Online programs for Florida

[LadyIII]

Hello everyone! I am getting ready to start my LPN program here in Miami, FL and I have a few questions. I know that I want my Bachelor's in nursing for sure, my concern is which will be the best option. I have a husband that does plumbing so his schedule is always crazy and I also have three children. I am currently attending a university and even though I will have 84 credits after this semester, I wouldn't be able to apply to do the nursing program until next year but wouldn't be able to start until January 2013.

Since my schedule is already hectic I was wondering if anyone knows about Indiana State University's online RN-BSN program? Are the credits accepted in Florida? I only have the option of getting my AS in nursing at Broward & then get my BS or I can try to get into a university (which all are extremely compettitive). I'm concerned about whether or not I can even get an AS degree because of the amount of credits I have already. Please help me!

[chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

There are lots of on-line RN-BSN programs. Any program that's regionally and CCNE accredited (which is most, but not all of them) should be acceptable to any state's BON.

There is a considerable difference in price among the programs. As you might expect, the for-profit schools like Phoenix are on the high end and state schools on on the low end. You can look at the CCNE website http://www.aacn.nche.edu/CCNE/reports/accprog.asp for a list of accredited nursing programs, then go to each school's web site to see if they offer an on-line program, if they are regionally accredited and what their tuition is. Be cautious if you do a Google or Bing search for on-line programs - nearly all of the for-profit schools have the proper terms embedded in their web pages to make the search algorithms put them at the top of the list, crowding out other schools.

I am an ADN and plan to start the on-line RN-BSN program at either U Texas-Arlington or Ohio U this summer. Both seem to be decent programs and have reasonable tuition.