sage2320

There are some great tips in this thread! For those nurses who float their catheter in, how do you do that while holding onto the catheter with your dominant hand? Is your IV line already attached to the catheter directly? How wide do you open your line to float the catheter in?

You might want to check out Western Carolina University in Asheville, NC. They have a 12 month ASBN and a BSN program. http://www.wcu.edu/10421.asp Tuition seems reasonable as well. http://www.wcu.edu/13091.asp Good luck!

"...It can take up to 6 months for them to "clear" you security-wise, so don't get discouraged if you don't get called right away for an interview" Do you mean they security-clear all applicants before they interview? A local VA CBOC (community-based outpatient clinic) had over 100 applicants for 3 RN positions...it seems the VA would perform the security clearance after they had narrowed down, interviewed and selected. I see many RN positions available on the VAJobs website in California and Florida. I'm not sure where in South Carolina you were interested in moving too but the hospital in Columbia has a few RN positions and the CBOCs in Greenville and Spartanburg are hiring LPNs. There is a VA Hospital in Long Beach, CA. Good luck!

Yes and it is one that I am seriously considering. But it requires you to have a BSN (takes 2 years). I'm an RN with a B.S.- Biology and RN-MSN bridging programs only require 4-5 classes. They are all out-of-state and some are incredibly expensive (Univ. of Phoenix comes to mind at $550/hour). My local school also requires the GRE (which I do not want to take again). I took it more than 7 years ago and the local school requires GRE taken within the last 5 years. It is just alot of extra busy work, time and $$, especially as studies show that the GRE is not a predictor of success in graduate school!

I don't mind setting up my own clinicals but I hope the FNP program provides some sort of guidance and support on how to do this. Especially if you were in an online program hundreds of miles from your home state!

Thanks for the clarification...it does seem more manageable if the schedule is staggered. Did you go through this program? I'm going to look into it myself. Thanks again!

Hi Cindy1ou, I hope you do post your spreadsheet! I have been putting one together as well trying to find a school that meets almost the same criteria as you but it seems that school does not exist! And as Purple Scrubs said, it is like running through a maze on some of the school websites to find out basic information (i.e, cost per credit hour, site visits required, etc.) Here is a link to a post that lists online MSN programs: https://allnurses.com/post-graduate-nursing/online-msn-np-158666-page3.html Frontier sounds like a great school and there are quite a few threads from happy students on the Nurse Practitioner forum. Schools I have found that do not require the GRE are: University of Cincinnati University of South Alabama University of Southern Indiana Indiana State University Ball State University Good luck....and really hope you do publish your spreadsheet...and LunahRN publishes her RN-BSN spreadsheet again. I'm an RN and have a BS-Biology but have not had much luck finding a reasonably priced bridging program so thinking it might be easier to do RN-BSN online first.

Tammy FNP/GNP, I researched ISU and it seems that 35 credits are required for the core nursing courses but that credit can be given for up to 10 credits via a portfolio option. I'm an RN and have a B.S.-Biology so I would only need these core courses to obtain my BSN. It appears that I would only need 26 credits for my BSN?! I would be an out-of-state student but it seems ISU charges in state tuition plus $30/course distance fee for online students?

>>I think the answer is this: Who would award those like me a BSN without also wanting to make a significant income from doing so? And so we are required to take a lot of totally unnecessary classes and there is no option of clepping the whole darned thing. But there should be. I agree! I've been researching various programs as well and my head is spinning from all the various options. I believe if search Texas Tech on AllNurses there are some posts by someone who is in the RN-BSN program who stated that even though the website says it is 2 semesters, it is not turning out that way. I cannot remember which forum I saw this one as have been reading so many posts trying to narrow down programs. Good luck!

Thank you for the great tips, KMFRN5! Where did you do your MSN? I'm considering FNP as it seems you have many more options with that route.

I am interested in pursuing an MSN and am looking at online programs in education and FNP. For those who have completed an online MSN program (or are still in the program), are there things you wished you had known or questioned beforehand? For example, it seems that MSN students (particularly NP) can sometimes have difficulty finding a preceptor for their clinical hours in their own community and the school does not provide much assistance. Or a student is not eligible to apply for NIH grants/traineeships because the program is part-time (6 hours) and NIH requires a minimum of 9 credit hours/semester. I am attending a nursing open house at my local university in a few weeks and would like to be prepared with questions regarding their program and would appreciate any assistance!

Cal State - Dominguez Hills now charges $372/unit for their MSN online program.

USA's in-state graduate tuition is $218/hour. Their web course graduation tuition is $308/hour. I am currently researching various online MSN programs and have not found one that allows in-state tuition for out-of-state, online students. I am hoping to find an FNP program that has an MS-bridge option as I have a bachelor's degree in biology and am an RN (associate's degree). So far, no luck!

CSU - Dominguez Hills does not offer in-state tuition for the online MSN program. I spoke with the nursing department and the cost is $372/unit.

Is it also correct that if you work for the VA for at least 5 years, you will lifetime medical benefits? And that you can retire after 10 years? A nursing colleague recently hired by a VA Outpatient Clinic reported that these were part of the benefits! Thanks, Sage