Online Nursing Schools

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 21, 2010

Are you talking in general? For RN? RN-BSN? Master's programs?

All schools that award an RN or advanced practice nursing degree will require a clinical component. What difference does it make if the didactic portion is done on your computer, or face to face?

My husband and I are both doing online programs, and they're both well respected programs.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 21, 2010

The fact that you ask the question indicates that you have a few doubts. Others also have doubts.

That doesn't mean there aren't some good online schools out there. It just means that some people do have lingering doubts -- and such a person might be evaluating your application for a job, promotion, graduate school, etc. some day.

There are some legitimate concerns about online education -- but like all other educational formats it can be well and it can be done badly. The reputation of a particular school is more important than the online vs. brick and mortar question.

A common suggestion for people interested in online education is to choose a school that also has a well-respected brick and mortar program. That way, you'll get the advantage of that positive brick and mortar history and reputation. Ten years ago, schools tended to be "either online or brick and mortar." But that's not true anymore. A lot of old, respected universities have created online versions of their programs -- overseen by the same people who oversee their brick and mortar programs and maintaining similarly high educational standards. You might even find such a program in your home state and be able to pay the cheaper in-state tuition rates!

Go to a program like that and you can get some of the advantages of both types of education. You could go to the school every now and then to meet with a professor if you wanted to ... but have the convenience of the online format and schedule.

I've taught in both types of programs - and that's the best answer I can give.

ttpurtee · Oct 21, 2010

I am refering to the Western Governor's University.

Scarlette Wings · Oct 21, 2010

there are a great many online schools and to me, once you have obtained the skills and have the license, the additional education really is to increase your knowledge base.

i took micro when i attended my nursing program in the 1980s for my rn license. there were no online schools back then. (just a few stone tablets to hammer on...lol) i chose an online school for my education now because i have my nursing skill set and needed to broaden my intellectual horizons so to speak. i also had to take another micro while working on my present degree.

i cannot imagine how the students who did their entire core online could do so without having to attend actual clinical labs and grow organisms and work with microscopes. i have had that experience and so it made understanding things much easier for me and i could focus on other details in the course. i don't see how anything could actually take the place of hands on clinical and lab experience.

i think it is great to do classes online to increase understanding and knowledge but i would be concerned if that was all there was to the entire program with no hands on care and interaction, especially in nursing care. i would think that it all depends on what a person is wanting their education in and what type of experience they already have.

online education is not a one size fits all, each person has to know what is right for them. i would think places of employment look at those things too. they would look at where and how a person obtained their "people" skill sets and then what type of additional education they obtained. thats my :twocents:

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Oct 22, 2010

I know that Excelsior is the largest nursing school in the US (world?). I think they have 20,000 students. They must be doing something right.

caliotter3 · Oct 22, 2010

The majority of employers hire people based upon their license being clear and their nursing work experience.

Blackheartednurse · Oct 22, 2010

I'm not sure but I start my RN-BSN november 10,totally online...the classess look just as much hard as the classes offered by a "regular" uni.And the price really isnt that much different.

BluegrassRN · Oct 22, 2010

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A common suggestion for people interested in online education is to choose a school that also has a well-respected brick and mortar program. That way, you'll get the advantage of that positive brick and mortar history and reputation. Ten years ago, schools tended to be "either online or brick and mortar." But that's not true anymore. A lot of old, respected universities have created online versions of their programs -- overseen by the same people who oversee their brick and mortar programs and maintaining similarly high educational standards. You might even find such a program in your home state and be able to pay the cheaper in-state tuition rates!
Go to a program like that and you can get some of the advantages of both types of education. You could go to the school every now and then to meet with a professor if you wanted to ... but have the convenience of the online format and schedule.

This.

OttawaRPN · Oct 22, 2010

Also make sure whatever diploma/degree/certification you're after is recognized in your state/country.

Distance education seems to be the wave of the future.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 22, 2010

I know that Excelsior is the largest nursing school in the US (world?). I think they have 20,000 students. They must be doing something right.

Don't confuse size with quality. They are 2 totally different things. For example, a diploma mill that practically gives degrees away for a few pennies would probably find lots of customers for its product -- but that doesn't mean they are providing a good education. A "school" that just sells degrees without requiring any work might find customers, but that doesn't mean they are teaching them anything of value.

A large student population might just mean a school has a good marketing department. It says nothing about the quality of the teaching that goes on in the school.

blueheaven · Oct 23, 2010

I avoided schools that used high pressure tactics to get you to enroll. Seemed to me that they were really pushing for the money. I attend an online school that has a brick and mortar campus. When I graduate, I will be able to walk across the stage with the on campus students.