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i can only offer you my opinion; this is a question that will yield many answers/suggestions. i began my rn-msn search about 2 1/2 years ago, and like you wished to "skip" the bsn portion as i had been a nurse for over 10 years with much success in my respective fields. as such, there was little a bsn could offer me that i hadn't already accomplished. after extensive research i narrowed my decision to chamberlain and excelsior, ultimately enrolling in excelsior college. i chose excelsior based on the curriculum, rollingenrollments, lack of gre requirement (which was essential for me) and interaction with advising staff prior to enrollment. i officially enrolled july 2010 and will be graduating from both programs next month (july 2012) with a 4.0 gpa. the classes are typically 15 weeks, with a few consisting of 8 week intervals. for asn or diploma prepared rns, there is also the opportunity to test out of several bsn "fundamental" courses as well as prerequisites that may be lacked. this saved me much time as i tested out of 4 bsn classes and the humanities prereq i lacked. classes require a weekly post (short essay supported by research) with at least 1 or 2 responses to your peers’ posts. there are no midterms or final exams, replaced instead by research papers typically of your choosing within a given generalized category (example: ethics, theory...). typical course load per semester is two classes; however, i averaged three with a couple semesters of four courses (one of which was always only 8 weeks in duration). it should be mentioned that i stopped work to become a full time student and have no obligations outside of a somewhat self reliant husband whose job requires extensive travel. i found the classes not only engaging but also relevant to the healthcare arena in general. nearing completion, i also feel confident in my education and overall leadership abilities. the advising staff was always readily available and helpful in an encouraging and positive way. excelsior is not "pushy" nor do they employ a sales department. when i made initial contact for advising purposes i was able to send over unofficial transcripts for review and essentially better guidance. as a result, there were no surprises in my overall course requirements. excelsior is not only 100% on-line with any campus time required; they are also cognizant of various times zones with the advising offices open late on mondays and wednesdays to accommodate. all advising sessions were always followed with an email summarizes the questions and recommendations. i cannot speak of enrollment fess or tuition costs as i utilized my husband's gi bill. however, from what i have heard (heresy) excelsior’s fees are substantially less than most academic institutions. excelsior does have some difficulties with initial rn credibility within certain state boards, but there seems to be no difficulties with rn's seeking employment with advanced or bridge program educations. overall i have been very happy with my academic journey and would honestly recommend excelsior college. if they offered a dnp program i would in all honesty continue my educational journey within their domain. i hope this helps.

It really depends on how much experience you have as an RN. For example, I have been an RN for 7 years with 7 years of previous LVN experience. I have extensive ER and Critical Care Transport experience. In the last three years I have aquired OR experience. I hold an ASN, CEN and CNOR; I have been a charge nurse, coordinator, supervisor, scheduler and participated in hiring and QA processes. There is no reason for me to obtain a BSN as I have accomplished all this with experience and an ASN. For this reason, I have chosen to bypass the BSN and go straight to the MSN. If you have little or no experience as an RN, than the BSN pathway should be pursued with subsequent experience aquired. Employers are looking for experienced RNs first and then education second (by saying this, if the job came down to an Associate's RN with many years of experience vice a BSN RN with no experience, the experienced nurse will win). Hope this helps a little. Sorry it is much later than your original post.

Having 5 classes at once isn't that bad. Demanding, but once organized it is doable. I tend to work ahead and submit assignments early, which helps with time management. How did you find the grading of the Assessment video? I am a little concerned with this as there were a few small details I omitted (showing the chux disposal from the scale was one). I am concerned, refilming a portion is not an option for me as my patient (husband) just unexpectedly deployed for several months. What other classes do you have left?

i am currently enrolled in the ec rn to msn program and half way through the two classes requiring the videos (health assessment and teaching). i too went through ec several years ago for the lpn to asn program and as such it made sense at the time to continue my educational journey with ec. i wish i would have done research prior to making this decision. knowing what i do now, i would not have enrolled in ec and i would caution those thinking about ec to weigh the pros and cons of all programs. i just completed filming the health assessment video and it is a big deal. it requires the coordination of a healthcare/clinic facility (which was difficult for me as i resigned from my job to focus on studies), somebody to be the patient, and a video assistant. this is a huge deal when you have to rely on others for a project they did not sign up for. furthermore, the requirements for the video are absolutely ridiculous. the physical exam is extremely comprehensive and beyond what a nurse does in everyday practice. i have been an er nurse for 14 years and have never done anything to the magnitude that this course requires. the video requires the assessment of a general survey, respiratory, cv, abdominal and neurological (to include all the cranial nerves). there is absolutely no practical application of the assessment techniques (unless pursuing an np). the accompanying paperwork for the video is also absolutely ridiculous. one must assess and document such areas as the entire lymphatic chain, comprehensive eye exam (like going to an ophthalmologist), peripheral vascular and eent. the documentation is extensive, and the requirements again are tough. it is a big unrealistic deal. the teaching video is less intense. one must essentially determine a topic of health promotion/prevention, gather a group of people (i am using my family) and film a teaching session in a location of your choice (a home will suffice). this course is actually somewhat enjoyable as there is much more flexibility with the requirements. i currently have a 3.88 gpa with ec and looked into transferring into chamberlain's msn/mba program. i was very impresses with the advisors i spoke with, but unfortunately have too much invested with ec to transfer out. i would lose some credits and much time. you can take more than one class with ec. i am currently seven weeks into three classes, just finished two others three weeks ago and am enrolled in three others that will start in dec. approval must be granted prior to enrolling in each class, but it is not difficult to get more than one. i don't know if this helps at all. i just wanted to let you know from a dedicated student and veteran nurse's perspective what the video actually entails. i can't comment on the grading system as i just submitted the final project. i also can not comment about costs involved as i have grants that i am using. hope this helps

Hi there. I am hoping you can answer some questions for me. I am currently enrolled in the RN to MSN program with Excelsior but am strongly considering completing the BSN requirements and transfering to Chamberlain for the MSN/MBA program. After speaking with advisors from Chamberlain, I have a couple of concerns. Currently with EC I take five classes at a time (I am currently not working and have no children) and do quite well. I have completed the program in six months with great marks. I am concerned that I will have a lot of wasted time with Chamberlain as they only allow 2 classes per 8 weeks. Also, what do the weekly requirements look like? Are there exams or mainly papers? Are there any ridiculous projects that are done outside of the online course? Any light you can shed on the class structures would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your input.