so as to provide the study guides for the initial phase of the program. There are three phases to the LPN-BSN Track.

Phase I are Gen Ed requirements that will need to be completed with The College Network or a local college in your area. When acquiring Gen Ed requirements, 50 credit hours need to be at a 300 or 400 level course. Some of these courses are available at ISU. If you have a previous degree, some or all of the credits may transfer into the College of Nursing. After completing Phase I you then apply to ISU http://www.indstate.edu/join_us/admissions.htm. You will then fill out a second application with the College of Nursing http://www.indstate.edu/site/nurs/pdfs/con-admission-application.doc

Enrollment requirements include: (due by Nov 1st for Spring Semester) (due by June 1st for Fall Semester)

Send all the below Supporting Documentation to Kim Cook by FAX or MAIL:

Ø Come in with 2.5 minimal GPA. Maintain a 2.25 GPA throughout your courses.

Ø National Criminal background check. A new and easy service is provided to you by http://www.CertifiedBackground.com Your Package Code is: ND57 Send copy.

Ø Must be licensed as a LPN. Send copy of license with line marked thru.

Ø ISU Health History Form completed then send: http://www.indstate.edu/shc/Health_Record.pdf

Ø Proof of Immunizations (MMR, TB, Hep B, Tet & Dip)

Ø CPR certification card. (Copy Front & Back with signature) Send copy.

Ø Legal Limitations Form completed then send: http://www.indstate.edu/site/nurs/pdfs/eligibility-for-application-for-registered-nurse-licensure-legal-limitations.pdf

Ø LPNs will take the TEAS exam for entrance into the program. This will begin for the Spring 07 Semester. http://www.indstate.edu/site/nurs/3240.html

These entrance copies will be kept in your file at the College of Nursing/Student Affairs Office, 749 Chestnut St., Room 328, Terre Haute, IN 47809. All nursing courses are completed online. Even though the courses are online and self-paced, they are within the traditional Fall and Spring semesters and taught by on-campus faculty members.

Then clinicals will be done in the state where you reside, with a preceptor at a local facility. This link is the FAQ (frequently asked questions) for the delivery of clinical education for the LPN-BS Distance Education Track: http://www.indstate.edu/site/nurs/pdfs/faq-lpn-bs-clinical.pdf

Please take a moment to subscribe to Distance News at help you start and complete your distance courses.

Our LPN-BSN distance education program has been RECOGNIZED or APPROVED in the following states:

Alabama

Colorado

District of Columbia

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois (need to approve each clinical site)

Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

New Jersey

New Mexico

North Carolina

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Dakota

Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John)

Virginia

Wisconsin

We are continuing to work with the other states in supplying them with the required information for their recognition or approval

If you have further questions, please let us know.

[blueeyedgirl0904]

I have also been looking into taking the course through ISU. Let me know if anyone likes/hates the program.

[Lolo37]

i am also looking into this program. has anyone actually started with this program and how it is going for you?

[nadja9]

A WORD OF CAUTION:

This is a new program - I would be very careful.

I would make sure you line up a clinical site BEFORE you spend a dime on this program. I would ask ISU where the clinicals are being done and who is responsible for securing both the site and the preceptor - is it the school or is it YOU? GET THIS IN WRITING!!!!

Look at what is going on with Chamberlain (formerly Deaconness) right now (and for the last so many years, just wasn't as widespread). Please, please be careful.

[txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN]

very good advise!!!

a word of caution:

this is a new program - i would be very careful.

i would make sure you line up a clinical site before you spend a dime on this program. i would ask isu where the clinicals are being done and who is responsible for securing both the site and the preceptor - is it the school or is it you? get this in writing!!!!

look at what is going on with chamberlain (formerly deaconness) right now (and for the last so many years, just wasn't as widespread). please, please be careful.

[adnerbe1]

Does anyone know of anyone actually in ISU's LPN-BSN program?

I am just finishing my prereq but am not getting any feedback from this forum regarding actual nurses enrolled in the program.

Thanks, Brenda

[DvotedNurse]

Do you still have materials? I am thinking seriously about doing this program

[chaxanmom]

A WORD OF CAUTION:

This is a new program - I would be very careful.

I would make sure you line up a clinical site BEFORE you spend a dime on this program. I would ask ISU where the clinicals are being done and who is responsible for securing both the site and the preceptor - is it the school or is it YOU? GET THIS IN WRITING!!!!

Look at what is going on with Chamberlain (formerly Deaconness) right now (and for the last so many years, just wasn't as widespread). Please, please be careful.

Just wanted to provide an update on this question. It *is* ISU that is setting up the clinicals. I know this because they are working on mine right now. I emailed the guy with the contact information for the hospitals I want to work with and he is taking it from there.

Also, Indiana State is an actual, accredited brick and mortar university (unlike Chamberlain AFAIK). The online option is new but the school is not new and neither is their nursing program.

[nurse4uca]

hello:

The Indiana state university the LPN-BSN program.....when you sign up they do not tell you that any college courses you took must be 2.5 or better for the university to accept you in the program.....first they take your money and after 90 days you call them (I kept emailing and calling) and then they tell you this......but you must upfront the monies first......and please remember that if your state gives a grant (where I am from they advertised this) DO NOT TAKE THE 5% rebate they offer you because you can only do one or the other......and you come out ahead if you take your states grant because the 5 percent is only about 400.00.......please be very very careful.....and yes, you are right all those classes make no sense to me......you should be able to be given some credit if you were an lpn for any length of time etc.......with the importing of nurses and not training our own in this country is sad.........

hello,

I looked in to Indiana state university, the LPN-BSN program, then I got this info from them. There are about 20 prerec's to do, then all the nursing classes! Some of the prerec's I can see, but History, foreign language, ect!!! It would take me forever to do this program. Plus this would cost at least 30,000

I am leaning toward excelsior, because of less classes, and way cheaper. But I do like the idea of the LPN-BSN program.

Here is part of the letter I got:

Phase I: Completion of general education and cognate courses required for the nursing major through a combination of transfer credit previously awarded from accredited college/universities, courses completed in a traditional classroom setting or online, and/or successful completion of proficiency examinations. Students prepare for these proficiency examinations through The College Network's study guide program. Credits received from successful completion of the American Council on Education (ACE) approved proficiency examinations are then transferred to Indiana State University.

Enrollment in Indiana State University is not required for completion of Phase I, however, it is required prior to progressing to Phase II. As indicated in the Admission Requirements section, there are ten (10) courses that the student must complete prior to enrolling into the College of Nursing, if credit has not been previously awarded in those subjects.

Anatomy & Physiology (6 credit hours)

Chemistry (4 credit hours)

College Algebra (3 credit hours)

Information Technology (3 credit hours)

Life Span Developmental Psychology (3 credit hours)

Microbiology (3 credit hours)

General Psychology (3 credit hours)

Introduction to Communications (3 credit hours)

Foundations of Sociology (3 credit hours)

Freshman Writing (3 credit hours)

Other general education and cognate courses required for degree completion are:

Advanced Expository Writing (3 credit hours)

Foreign Language (6 credit hours)

Pathophysiology (3 credit hours)

Statistics (3 credit hours)

Physical Education (2 credit hours)

Literary, Artistic and Philosophical Studies (6 credit hours)

Multicultural Diversity - International Cultures (3 credit hours)

Multicultural Studies - U.S. Diversity (3 credit hours)

History (3 credit hours)

Phase II: Lower-level online nursing and Customized Study Material (CSM) courses are completed during Phase II of the program. Acceptance by and enrollment in Indiana State University and the College of Nursing is required prior to registering for the online nursing or CSM courses. Students will be accepted for enrollment into the College of Nursing on a conditional basis, until the successful completion of Nursing 200 and 208. At that time, the student will receive full enrollment status.

Nursing 200/200L: Nursing Assessment of the Adult (3 credit hours)

Nursing 208: Transition for LPN to BSN (3 credit hours)

When completed with a C or better, credit is awarded for:

o Nursing 104: Introduction to Nursing (2 credit hours)

o Nursing 204: Fundamentals of Nursing Practice, and (5 credit hours)

o Nursing 228: Clinical Pharmacology (3 credit hours)

CSM Courses:

o Nursing 106: Mental Health Aspects of Nursing (2 credit hours)

o Nursing 224: Nursing Care of Adults I (5 credit hours)

o Nursing 328: Nursing Care of the Child and Family (4 credit hours)

o Nursing 330: Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family (4 credit hours)

Phase III: Once the student has completed all general education, lower-level nursing and CSM courses, the remaining upper-level nursing courses are completed online with Indiana State University.

Nursing 226/226L: Nursing in Mental Illness (3 credit hours)

Nursing 318: Nursing Care of Families in Stress and Crisis (4 credit hours)

Nursing 322: Research/Theoretical Basis for Nursing Practice (3 credit hours)

Nursing 324/324L: Nursing Care of Adults II (5 credit hours)

Nursing 424/424L: Nursing Care of Adults III (5 credit hours)

Nursing 450/450L: Population-Focused Community Health Nursing (6 credit hours)

Nursing 470: Nursing Leadership (3 credit hours)

Nursing 484/484L: Reflective Nursing Practice, and (3 credit hours)

Nursing 486: Professional Nursing Synthesis (3 credit hours)

Customized Study Materials (CSM) for Phase II Nursing Courses

Indiana State University and The College Network have developed a set of four Customized Study Materials (CSMs) that have been integrated into the LPN-BSN curriculum. After completion of each CSM, students will complete a proctored Web-based examination administered by Indiana State University. Each CSM is completed in place of one of four nursing courses:

Nursing 106: Mental Health Aspects of Nursing (2 credit hours no clinical),

Nursing 224: Nursing Care of Adults I (5 credit hours with clinical),

Nursing 328: Nursing Care of the Child and Family (4 credit hours with clinical),

Nursing 330: Nursing Care of Childbearing Families (4 credit hours with clinical).

Should additional clinical experience be needed in one of these areas, prior to the one day clinical test-out, the student should arrange the number of hours needed and a preceptor experience, with the faculty course coordinator prior to the final clinical test-out. These clinical hours will be credited to Nursing 484, which is a self-selected 135 hours of clinical learning experience.

Distance Education Nursing Courses

There are eleven nursing courses, completed online through Indiana State University, required for the program of study. Six of these courses have a required clinical component. The minimum 495 clinical hours required for the program are completed concurrently with theory courses and under the supervision of an approved preceptor in the student's local area. Contracts are arranged with clinical agencies prior to the start of clinicals. There is a one-to-one ratio of preceptor to student during the clinical learning experience. Clinical hours are required in the following areas:

NURS 200 Nursing Assessment of the Adult involves 45 hours of clinical education in the health assessment of the adult and older adult. The student will use effective communication strategies to provide health promotion, health counseling, and health education to promote wellness in adults.

NURS 226 Nursing in Mental Illness involves 45 hours of clinical education in the inpatient psychiatric nursing care of clients with common acute and chronic mental health disorders.

NURS 324 Nursing Care of Adults II involves 90 hours of clinical education in medical-surgical inpatient care and discharge of clients with common acute and chronic health problems.

NURS 424 Nursing Care of Adults III involves 90 hours of clinical education in medical-surgical inpatient care with clients in acute and intensive care with complex health problems.

NURS 450 Population-Focused Community Health Nursing involves 90 hours of clinical learning experience outside of the online studies in a community agency, such as a local health department, school nurse station, or occupational health-nursing agency. The focus of this course is the professional nurse's role in working with aggregates in the community. Concepts and principles of public health nursing, wellness, health promotion, and national health objectives are emphasized.

NURS 484 Reflective Nursing Practice involves 135 hours of clinical learning experience. This clinical concentration course provides an opportunity for synthesis and evaluation of professional nursing role behaviors essential to the care of clients experiencing complex health care needs across the lifespan in a variety of settings. Emphasis is placed on refinement of critical thinking and communication skills, refinement of appropriate and effective leadership/managerial skills, and the integration of a range of therapeutic interventions into nursing practice, including those appropriate to individual clients, their families/significant others, and relevant population-based groups. Students will be given the opportunity to become more familiar with hospital nursing as their major focus of the semester. Students may also choose to have some limited experience in non-hospital nursing functions (i.e., home health, public health in a health department, well-baby clinics, or rural health clinics.)

If the student does not have clinical experience in an area listed below, additional clinical experience may be required. Clinical hours completed will be credited to NURS 484, which is a self-selected clinical experience.

NURS 224 Nursing Care of the Adults I involves 90 hours of clinical education in the promotion of optimal health among adults experiencing or recovering from illness. The recipient of care is the young, middle, or older adult in the hospital and other community settings.

NURS 328 Nursing Care of the Child and Family involves 45 hours of clinical education to assist children and their families in the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention of and/or recovery from illness in the hospital and community setting. The focus of the course is nursing interventions to meet common, well-defined health needs of children in relation to the total environment. The recipient of care is the individual child as a member of a family from infancy through adolescence.

NURS 330 Nursing Care of the Childbearing Family involves 45 hours of clinical education of women and infants during the reproductive life cycle. Clinical experience will provide opportunities to observe and provide professional nursing care in primary, community, and acute health care settings.

[chaxanmom]

The GPA requirement is in the program information packet I got right at the beginning. It's not exactly hiding information when it's right there on their website. :) http://www.indstate.edu/nurs/admission-criteria-generic-bs.html

Oh and what money are you talking about? Doesn't cost a dime to apply to their nursing program. The pre-reqs are also pretty standard for a bachelor's degree.

[SPN-RC]

Can someone tell me how long it is going to take me to complete the LPN to BSN program?

Thanks,

:heartbeatGao

[chaxanmom]

Depends. How many classes do you still need to take and how many do you plan on taking at a time?

[SPN-RC]

Depends. How many classes do you still need to take and how many do you plan on taking at a time?

How many classes can i take at a time? I just got accepted into the LPN program here in MN, so i'll be starting in July. I should be done by next year. I have most of my generals done. How does graduation go? do distance student get a graduation ceremony or no? Do I have to go through the college network for this program? I really don't want to go through TCN; I've heard many negative things about them. All this time I have been looking at Excelsior, so I know little about ISU. I'm kinda shaky about Excelsior too. I heard that some hospitals or clinics won't hire EC student because they don't do/have enough clinical hours. I was just wondering, if ISU's LPN to BSN takes a shorter time, I was thinking I might just go straight for my BSN, but if longer than I'll go for my ASN.