Required By Work to Get BSN - Don't Want to Write Endless Papers

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Dear Nurse Beth,

I need to get my BSN per hospital policy. Nineteen years ago I had accumulated almost 1/2 the credits necessary. I imagine they've expired & I'd have to start from scratch. Right now I have very little free time to devote to getting my degree. I need to find an online RN-to-BSN program that will primarily utilize work experience toward the degree requirements instead of endless papers! Where do I look? 

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28 Answers

Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Dear Doesn't Want to Write Papers,

A good place to hear what other RNs have to say is here on site, the RN to BSN Online Learning forum.

When choosing a school, it's most important that it's accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Here's a link that compares several top RN to BSN online programs. They vary in number of credits required, and the number of credits they will accept for your ADN.

I would make a spreadsheet, pick 8-10 accredited schools, and compare by price, length of time to complete, and credits required.

There are no shortcuts to getting your BSN. You can't avoid writing papers. It's part of academia, it's part of the work required to earn your degree, and any reputable school will require written papers. Think about changing your mindset and thinking of it as a new skill. You have to do it regardless, you can't change that, but you can change your response to it.

I am an older student and got my BSN from University of Texas at Arlington. It was all online. It was not just papers. I already had my ADN so I had to take English, Algebra, Fine Art (Humanities), History, Statistics, etc. along with nursing classes. Yes, there are some classes that require writing papers but most classes in the BSN program require taking tests. It takes self-discipline but online does not waste time driving to school, parking, waiting for class to start. With online you can study anywhere, anytime as long as you have an Internet connection. I started college at 48 and am now getting my Master's Degree at WGU. They offer BSN degrees too. I really like WGU because they assign you a mentor to help you get through your program, plus each class assigns you a class mentor to help. The MSN IS paper after paper. I have been in school 8 out of the last 10 years. Yes, you miss some social activities but I have a 3.91 GPA and that makes me feel great! Good Luck. You can do it.

Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

I also just completed my BSN from Western Givernors University, last week as a matter of fact. I did a lot of research. I asked everyone who was or has been in school for their BSN and Wedtern Governors kept coming up so that's what I did.

Dont let let not wanting to write papers stand between you and your degree. Just like you wouldn't let paying rent stand between you and homelessness. Sometimes in life we have to do things we don't want to do. It's not so bad. If you just keep going you'll get there, and your course mentors are there to guide you every step of the way. I'd say go for it. It's worth it.

I went to WGU (Western Governors University). It's 100% online and you'll be so glad you did it! It's competency based and you can get through with it as quickly as you need to.

Specializes in Rehab, Ortho, Telemetry.

24 years after having switched from BSN to ASN programs due to financial constraints and graduating with an ASN, I returned to school and graduated with my BSN from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2012. I had always felt like a failure for not having earned a Bachelor's degree, and it weighed on me until I just had to go for it. I also saw the writing on the wall, with many hospitals hiring BSN-prepared nurses over ASN/Diploma RNs. I looked at many programs, and eventually chose UTA for several reasons:

1. I wanted a program that was fully accredited, with a solid reputation.

2. I wanted a school that had a brick-and-mortar component, not an "online-only" school with no solid foundation and extensive history. UTA is a state institution, and has been around for well over 100 years. They are also renowned as a research institution.

3. UTA's online nursing program was very highly rated.

4. UTA accepted ALL of my college credits (from 1984-1988). Not some of them. ALL of them. They also allowed me to use my specialty certification to count for one of my 3-hour elective courses. There are several colleges that will accept all of your prior college credits, with no limit on how recent they are. You worked hard for those credits; you shouldn't have to spend your time and money taking those courses again!

5. At the time of my enrollment, UTA had one of the best price packages going; and your cost was locked in as long as you took at least one course per year (I completed my degree in less than 2 years, though). Please note that the price lock did NOT pertain to the non-nursing courses, so if you enroll and need electives, I would suggest taking those early on to avoid price hikes. I believe they still offer the same "Academic Partnership" program, though the price has increased over the last few years.

OK. All that said, my opinion of online education was drastically changed by the time I graduated. I really didn't think online courses would be very difficult, but if you think it's a "pay your fees, get your B's" environment, think again. It was pretty much as hard as brick-and-mortar education, though some of the methods had to be adapted for the online format. I worked my tail off to graduate Summa Cum Laude, and I'm very proud of it. It's not a store-bought degree; it's hard-earned. Working full time, I found it hard to take more than one course at a time. I honestly don't know how my classmates with young children survived at all.

For me, the only thing that I HATED about the program (and they all have this component) was the group projects, designed to help you learn collaboration skills. I collaborate every day at work. Mostly what I learned from these group projects was that there are still people in this world (even RNs, the most respected profession) who are content and even determined to ride your coattails and graciously accept a grade they did not earn. I just had to give up my anger and leave it to Karma to reward them for their lack of effort at some point.

Do your homework. Compare the schools. Demand credit for your college courses, no matter how old they are. Look at the national reputation of the schools you are considering, and make sure their nursing program is fully accredited. And finally, congratulations for making a decision that, though you feel pressured into it, will give you a great sense of fulfillment and pride once you have that degree!

Specializes in Epic Trainer, Med/Surg, Psych.

Is no one else disturbed by the fact that experienced nurses are being forced to get BSNs to keep jobs they have been doing for years? Where are out unions and professional organizations on this? If they were truly representing the best interests of nurses, or for that matter patients, they would be defending us from this BS, not advocating it.

Seems that to be fair, established nurses without BSN should be offered incentives to pursue BSN. They should not be fired. Unions should press this point. Any new hires should be BSN only. Any experienced nurses who choose not to pursue BSN should be grandfathered in and allowed to keep working, except that there may be a pay differential to BSN RNs.

As a nurse of 23 years, I too felt like I was forced to return to school to obtain my BSN. I finished in September of 2015 at The University of Texas at Arlington. Boy, am I glad I did. I have since changed jobs and am in a much better and less stressful position and am getting ready to go back for my MSN. Who would have thought?!

My advice to you is to try to be open minded and learn new things during this process. I know I learned a wealth of information. Also, while writing is a huge portion of the BSN program, try not to focus on that. Just dive in and forge ahead. You can do it! Good luck!

Specializes in Orthopedics/Trauma/Med-Surg.

While I understand not wanting to write papers, the articles that you research to write those papers is important. You have a choice in how you get your BSN. You can write meaningless papers just to "get it done". Or you can research articles that are meaningful to your current (or future) nursing practice and write a paper that is meaningful. The point of online education if for you to learn on your own. Whether or not you do that is up to you.

I'm about to turn 59 & am feeling no outside pressure to complete my BSN. However, I have been experiencing a strong desire to finish my education, to finish what I started with my ADN. As well, I want to have more options as I'm getting too old to be flipping these larger patients, no matter how fit I am. So I'm starting my BSN at Colorado Tech University next week. I'm nervous, but the reason that I chose this program is simple. It's less than $13,000, it's all online, and it doesn't require a new biology or chemistry class. I just can't do a in-class lab with my schedule. I've looked into all the mentioned programs & many more. I'm just hoping that I can do this. It's been many years since I did the formal writing thing, and I know I've forgotten all the formatting rules. Time to buckle down!

Specializes in Crit Care; EOL; Pain/Symptom; Gero.

Unions, professional organizations and hospital systems know that results of research have demonstrated that patient care provided by baccalaureate-educated RNs results in significantly less morbidity and mortality, decreased LOS, and decreases in 30-day readmissions rates.

Although the movement toward a BSN-prepared bedside nursing workforce has taken a generation to gain traction, it likely isn't going away.

I'm not sure when you went to UTA, but now it is a paper every week, at least the nursing classes I have taken. WGU had usually only 1 paper per class, but I did not do well by not having deadlines except for "finish in 6 months". I did like that you could work as fast as you wanted and add classes without paying more money in that 6 month time frame though.

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