Online nursing degrees

I just graduated from Excelsior college in March. I found the course work to be pretty challenging yet doable. Excelsior is one of only two colleges that are NLN approved for distance/on-line. They are Excelsior college and Deaconess. Excelsior college enables you to study exam content material at your pace and test when you are ready. You buy books from them or from any used (like half) text book store. They give you a free content guide that tells you what is covered in each exam as well as the recommended books and chapters. you take the exams at prometric. The clinical is difficult but doable. It is over 2 1/2 days and you must perform at 100%. You receive a large study guide to assist with prep. Deaconess is a little different and requires you to find a willing hospital and preceptor to do clinicals with. I believe their theory classes are on line (Excelsior's are not really). I believe you must go to their site in St. Louis every so often to do clinical validation skills. With Excelsior the clinicals are located at test site hospitals throughout the US. There are pros and cons to both traditional and non. I think Excelsior is good only if you are already an LPN with lots of experience. I am thankful I could go back this way--but would have preferred traditional had I been able to work it out with family and work. All in all--if you don't have another way it is good--no easy ride by any means!

Karen

I just graduated from Excelsior college in March. I found the course work to be pretty challenging yet doable. Excelsior is one of only two colleges that are NLN approved for distance/on-line. They are Excelsior college and Deaconess. Excelsior college enables you to study exam content material at your pace and test when you are ready. You buy books from them or from any used (like half) text book store. They give you a free content guide that tells you what is covered in each exam as well as the recommended books and chapters. you take the exams at prometric. The clinical is difficult but doable. It is over 2 1/2 days and you must perform at 100%. You receive a large study guide to assist with prep. Deaconess is a little different and requires you to find a willing hospital and preceptor to do clinicals with. I believe their theory classes are on line (Excelsior's are not really). I believe you must go to their site in St. Louis every so often to do clinical validation skills. With Excelsior the clinicals are located at test site hospitals throughout the US. There are pros and cons to both traditional and non. I think Excelsior is good only if you are already an LPN with lots of experience. I am thankful I could go back this way--but would have preferred traditional had I been able to work it out with family and work. All in all--if you don't have another way it is good--no easy ride by any means!

Karen

The clinical portion is what scares me to death. I am a new LPN, just graduated in Aug 04', so I don't have a lot of experience yet. I have been accepted into college, but put on a waiting list to start in Jan. 06'. I was just curious about the online route and if it would possibly be better for me considering I have 3 children. From the way it sounds, maybe I should wait until next year. Thank You for your advice.

The clinical portion is what scares me to death. I am a new LPN, just graduated in Aug 04', so I don't have a lot of experience yet. I have been accepted into college, but put on a waiting list to start in Jan. 06'. I was just curious about the online route and if it would possibly be better for me considering I have 3 children. From the way it sounds, maybe I should wait until next year. Thank You for your advice.

The clinical can be done. Excelsior gives you the tools to pass--you must put in the effort. I still think you need about 2 or more years experience to go this route. If you feel confident and realize that you must be very self motivated then it can be done.

K

You may want to think about Deaconess' LPN to RN program...it is all online, except you must go out to St. Louis for 3-5 days for clinical competency testing at the end of each semester, BUT the testing is casual and done by the school's staff, not the pressure cooker environment the Excelsior program's clinical test seems to have. I was going to do that program if I didn't get into a local program (but I did). Here's the website:

http://www.deaconess.edu

ALSO....Indiana State University in my state of Indiana has an online LPN to BSN program...you set up all the clinicals yourself, at your work if you like, and there is NO clinical testing from what I've heard. A coworker is doing that program and is really enjoying the flexibility. Here's a link:

http://college-net.com/healthcare.htm

Good luck!

:) Kacy