River1

I assumed that much of it was program dependent, I just wondered if there was a standard that was more or less prevalent. Thank you much for the help!

Greetings! I have a question in reference to a nurse practitioner program--which would be a masters program. Do you need a bachelors degree in nursing as a prerequisite? In other words if you have an Associates degree as an RN and a Bachelors degree in a non nursing field--for instance Business Management, can you still enroll in a Nurse Practitioner program? Any thoughts and info would be most appreciated. I did a bit of Google Fu but it was difficult to pick through it so I thought I would just ask:) Thanks much!

Thanks for the information..a couple of the reasons I was kicking this around is that I will be living there starting in July, and its pretty cost effective for tuition there. I will probably be looking at the Pacific Northwest at the end of the trail, so I will start digging into that a little bit.

Hello All, I wasn't sure where to put this so please feel free to place it where you think it will get the most response. I am entertaining going to nursing school in Belize. Its not a shot in dark, I am actually moving there in July, my father lives there and I have been spending time there for about the last 30 years. I have a Bachelors in Business Management currently as well as some experience as a medic. I am curious as to the potential and hoops that I would have to jump through to work in the United States once I finished in Belize. I have spoken to the University and they have told me that I should become a Registered nurse in their country first and the transition to the U.S. should not be a problem. Belize is a member of the Commonwealth and the University has a definitive curriculum and requirements. Just curious if anyone have any information that could help me out in making the decision. The other option is to go the Excelsior route, but am not sure I prefer that. Any information would be most appreciated.

Thank you much, I appreciate it. I am also looking at schools in Canada and overseas as an option, although it does get a bit confusing when you start that. I will keep checking, thanks for the help:)

I have, I actually work for the DOS side of the house and don't hold a military MOS that will help in that regard. I may end up trying to get my EMTP and then going to school that way but its a very circular route to get where I want to be..but if thats the only way then you do what you gotta do. Right now I am trying to exhaust the distance LPN or RN avenue before I make that decision. The big hang up is finding flexible clinicals it seems....

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. I should have probably explained myself better...Excelsior is obviously the most popular and viable option if you meet the criteria. Unfortunately regardless of what protocols I work with here in Afghanistan, at the end of the day my certification is that of an EMT-I and doesnt meet their pre req's. When I said a traditional program it was only that I meant I understood that there are certain things required for a program to be reputable. My problem isn't in finding a program that will allow online coursework, its that I am in Afghanistan and to do concurrent clinicals won't work. So I need to be able to do core courses online and either do my clincals at the end or in large blocks..much on par to what Excelsior offers--I just cant find an entry level program that will allow that. If anyone knows of one that would be awesome, I have searched and searched, emailed deans, and will continue;) Thanks again for the help and insight. R

Hey, I peruse the forum quite a bit and figured I would post my question and see if there is any information to be had. I searched..but there are about 5k worth of threads on distance learning and I gleaned what I could from it. My question is a bit more specific.. I currently work as a medic in Iraq and Afghanistan -I use that term because it is what I do, I understand in a civilian or traditional environment it may or may not fit-and am looking for a program that will let me complete core coursework for my RN or LPN online. Not clinicals, not labs, not a cracker jack degree or an "online degree"..but coursework that can be completed from a distance. I hold an NREMT-I and state EMT certification and operate here as a medic/corpsman for DOS under the supervision of a P.A. with a Medical Director as well. As you might imagine we operate under a unique set of protocols give our area of operation. I also have a Bachelors Degree in Business Management as well. I was a police officer prior and functioned as the team medic on the SWAT team and also served on an aid car for the fire department in addition to what I am currently doing. Before that, a hundred years ago I was in the Marine Corps. I have been looking everywhere across the nation to find a program that will allow me a distance education while I am deployed here. I am not trying to circumvent the process, but I am trying to find a program that allows me to learn at a distance, complete my required clinicals and hands on training in a structured environment, and be in a position to take care of my family. Excelsior seems to be the preeminent program that has been established and has set the standard for distance education regarding nursing, but the criteria is what it is. I am curious if anyone knows of a program that may allow me to complete the bulk of my coursework first and my clinicals at a more flexible schedule. I have blocks of time off from my duty usually every 60 to 90 days for a month at a time and have some contacts with hospitals and rural clinics in my area that may be of help in terms of clinicals. Hopefully I have explained it the best I can and maybe there is something out there. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or any info you may want to pass along. Any good information would be appreciated. Thanks much R1