Disappointing RN-BSN & RN-MSN Programs. To many assignments with no real learning! Serious

Nursing Students Online Learning

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I would really like to share experiences with those in RN-MSN, RN-BSN or RN-BSN-MSN programs. You finish learning any new skills or knowledge. You just develop writing skills. At the end of the class you even could read the textbook because you spent all the time in empty knowledge assignments, even nothing to do with title or content of the course.

If you test someone at the end of the course any of the content of the textbook you will realize they did not learn almost anything. If you like writing papers that is ok, and they are necessary for a solid academic writing, but most of the assignments in these programsis about rephrasing some content nothing to do with real knowledge for everyday practical use. This is very serious. Do you have the same experience?

I think most higher ed programs involve writing a lot of papers. It's about learning how to research and then being able to put that research into a logical paper. How many "hands on" skills you learn depends on what your MSN major is and your school.

A lot of programs include "busy" work, but in the future you may look back and find purpose in that work.

Specializes in ER.

RN-BSN is different from a traditional BSN because they have covered the skills and necessary clinical hours to become a nurse. Looking at the majority of BSN programs in my area and the syllabi that I collected from other students/coworkers, the majority of classes are the same level with the exception of the general education credits.

Comparing the local curriculum of one school and my community college now, I didn't need a sociology class, first year experience class, philosophy class, English gender/literature class, multicultural class, another literature class, another philosophy class, a religion class, college level chemistry class, and nursing capstone. Which I kind of feel ripped off because I could have taken more general education classes and have less nursing-related classes if I had gone this route instead of an ADN and then an RN to BSN school.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

No Alex, that was not my experience. Are you currently enrolled in a program? BSN? MSN?

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

When it comes to higher learning, we get out of it as much as we put into it.

The increased paper writing requirements draw upon the abilities for synthesis and abstract thinking that are required of educated professionals. I speak for myself what I say I'm not paid for what I do; I'm paid for what I know.

Yes Pixie. Is an RN to MSN

The general rule of thumb in post-secondary education is that the higher you go, the more writing you do. What were you expecting in an MSN program?

Specializes in Med-Surg/ ER/ homecare.

Yes in general you do more writing the higher you go. My associates program drilled apa format into us the last semester because of this. Because of this I felt more prepared than others going forward.

As far as Msn is concerned, it really depends on the program and your focus. Some NP programs have a lot of "fluff" courses and some are more clinically based, so you really need to do research on that part.

Dear Alex,

Yes, this has been my experience also. I am looking into an online program at the University of Derby in the UK for that reason.

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.
Yes Pixie. Is an RN to MSN

Your profile indicates that you already have an MSN. Is that correct?

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