I hold one post graduate degree working on a second and two Baccalaureate degrees. Yes, I like school a whole lot. I have taken online courses but find them to be relatively easy compared to in-school classes. When I earned my BSN from my RN the ease of earning the degree was simple. The coreqs were difficult when compared to the nursing classes. The Masters was even easier then the "upgrade" to my BSN.
I have had a few friends earn "pay for" online degrees. I assisted them on many occasions with their studies over the last few years. I found the online classes to be even simpler then the in school classes. My point of all this is I think with the abundance of online nursing schools it down grades our professions educational system.
THis is based on the supply and demand model. Meaning more schools same customer base means lower standards. If they did not lower standards then they would have "empty seats" in their "classes rooms." It seems with the eruption of online classess these company's that "chase" the LPN, RN and BSN perpared students do it for the money.
Well this is all well and good for the company that is making the $$$$$ but not for our profession. Look at PT, Pharm D, MD and DO schools they are there to make money but they limit the number. MD and DO schools make up about 140 school in the USA. Just how many nursing schools are they in the New York and California let alone the the other 48 states.
There are many reasons for the limited supply of the above professionals. But if any one has a copy of todays WALL STREET JOURNAL the bottom right under the "Inside Today's Journal" section look at the Home Improvement Made Easier. The contractors are now offering discounts because the "hot" market is cooling. In other words there is more supply (contractors) then demand. So what do they do lower their standards meaning how much $$$$ they will take to do the job.
This I can compare to many things but to remain on topic all the online schools and their continued rise to recruit new LPN's, RN's and BSN's. Standards must go down.......................................
Online schools, just because they are online schools do not cheapen (is that a word?) our profession.
Because I want the best possible education for myself, not just letters behind my name, I choose to go RN to BSN at an NLN approved school and feel I'm getting a top notch online education and will march down the aisle come graduation with the campus students.
The two schools here, city college ADN prorgram with an RN to BSN completion, and the state univerisity BSN program are both high standard NLN approved schools. I am concerned that there are a couple of for-profit RN schools, LPN and LPN to RN schools that aren't accredited and their aim is to make money. I'm concerned that their admission standards are lower and perhaps their graduation standards as well.
There are substandards schools both online and campus. Just because it's online doesn't mean it's less of an education, or a "bought" degree. I'm working very hard and learning much thank you very much.
I hold one post graduate degree working on a second and two Baccalaureate degrees. Yes, I like school a whole lot. I have taken online courses but find them to be relatively easy compared to in-school classes. When I earned my BSN from my RN the ease of earning the degree was simple. The coreqs were difficult when compared to the nursing classes. The Masters was even easier then the "upgrade" to my BSN.
I have had a few friends earn "pay for" online degrees. I assisted them on many occasions with their studies over the last few years. I found the online classes to be even simpler then the in school classes. My point of all this is I think with the abundance of online nursing schools it down grades our professions educational system.
THis is based on the supply and demand model. Meaning more schools same customer base means lower standards. If they did not lower standards then they would have "empty seats" in their "classes rooms." It seems with the eruption of online classess these company's that "chase" the LPN, RN and BSN perpared students do it for the money.
Well this is all well and good for the company that is making the $$$$$ but not for our profession. Look at PT, Pharm D, MD and DO schools they are there to make money but they limit the number. MD and DO schools make up about 140 school in the USA. Just how many nursing schools are they in the New York and California let alone the the other 48 states.
There are many reasons for the limited supply of the above professionals. But if any one has a copy of todays WALL STREET JOURNAL the bottom right under the "Inside Today's Journal" section look at the Home Improvement Made Easier. The contractors are now offering discounts because the "hot" market is cooling. In other words there is more supply (contractors) then demand. So what do they do lower their standards meaning how much $$$$ they will take to do the job.
This I can compare to many things but to remain on topic all the online schools and their continued rise to recruit new LPN's, RN's and BSN's. Standards must go down.......................................
What do you think?
Oh my, you have all those years of "collecting" your degrees and this is the best analogy you could come up with? Home Improvement? Maybe you should have picked up a journalism degree along the way and a few economics classes or better a yet stop hiding in school and live in the real world!! This whole world is about money!
I must say that I do agree with you about on line education. i graduated with a BSN over 20 years ago and at that time we were taught to care for all aspects of our patients -a holistic approach. Unfortunately, DRG s came along and changed the delivery of health care from providing maximum care to providing minimum of care. Hospitals still expect nurses to provide maximum care with minimum staffing, therefore more and more nurses become dissatisfied and leave nursing. THE BOTTOM LINE should be what is best for the public and patients, and is that to half way train incoming nurses so there came be more quantity than quality?
Nursing is an art that can only be learned in a firm foundation of knowledge and practiced hands on. On line nursing education is like trying to paint a Rembrandt on an etch-a-sketch.
How is attending lecture online any different than sitting in a classroom other than having to be there physically? The assignments are the same, there is a skills lab open and there are clinicals (at least 500hrs+). The art of nursing is a lifelong art. All new nurses will make mistakes, I know plenty of OLD nurses who make mistakes (I have caught plenty). As far as using an etch-a-sketch to paint Rembrandt, a truely committed student with the passion of an artist can turn just about anything into a masterpiece.
I must say that I do agree with you about on line education. i graduated with a BSN over 20 years ago and at that time we were taught to care for all aspects of our patients -a holistic approach. Unfortunately, DRG s came along and changed the delivery of health care from providing maximum care to providing minimum of care. Hospitals still expect nurses to provide maximum care with minimum staffing, therefore more and more nurses become dissatisfied and leave nursing. THE BOTTOM LINE should be what is best for the public and patients, and is that to half way train incoming nurses so there came be more quantity than quality?
Nursing is an art that can only be learned in a firm foundation of knowledge and practiced hands on. On line nursing education is like trying to paint a Rembrandt on an etch-a-sketch.
It seems like when someone has a controversial idea the people who come to "the rescue" are always new users and they usually have viewpoints that mirror the ideas of the person who introduced the controversial viewpoint.
Some of my on-line courses through the local community college were more intense than the ones I went into class for. I felt like I was doing more research and writing than in my traditional classes. I really think it also has a lot to do with how much effort the student puts into their course work. I know I learned a lot in my non-trad studies.
It seems like when someone has a controversial idea the people who come to "the rescue" are always new users and they usually have viewpoints that mirror the ideas of the person who introduced the controversial viewpoint.
maybe when you have worked and studied and sweated and paid for the work required for a BSN then come back and we will talk and see how you feel then. I am sorry I thought this was a place to express my free will of speech and didnt realize i had to be in agreement with everyone else to participate in the discussion. Why even have a discussion then?
Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.
News flash: I don't know of any accredited online nursing program that isn't attached to a brick-and-mortar school.
So, to follow the OP's line of thought, I guess these schools are making their online courses easier than their actual classroom counterparts? So they only lower their standards for their online students? I highly doubt it.
State BONs decide on an individual basis which programs they will accept before the student is even allowed to sit for the Boards. I guess they are just blindly accepting programs without checking their content to see if it is concurrent with their own standards? This would mean that the state BONs are also lowering their standards. I think not.
I am sorry I thought this was a place to express my free will of speech and didnt realize i had to be in agreement with everyone else to participate in the discussion. Why even have a discussion then?
Free speech? Here? Nah ... :chuckle
Believe me ... if you don't blindly support distance learning and raise any questions about it, you're going to get a lot of grief.
Specializes in Emergency, Family Practice, Occ. Health.
You'll especially get a lot of grief if you can't let one post go by without posting some inflamatory and narrow minded comment.
Yes Lizz, We all know that your traditional program churns out nurses that are waaaaaaayyyy better than any of those "online diploma mill" nurses could ever be. We all recognize that you are a nursing student who knows so much about nursing and nursing education that you have been given the mission of enlightening all of the ignorant victims of online schools.
Please speak your mind and say your peace but do try to be not so condisending to the rest of us.
Thank you.
Free speech? Here? Nah ... :chuckle
Believe me ... if you don't blindly support distance learning and raise any questions about it, you're going to get a lot of grief.
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,345 Posts
Online schools, just because they are online schools do not cheapen (is that a word?) our profession.
Because I want the best possible education for myself, not just letters behind my name, I choose to go RN to BSN at an NLN approved school and feel I'm getting a top notch online education and will march down the aisle come graduation with the campus students.
The two schools here, city college ADN prorgram with an RN to BSN completion, and the state univerisity BSN program are both high standard NLN approved schools. I am concerned that there are a couple of for-profit RN schools, LPN and LPN to RN schools that aren't accredited and their aim is to make money. I'm concerned that their admission standards are lower and perhaps their graduation standards as well.
There are substandards schools both online and campus. Just because it's online doesn't mean it's less of an education, or a "bought" degree. I'm working very hard and learning much thank you very much.