online schools cheapen our profession?

[$/satisfaction?]

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?

[Staric]

Heres my two cents:

The online nursing program in my town is the SAME curriculum (spelling eludes me on that word) as the LONG- sit-in-class-all-day "program".. You have to know the same info and pass the SAME tests..I have had ALL of my pre-reqs on line.. WHY- I have a full time job, two children and a husband and I live in a town far from the big city with the community colleges.. I work, probably more hard (for myself), at learning the info and knowing it..On line Classes, some believe, make you work harder so the school can justify their program. Also the nursing on-line program kicks you out if you get a 75% or lower on the main tests, where as the class settings let you average it all out.. huh...

Who cares how you get the info, as long as you pass the NCLEX...

And the LABS and clinicals are IN an ACTUAL HOSPITAL, with real teachers..

[mewmeow]

I am 55 years old. I've raised 25 year old twins alone. I became a LPN at age 45 through a traditional school. The courses were exceptionally hard. Atleast for me BUT I made it. I passed my boards and have been doing LTC with Alzheimer's for 9 years now. Unfortunately, my options are limited. I can work in LTC, hospital, or office work. Working everyother weekend and most holidays is pretty much what I am looking at for the rest of my career. Oh, I could go into office work, which I did for 6 months (it wasn't for me) but in my area the pay is less. For the entire 9 years I have done the same things as the RN's except for Care Plans and hanging IV's. Needless to say I am frustrated that while I do the same things I am paid less and sometimes looked upon as less than. More often that not I have been respected and treated well by any RN's & DON's that I have worked with. I love what I do and would like very much to broaden my horizon's. I too believe that a nurse does not learn it all in school but rather hands on with years of experience.

I will soon begin taking classes through Excelsior and am so very grateful that they exist. I have no other choice as I cannot afford to quit my job or even go to part time. Yes, I expect it will be more expenseive, again I have no choice. I will of course need to take out a loan and likely never recoup my investment. Excelsior, or any other DL program will be a gift to me. It is the only way I can learn and move on.

Please do not suggest that I will not be a real nurse when I am through or that I will cheapen the profession. I will have studied, cried, and sweat my way through but I will be a far better nurse than i am right now. Which by the way, I am a very good nurse and proud to be a member of this incredible profession.

Please...... there is a nursing shortage and no reasonable way for an individual to enter or continue in the profession??????????????

Thank you for listening to my input.

[nicolentony]

Good for you mewmeow!

As for koala 68, you can have all the excuses in the book, but if you want this - to be an RN- you have to suck it up and do the work. If you can't make it through school, you definitely can't make it in the clinical setting. Being a nurse isn't for everyone. It is hard work and if you think there is a lot of BS in school - there's 100 times more in day to day work.

[mewmeow]

Thank you nicolentony!

I appreciate your acknowlegement

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

And

It doesn't sound like you'd be satisfied with anything no matter how it was presented to you.

.

I wasn't the one who said this to you...it was the post after mine.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

So that we have many nurses who memorize all that info, pass NXCLEX, only to forget about it the next day and cut corners in hospitals. Because they luck the understanding of the principles. That is what I think the school should teach us. But no, we get tested on : is this medication PO or IM. In real hospital anyone can see if the doctor prescribed and the farmacy gave you pill or vial.

So you don't like nurses who cut corners, but you do believe that nurses should just give whatever drug comes to them, without questioning it? Surely I am misunderstanding something here.

But to stay on topic, I am sure that many students do get frustrated with all of the reading. This is a concern for traditional as well as distance ed students.