online education

[kevokie]

I am curious to know if there is anyone in OK that has graduated from an online RN course such as Excelsior or similar? How is a degree from one of these places perceived at hospitals in OK? Does it make it harder to obtain employment here in OK? Thanks for any info that you may have about online education from somewhere other than OU or a state school here.

My situation is, I work full-time in EMS and going to find it difficult to change my schedule due to family schedules. This option would allow me to stay working and go to school.

[Ciale]

I honestly can't say for sure...but I used to work in recruitment at a hospital and I never once saw an applicant with a nursing degree obtained from an online college. I'm not saying that we wouldn't hire one, but it's definitely unconventional and probably not prefered. Most hiring managers (who are of course nurses themselves) are pretty selective with who they want and can sometimes have a preference for certain school. Think about how many people are applying for nursing jobs right now, right? The talent pool is pretty large. I would advise you to go the traditional route however inconvenient it may be. Beyond job outlook, I would be worried that an online degree just wouldn't prepare me for being a nurse. I could see getting a business degree online but nursing is so specialized. Just my two cents.

[OklaLPN]

The Oklahoma BON does not recognize the on line Excelsior program at this time. When I checked with the BON last year, I was told that this program did not meet the clinical requirement hours.

Hope this helps...

OklaLPN

[elprup, BSN, RN]

http://www.riosalado.edu/programs/nursing/Pages/default.aspx

Rio Salado college in Arizona is a community college. I took several prerequisite classes for my BSN and loved them! Online was so much better for me than cramming it into summer school. They also have an online nursing degree (not sure how it works) but it stated it's accredited - I'd check that out.

I actually took stats from them - got an A after flunking out of summer school and really trying hard! Love their books, and online they let you use your notes and the book....so if that doesn't help you learn what you need to I do not know what will.

best of luck,