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In CA is just depends what school you are attending. If it is all online...you are going to pay both financially and with your time...there is something due each week and generally in a completely online course, the courses are quite expensive ( RN-BSN is about $10,000 ) A few of my colleagues did University of Phoenix and they paid $1600 per six week class( see above figure), which they had to take loans out for. I went to a California University and paid $1100 per semester with no loans needed. I love the fact that when I start practice I dont' have to worry about loan payments.

Probably the most important factor is do you have the transfer credits and prerequisites to be accepted to an NP/MSN program. Honestly, I had everything done because I lucked out- I transferred from cal state fullerton to cal state L B, which helped but they requried a growth and development course within 5 years of applying ( I'm in a PNP program) also, your health assessment class had to include a lab or clinical, which if I had done my BSN program online would not have counted. Now, that is only for the program I am enrolled, I do not know about other states or college requirements. I was a nurse for 4 years before I started my MSN and only part time because I was finishing my bachelors and studying for my board certification for Oncology. One NP I work with is excellent at her job, and the only nursing she did was home health, and in a pediatricians office, less than part time, and she is awesome at her job. Hope this helps!

"And why aren't more teaching hospitals doing LPN-Diploma RN programs? That would solve the clinical problem right there, as well as bolstering up the slots for nurse externships" I heard that they are trying to discourage diploma programs...at least in California. Many LPN/LVN programs do not require an advanced Anatomy/Physiology background ( for example...some of those private colleges like Bryman give you a brief introduction because they try to fast track their students and get them working in a year) and diploma programs also do not require the math components or general education. I can tell you that these are all important!! Nursing encompasses so many realms of the human experience....I cannot tell you how many times I have drawn upon my GE or extracurricular experience to help patients. There IS a reason that BSN RN's are preferred, or no one would go for the degree! Just my opinion

"Besides the school issue, the California requirements also mention the need for documented clinical time in "advanced medical surgical nursing, psychiatric nursing and geriatrics." This is a quote form Lizz that I wanted to expand on because it also explains the point I was trying to make early on but didn't due to Holiday Brain Funk ( and please excuse me if I jump around here) What an online program cannot provide for you is diversity, hands on, and a well rounded education.....even if you have been a nurse for a number of years. In my advanced physical assessment class ( for my BSN) there were students who had been practicing 20 years and were having difficulty ( It was REALLY thorough!! Vision, hearing, health history taking...stuff that you just don't do routinely as a staff RN.) In my community health rotation I took a PHN 's case load and worked it. I learned SO much about resources and referrals. In my leadership and management clinical I worked side by side with an NP at a home for emotionally and mentally challenged children....even if I had been a pediatric nurse for 50 years I can guarantee you I never would have had this type of experience in a hospital or clinic setting. So just like a traditional ADN program gives you a well rounded experience, the same is to be said of a traditional RN-BSN program or LVN to RN program ( I know my community college had them rotate throught the last year of classes and clinicals) I am sorry if I just do NOT think that Online education can offer the same benefits, even though it may be a solution of sorts for some.

Sorry folks, but there is no comparison between university based BSN programs with hands on clinicals versus Online programs. Online programs are more expensive because it is basically buying a degree. Excelsior college costs about $8000 just for an LVN to RN program and guess what? The California BRN is no longer recognizing degrees from this college unless the candidate in question completes 360 MORE clinical hours and works as an LVN for 1 year. There are NO shortcuts if you want to become truly educated. I am currently in an MSN/PNP program at CSULB with extensive clinical time, and there were plenty of other programs I could have enrolled in that were shorter and easier (although pricier) but I wanted to do it right. The online grads (RN) that I have worked with so far have been very limited as far as their knowledge and skills, so much so that our hospital is no longer hiring online (only) RN grads. Yes it is more effort, yes it takes longer...but if you are serious about your career and performance and not just interested in adding initials to your name, then a hands on program is the way to go. Just my opinon ( and personal experience) of course:)

Wow, carbon sheets, that does sound scary! My hospital is in transition to computer right now and it's a real headache. They say it will all be worth it when its complete and the system will be so much easier, but currently the MD writes orders, it's faxed to the pharmacy and anything besides drugs has to be ordered in the computer, the unit secretary signs it off, then the nurse signs it off. It is not a perfect system, things get missed or transcribed wrong all the time. They say the docs will have to put their orders into the computers soon :roll Yeah, that'll happen! Our docs are too lazy now to write it down, no way are they going to log on to the computer and type it out. They will give us more verbals, which we all know the repercussions of that! Actually, I have heard of one system in some hospital where the docs all have PDA's and they input their orders in those, but then where is the MD_RN communication? I don't know what the solution is!

WOW! This is a sticky topic, isn't it? And an emotional one. Struggles with weight are a huge deal ( no pun intended) - Obesity is now an American epidemic and a billion dollar business. Even Dr. Phil is getting in on it (which I have to say I am a little disappointed in him). Bottom line is, we are nurses guys- we need to have compassion-if losing weight was so easy WHY doesn't everyone do it and why is there like a thousand different theories, pills, infomercials. I have been on almost every diet out there and it's not just watching calories and exercising- I agree with whoever posted that its a complex problem. Now there is a theory that hormones can inhibit weight loss and there's a pill for that! What about the "fat gene"? For some people surgery IS the way to go, and if screened properly I believe it's done for the appropriate population, I don't think anyone thinks it's an easy solution or a quick fix, there are many lifelong repercussions, many unknown at this time since the surgery hasn't been around all that long.

California is an awesome state to go to school- I only paid about $2500 for my ADN at a community college (not including books), for my RN to BSN I paid about $5,000 ( not including books) and I just entered a MSN/PNP program that takes two years and my tuition is $1500 a semester. Last year I made $63K working per diem. I really can't complain!

Totally true! It has happened to the best of us! A freind of mine who has been a nurse 13 years hung the right ABX wrong patient on one child whose mom is a nurse and the mom caught it and was actually very gracious about it! I am lucky I have made stupid errors but nothing too harmful. My other friend gave an extra bolus of dilaudid to a child who was in terrible pain ( and you know any one would have done it) and the child ended up on a ventilator ( because the oncoming night nurse and code team didn't use narcan first) he ended up being OK but my friend went through hell and back over it...we were all comforting her for months over it, even the attending ( who was more pissed at the code team cuz they should have used narcan the kiddo was on a dilaudid drip)

When I first became a nurse one of the older nurses I considered a mentor died from that surgery,and I was crushed, thougth the surgery was so bad, etc. But you know, she had a ton of other health problems ( one small issue was she had a pacemaker and some serious cardiac issues) She was also diabetic-She didn't last long after the surgery. One of our aides just had the surgery and she is doing great and LOOKS great-she is young without any health problems. EXCEPT now she's pregnant only 6 months after the surgery, I don't think her MD is super happy about that. Anyway, I guess it is like many other surgeries-does benefit outweigh the risk.

Hi! I think the best bet is to go through a community college for your ADN, that's about 4 semesters after prerequisites are completed. Then, if you want a BSN, you can go through an accelerated program although BEWARE, they are expensive. By the way, just because you have a Bachelors in one area does not mean that with an associates degree you have a BSN, it's a completely different degree. the BSN has many special classes such as research, leadership, management, pathophysiology, etc. I received my ADN at a community college, then went through an RN to BSN program through a local university, that took 2 years. The accelerated program was only 6 months shorter and was about $5,000 more so I didn't do it ( didn't want to take out student loans or come out of it in debt). AND most hospitals don't pay any more $$ if you have your BSN if you are a staff nurse (although it adds points to your clinical ladder and will eventually help you get raises) Hope this information helps!:)

I remember the psych unit from nursing school! I came home with such funny stories my daughter wanted me to be a psych nurse. We had an initial interview with a guy who told us he was from "another galaxy, not unlike other galaxies" when we asked which one he said "Garden Grove"( a city here in O.C.) Then when we told him we needed to take some blood from him, he said he had no blood in his veins, only green shredded paper.You have to laugh (inside) about these events or they will make you really sad. One thing that always came to my mind was that unlike many of our med/surg patients, these patients were not going to get better in any real sense of the word. Also the meds they have to take have terrible side effects- heavy sedation, nausea....See I told you you have to laugh or you will cry!