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Discussion

Online program for non-nurse

Hi all,

I've been researching programs and am feeling a bit lost.

My ultimate goal is to become a psych NP, but have no nursing experience. I have an M.S. in mental health counseling and a B.A. in a liberal arts discipline.

There is one traditional school close to me that offers a quick path to NP for non-nurses (East Carolina University), but I would prefer an online program for convenience.

Do you all know of any online programs that would fit my goals?

Since I've been out of college for over ten years, I'm planning to take some science courses through a community college to brush up and make me more marketable. Overall, my GPAs have been good (3.7 undergrad, 4.0 grad), but all of my mental health work has been in outpatient settings. (I currently have my own private practice.)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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    • Featured Replies

    You can not get to NP without a nursing degree which includes in person clinicals.

    From the East Carolina University website:

    Some general requirements are:

    • A baccalaureate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program.
    • A minimum GPA of 2.7 in undergraduate studies and a minimum GPA of 3.00 in nursing major.
    • Acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) within the past five years.
      (For Greenville students: the GRE may be taken locally through Prometric Testing Center at 252-756-0342. For more information on the MAT, please visit the ECU Testing Center or call 252-328-6811.)
    • Currently non-restricted license to practice as a registered nurse (RN) in North Carolina or a NCSBN-compact state.
    • A written statement describing the applicant's interest in graduate study, career goals, and the MSN degree's relations to those goals.
    • Three professional references.
    • A personal interview with a member of the graduate faculty.
    • A course in statistics with a grade of C or higher, an undergraduate research course, and computer literacy are pre-requisites for all concentrations in nursing.

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    • Expert

    Online nursing programs for non-nurses do not exist due to the hands-on clinical practicum requirements that all state boards of education have made mandatory.

    You might be able to find a hybrid nursing program that blends physical classroom-based education with online courses, but you are not going to find any prelicensure nursing program that is conducted totally online.

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    They do exist in certain states only.

  • Quote
    • Expert
    They do exist in certain states only.
    For non-nurses, absolutely no options exist that are totally online because all US states require nursing students to accrue a specific number of hands-on clinical practicum hours that must be completed in-person.

    These hands-on clinical rotations cannot be completed online, and thus must be done in-person. Hence, the OP might be able to find a hybrid nursing program that conflates online nursing courses with labs and clinical practicum rotations that require a physical in-person presence.

    However, no non-nurse is going to find any prelicensure nursing program that is conducted totally online. If one exists, please correct my error and name the school. Thanks in advance.

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    Gosh, I would be absolutely horrified if people were becoming NPs with 0 hours of clinical time. Its offensive that someone even dreams they could become a nurse or NP by doing some online modules and participating in "discussion boards."

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