RN-BSN 0n-line and clinicals

[chuckster, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

This is kind of late in the game for me since I'm well into the RN-BSN program admissions process but I recently read this general assessment about online programs:

Why is the RN required?

Nursing education includes two components: theory (textbook) learning and hands-on work in a hospital setting. The latter is referred to as clinical training.

If you already hold an RN license, colleges assume you have completed both the required foundation lab courses, such as chemistry, and the required clinical hours in a nursing setting.

Most RNs are already employed in a local health care facility. This means they can complete advanced courses online while continuing to work. Their work setting becomes the “supervised clinical” setting for the online BSN degree. A local supervised clinical setting is required for all online degrees in nursing.

It's the last paragraph and specifically the last sentence that's troubling me. While I'm an associate degree RN, I do not work in a health care facility (and in the present job market, have very little chance of finding a nursing postion - but I digress). Neither of the 2 schools I applied to have a stated clinical component in their RN-BSN program. While both had questions on their applications asking you to identify the health care facility you worked in, that seemed to be for other purposes. I clearly stated on the applications that I did not presently work in the health care field and when I spoke with the enrollment advisors at these institutions, they did not indicate that this presented a problem.

So the question is: Am I going to discover somewhere along the line that I haven't completed some hidden clinical component and thus am not eligible for the BSN?

[MsPC]

I would contact the school individually, they may require you to have hours signed off on for your clinicals. In the BSN it tends to be assumed you work in an area where you can just have a supervisor sign off. Last I checked Thomas Edison State College did not require clinicals for RN to BSN.

[BrookeeLou_RN]

I have investigated many online programs, very few require clinicals but everyone did require a CapStone type program which might require you spending time with a healthcare company. I did see a few that requires practicum for Community nursing requiring so many hrs spent in a health dept or similar setting. I agree call your school to ask specifically but I find they are very up front about these type of requirements.. Best of luck.:)