LilWhiteHat

To my understanding about the freeze on accepting Cali students is bc ALL cal states are not accepting or limiting the amount of new students or transfers. In order to be accepted to ISU, you have to also be accepted to Cal State Sonoma and since Ca passed some bill, all cal states across the board (low or high impacted schools) are affected. Everyone I know except 1 person was accepted at a cal state this coming semester. Fortunately, they will be accepting students again spring semester '13...for now.

Hi Maliboo3905, I'm doing TCN route. I don't mind paying the cost for the classes only bc I do get tuition assistant from work. If I didn't have that, I probably would be going the community college route. I actually like how TCN set up their modules. Straight forward info with many quizzes and exams to practice on. Of course, I've bought other types of books to help me out that I purchased either on eBay or amazon. You can even access the classes on nooks and/or kindles. Not apple products. I'm actually learning a lot from these classes. It's also not my first time doing online classes so I kinda know how my studying schedule should be. Honestly, the price doesn't phase me. I understand it's not a accredited college and that they're a publishing company. However, they help you SO much. There is a lot of support. You can now take the tests at home. They send you a webcam and they proctor you from wherever you are. As a full time working mom with 2 kids, 2 years old and under (and still nursing my infant), the flexibility with TCN and ISU online classes is totally worth it's weight in gold. I'm also really lucky that I work 12hr shifts/3 days a week. My kids have just recently been sick back to back. It's been like a month of my kids being sick and I was able to study during their naps and bedtime. If I was in school, I would have to be absent and missed a whole lot of information. I probably would have been dropped. Also with community colleges, I'm limited to how many classes I can take in a 16 week semester. With my situation, I could probably only do 2 maybe 3 classes and find a babysitter. By using the TCN modules, I can test out in subjects every 2-3 months, some 1 month depending how fast I go and save money on babysitting. I have no prereqs so I'm doing ALL my classes through TCN. In the end, with TCN costs and ISU costs, I'll be paying about $30k for my BSN. Since my work will be paying about half, it's really about $15K for me, not to mention what kind of financial aid I can get from my FAFSA. Totally worth it's weight in gold. Right now, I am only paying $140 a month for the 12 modules I bought from TCN. These are the 12 classes that are required before I can apply to ISU's program. After that, I have to purchase more modules and yes, my monthly will go up, but that's ok. I just look at it as a car payment. I have lots of good things to say about TCN. But just remember TCN is just a tool to help you pass the test so you can get credit. You have to be self motivate and very disciplined for this to work. Studying at home is not easier. If you're a single person with the only responsibility is yourself, go to a college, but for me, I'm the bread winner in my family and the benefits out weigh the bad. Private message me if you like more info about TCN. To each, their own!

Yes, I am aware that the college network is not a college. I also understand if I go this route, I have to stay with it bc these subjects that I'm taking does not transfer anywhere else. Once you signed up to do TCN, you have to be committed to do the program the whole way through. ISU's nursing program accepts the classes that you do through TCN, but you don't necessarily have to go through TCN to go to ISU. If you go onto ISU's nursing program website and you have the classes that fulfill the lvn to BSN online program requirements, you can apply.

I'm in california...Huntington Beach to be specific, and I signed up with the college network then transferring into Indiana state university for the lvn to BSN online program. I've done a lot of research for months. I have no pre-reqs. West coast university costs about $100k for a BSN. I was looking into mount saint Mary's and I was actually going to drive out there to LA 3 times a week and they cost $56k. However, you only get an associates. TCN and ISU route will only cost me about $26k and I get a BSN. Yes you have to pay for the nursing studying materials so I'm hoping I'll find what I can in eBay. The other stuff you can print off online through their site. Stuff like Anatomy and physiology, psychology...etc. Apparently being in Ca, if you request printed modules from TCN directly, they have to charge you $30 bc Ca has a law about out of state school material. California...charging for everything! Luckily, I can print things off at work and we have tuition reimbursement for when I pay for those expensive nursing books. For me, it's worth it. I have 2 kids 2 years and under and I get to spend time with them. If I went to school, not only do I have to find a babysitter, but I will also have to miss class if they get sick. Little kids get sick all the time and they pass their sickness back and forth to each other. So it's like they're sick for 2 weeks. In a regular school setting, you're only allowed to miss a certain amount of days before they drop you. I have not yet done all my preliminary courses, i just started last week. I'm working on A&P. I'm loving it so far. I understand that it takes A LOT of discipline and I'm ok with that. I've been studying almost all day. Well, whenever I have blocks of time doing nothing, I study. I'm reading and memorizing. I'm attached to my printed resources, my written notes, and my lap top. Private message me if you have any questions. When I met with the advisor, he pretty much said everything that I had done research on. He never pressured me into signing. I already knew I wanted to sign. Like I said, I had been following this school and it's students for months. I feel like those who are unhappy was mostly bc of money. I could go community college route, but I'm losing money waiting for classes, being wait listed, then being wait listed in a nursing program. I'll pay the extra cost and it's really not bad...at least here in California. It doesn't bother or phase me at all. I'm determined to get my BSN. It actually saves me money not having to get a babysitter, driving to LA in nasty traffic, and paying the ever rising gas prices. I'm also happy that I get to stay home with my babies while they're still babies. After all, they're only small once. I was sad with the thought of missing out on milestone, but now I'm not. I'm confident to say I made a great decision.

Nursecinda-I like to know too if you're in California and was it hard to find clinical placement.

LadyinScrubs-I'm starting to freak out about clinical placement in California. I'm starting to feel that this was a bad decision I made. Will any of the California students get any clinical sites at all? If they dont, will Ca BON reject the ISU online program in the bear future? Who can I contact bc I feel an anxiety attack coming on reading that Ca clinical placement is difficult.

Hi LadyinScrubs! You rock! You are so helpful and reading your posts make me feel confident that I made the right decision doing the LVN to BSN program through ISU. I live in so cal. Orange county to be exact. I just started the program last week. In fact, I'm starting from no pre-reqs and going through The college network, which I think is totally worth it. Anyways, my concern is clinicals. How can I find out what sites there are? I know it changes from time to time, but it's something I like to find out. Also, I currently work an at acute hospital, could I ask my hospital to precept. me?

Take this as a lesson and be more aware. It's ok. You won't lose your license. You never hurt the patient. Just take things easy and go step by step. Yes follow the 5 rights at all times. Hang in there. Being a new nurse is overwhelming

I'm doing ISU's lvn to BSN online program from California. Here's why. A little background info: Ive been an LVN on a floor of an acute hospital in Southern California for 6 years now. As an LVN working on the floor, i pretty much work as an RN. The only thing different is that i don't do IVpush meds, but i do EVERYTHING else. Its rare to see LVNs in a hospital setting in SoCal...in fact, Orange County. Before being an LVN, I was a nursing staffing coordinator at the same hospital and i was working with the house supervisors. After I got my lvn, I transferred to the surgical floor. Hospitals now do not hire LVNs on the floor. I was lucky. Moving to now...I have 2 kids now. The other day I ran in to an old coworker at a grocery store with her son, she was a house supervisor when I was in LVN school. She now works at St. Joesph and I'm still at the same hospital. I respect her a lot. Her son, who is also an LVN, is doing the LVN to BSN online program through the College Network then going to Indiana State University. They both did a lot of research before deciding to go to this school. He said it's tough and a lot of discipline to stay focused and doing online classes. The problem here in So Cal is that all the nursing programs are so impacted and wait lists are like 2 years. Even if i do my preqs at a community college, they are now limiting the number of transfers to Cal States, so now it will take even longer for me to get my BSN. I was considering going to go to West Coast University, but its just too expensive. $100k...are you kidding me!! Then i was going to go to Mt St Mary's in LA, but I live in Orange County and its like an hour and half drive. I have 2 kids 2 years and under. I was stressing bc of baby sitting issues and missing my boys growing up. Mt St Mary's is about $50k but you come out with an ASN, not BSN. I had done some research about ISU's program, but didn't really pursue it bc I dont know anyone who tried it. Talking with my ex coworker and her son made me realize I'm doing ISU. He said it will cost him about $26K . For that much money, I'll hit the pavement and look for clinical sites. Luckily i'm in So Cal so there are clinical sites for me, but if there wasn't, I'll do the leg work. I'll still do it if I have to! I want to do the traditional go to school and class type thing, but my situation has changed. I have kids now. My kids will be classmates and my desk is my classroom. Being with my kids will always out weigh wanting to be in a classroom. To be honest with you, my director doesn't care where you got your BSN as long as you have it. When they hire you, its about that piece of paper and how you interview. My hospital even hires RNs from another countries who barely speak english. I am the only LVN on my floor. I'm lucky enough to have the my 6 years of experience on the floor and my RN colleagues as my resources. There are a couple of RNs now trying to get their BSN. My floor is a big family. I have confidence that they will help me anyway they can. The RNs on my floor are more than willing to help me get to my goal. I recommend doing this program if you have the help and support. If you're a new LVN with barely any experience on the floor, then doing a program like this is difficult. Also, if you dont have the self discipline to stay put and do online classes, it will be even more difficult. I will update how the program is going for me. Maybe even start a blog any of you can follow and see my progress with the program. I am starting from the beginning. I'm going to do my preqs through the college network. I'm meeting Brian Dodge wednesday May 23. I have applied for FAFSA already. I was going to go to a communty college but since my encounter with my old coworker....ISU is the way to go. So follow me on twitter @lilwhitehat and see if this journey is for you too. I'll say how my meeting went and everything. I believe that caring and supporting each other is what we all need when it comes to doing online nursing school. As nurses, we already care!!! So we're half way there! So follow me on my journey doing an online nursing program. @lilwhitehat on twitter. i just signed up so right now...no followers.