kimberlee713

This was calculated by Loyola when they reviewed my courses from WGU, or you can take your grades, not the final grade, the actual grades themselves, and calculate it. I wasn't notified via email about this thread, sorry it took so long to answer! I'm still confused as to how people are worried about this degree transferring to another school. If a school is telling you they won't accept WGU, then they are the questionable ones, WGU has more accreditation than most of the colleges I researched, even UNC-Charlotte!

Hi Joanie, I didn't take it in an insulting way, I should apologize if my post made it seem that way Competency based just means that you don't receive number grades per se, you still receive a B or C or even an A on your assignments!! (hard to get those though...) Competency based programs are simply structured to make sure you have a grasp of the material or you don't pass. This is actually BETTER than traditional grading models. This school is accredited by all nursing accreditation models so people can't tell you that they won't accept the credits, it's no different than Yale or Duke or any other brick and mortar. I do think you're confused on the grading criteria versus the credit for class. They are completely independent of each other. You still receive credits per class, as long as you pass them. Biochemistry is still 3 credits, you do have to pass with a C or better and you have to graduate with a 3.0 I believe. (each school as different grading criteria, 3.0 is a low B, 3.5 is a high B, etc.....) There's no difference in their didactic from other schools, they just structure their grading differently. Loyola was impressed with my didactic from WGU and I got in over some other brick and mortar students, that should tell you what WGU is doing..and they're doing it well! I will warn you though, it's a tough program and good grades are earned the hard way. You are welcome to contact me if you have any more questions [email protected]. I can't say enough good things about WGU and how prepared I was for graduate school.

It's an accredited program, why would there be any problem having it recognized? Non-traditional? Why, because it's online? Duke University, UIC (Chicago) Loyola, etc.....some of the greatest schools in the country have online programs, how is this "non-traditional"? I'm currently attending graduate school at Loyola after graduating from WGU......and thank God I went to WGU, I'm a 4.0 where everyone else is struggling with 3.0. Piece of cake after the didactic and preparation from WGU.

Bobby, The classes aren't any different from brick and mortar but they're intense, you're going to actually learn the content or you won't pass. I was really surprised at how much information they expected me to digest. You're going to write a LOT of papers but they guide you through it and you have a lot of help from your mentor. I'm now in Graduate school at Loyola and it's a cakewalk compared to WGU, but I was prepared and that's what's important. I'm also a better nurse because of WGU. I did this program in 10 months and I can tell those expecting to do it in less, forget it, you won't be able to do it. I almost didn't make it and it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, even though I finished with a 3.8 GPA. I had already been an RN for 18 years and 10 months was brutal for this program, no way will you finish it sooner. My brick and mortar colleagues were taking statistics and couldn't help me with mine, couldn't help me with my biochemistry or my nursing classes. WGU puts together a complete and applicable didactic, not theory and fluff. I can also say that my graduate class mates are still struggling with APA style and paper research a year into the program, I have a 4.0 and have never received less than an A on a paper, thank you WGU! If you're not a nurse already, then expect the full 3-4 years but you can also expect to be the best nurse on the market. As an alumni, I'm always available to those thinking of attending or already attending. I can't say enough good things about WGU and I want to support those who are ready to feel the same.

Hi chris2732, I'm not sure about dual enrollment, the way they structure their didactic, I don't see why they wouldn't allow you to take both tracks but what I'm finding in graduate school is that they limit you for a reason: it's hard! I switched over to the Loyola program only because I didn't want to write a thesis (I'm tired!) and it was the easy way out. Loyola not only doesn't allow dual enrollment, they also don't allow you to double up on classes until your third semester. The best thing to do is find out if pre-licensure nursing schools will take your MSN in administration as an educator. If you can teach with that, then you don't need the added cost of an additional degree. Good luck in anything that you choose to do!

I am MORE than happy to help, I'm working on your email :) Kimberlee

I'm sure I speak for Emily when I say we hope you get in too!!

Darleneisdarlene, I completed my WGU program in July of this year. Hardest thing I've ever done although I did the whole program in 10 months (NOT recommended!) but you can do it in an accelerated fashion if you need to. I started the graduate program at Loyola this fall and its a cake walk because of my education at WGU. I learned more in that program than I did in the whole ASN program and I'm grateful that I chose them. I would never have gone on to get my MSN if not for the incredible mentors and professors at WGU. I see girls struggling in my master's program and to me its a breeze! Its a COMPETENCY based program, if you're not COMPETENT in that subject matter, you don't pass. Its completely different from the spoon fed brick and mortar, you have to actually learn the material and show your mastery of the didactic.

I am a clinical specialist with one of the major manufacturers of the Pre-Filled Saline Syringes. These PF syringes are NOT sterile, only "clean". However, once you remove them from the wrapper, they are no longer clean, you just touched them with your hand. This includes the plunger which does in fact enter the syringe when depressing it and pulling back causes any flora on the plunger to be introduced into the sterile saline and any medication you may have diluted with the saline. PF syringes are to be used for FLUSHING ONLY. ***NO vascular access device should EVER be aspirated for blood return except a Central Line. The purpose of Positive Pressure flushing is to maintain line patency, aspirating blood causes blood to pool in the VAD reservoir, resulting in a clot, resulting in occluded VAD. BTW, this practice of "aspirating" also holds true for those of you that were inadvertently taught to inject air into a vial prior to withdrawing the medication. When you pull back the plunger of a syringe, you are introducing airborne bacterial flora into the syringe. There is no evidence that vials require air to withdraw medication.

It is singularly the hardest thing I have ever done because the course content (Competency Based Program remember) makes sure you have a firm grasp of each subject. If WGU says you need 15-20 hours a week for course work, plan on spending 30. Your education is so much better than what the brick and mortars are teaching, I promise! I initially enrolled in their RN-MSN but just applied to another university only because I wanted a specialty not offered at WGU. When Loyola looked at my curriculum, THEY were impressed. I had no problem with the graduate process at another university. Cake Walk! WGU is accredited by both the college accreditation agency AND the CCNE, I don't understand why people are concerned about the education.

The assessments can only be taken once you have completed your Course of Study for each class. Don't let the wording confuse you, you still have to complete several required tasks and syllabus' for each class, you just don't have to obtain useless knowledge. You are also required to take final exams for classes such as statistics, Algebra, chemistry and such. The nursing classes are all designed for the current RN so your "finals" are based on your performance in the tasks and a final project. As I posted in another thread, I am attending my program at WGU while 2 of my work colleagues are attending brick and mortar programs. I am by far, required to write more papers, do more research and construct more projects than they have in a whole year of classes.

What most of these posts miss is that if you are already an RN, you have NO clinical requirements in the RN-BSN program, regardless of where you go! As a WGU student, I've already proven that my program is exactly the same as that of UNC......there are several of us in the ED that are all RN-BSN students at 3 different schools. All of us are doing the same thing on the same task sites. Regardless of the argument, that's the proof right there. When you insult a program on a message board, you either got turned down for admission or well.....I can't really think of any other reason why you would insult another program.

I work with "degree snobs" and as I posted to another, and they aren't getting anything different that you are from WGU. Who cares where it comes from as long as it fits your lifestyle and you are obtaining an accredited degree? I LOVE WGU, can't say enough good things about it, wouldn't go anywhere else (I researched programs for a full year before I started) and as I have said to others considering online degrees, you get out of it what you put into it. If you can't discipline yourself to study and get the needed information, you won't get anything out of it but a degree. I can tell you right now that it's no cakewalk and you have to work for the material. On another note, one of the girls I work with just started her BSN program at a NC school (didn't want to have an online school on her resume) and she's taking the same Math (CourseCompass.com) and Nursing Tasks (Taskstream) that I do. Now what does THAT tell you? and she paid 130.00 a credit hour......hmmmm

WGU does not offer Clinical Nurse Specialist Degrees so you don't have clinical and/or preceptorships. You have a Capstone Project (thesis, scholarly project, etc...) that you have to complete which is the same requirement for any MSN in Leadership, Administration or Education. Trust me, I spent a whole year researching nursing programs in order to further my degree. I chose WGU for it's accreditation which NC schools didn't even have and they have 20 more credits that they require for me to graduate! (it's all about the money........) The tuition WGU charges is "per semester" regardless of how many classes you take. I love WGU, I get out of it what I put into it. The girls that I work with are all going back to school and want that "Duke, UNC NCS" degree on their resume'. They work 12 hour nights and go to class for 3 hours a day.........I need more sleep than that. AND, when I graduate, they'll STILL be trying to pass the 2 language requirements for NC schools. I can't say enough about WGU

I love WGU so much I moved over to the RN-MSN program. LOVE my mentor, love the school! Any online program is up to YOU what you get out of it. It's meant for the mature student that doesn't need the structure and I'm glad I chose WGU over all of the other programs out there.