rn to bsn programs a scam...

[nd deb]

Any one else feeling that rn to bsn programs are a scam.. recently have looked into 2 online rn to bsn programs from 2 state universities.. one was 20 nursing credits, the other was 27 credits.. after they went thru my transcripts it ended up being that I needed to take a bunch more of generals.. seems like they try to get more money out of you by making you take more generals.. quite few of these were classes I had already taken, they told me that it wasn't high enough level. It really peveed me off... what I thought would be 1 yr on top of the 3 yrs I have already gone for my associate Rn ends up being another 2 to 3 yrs... what a joke.. I almost get the impression they really want to sock it to the associate degree Rn. Then I noticed that the one program I checked into that you are taking classes lpns who are doing the lpn to bsn program. The syllabus from these classes look very similar to what I have already taken.. when asked if you can challenge the course they tell you that there is stuff covered at the BSN level that you didn't get in the associate program..I am like these lpns are gonna take the same nclex I took and the infor in the classes is infor you need to know to pass the nclex. Any one else experience this or am I the only one that feels this way?

[elkpark]

That was not my experience at all -- but I'm sure there's a lot of variation among schools. (My BSN completion program was a state uni B&M program, don't know if that makes any difference -- it also was quite a few years ago, before BSN completion programs started popping up everywhere like mushrooms after a spring rain and before the big boom in online programs ...)

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Sorry you're having such a rough time accomplishing your goal. However please keep in mind that NCLEX is based on minimum requirements so it will never be "leveled" (Dip vs. AD vs BN vs MS) until there are changes in our entry into practice that have different licensing processes & requirements for each level.

National accreditation rules have established the baseline educational requirements for nursing programs but each school has the ability to layer on additional requirements that reflect the mission and values of that organization. For instance, if you attend a faith-based program, I can guarantee you'll have to have more ethics and religion credits. If you go to a school that is very 'science & research' oriented, you are probably going to encounter more math, science & research courses. This isn't just with nursing... my poor daughter had to have 6 hours of college math to get her BFA because that was the minimum math requirement for that university, no matter what major. (she survived, but barely).

The 'level' of course is a big deal. There is definite difference between 200 and 400 courses - 500 and up are graduate level. You may also find that some classes 'expire' after a while, particularly science classes because either 1) they have discovered that students who took it more than X yrs ago don't remember the basics or 2) there are continuous new developments in the field.

Bottom line - academia is not a democracy. The only pathway to success is just to jump through the hoops when they tell you to do so. We've all been there. Don't set your hoops on fire.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

I am an ADN grad and I never felt entitled to an easy breezy path to a BSN.

I would wonder if a RN to BSN program that had no prereqs and was easy to complete in a year was a scam.

[nd deb]

mn nurse, wouldn't be so bad if one hadn't already gotten an associate degree from a 2 yr lpn program and then went another yr to get an associate degree for the RN. I have a total of 3 yrs in. These 2 programs had pre req. If I had known it would require me to take another 2 yrs or more to get the bsn then I would have just tried to get into a bsn program in the first place. Almost want to say that doing a lpn to bsn would take less number of yrs.

[nd deb]

houtx, It really makes one feel like they all in it to try to get more money off of a person.. after you start to think of the time and money that it will take to acheive the bsn, you start to think you should have went to med school instead... 5 to 6 yrs to get a bsn? I think that is terrible. Sad thing that alot of these programs make it look like it is only 20, 30 credits over 2 yrs... then you find it is much more then that... really makes me mad... sad thing is that you then start to wonder how you can justify paying that much in loans back for what you are to be earning...

[nd deb]

Ever notice too, that alot of these online programs such as Kaplan, university of phoenix ect.. that they list on this website and others don't ever just list the infor, they ask you infor.. I did that one time and got a bunch of phone calls from various ones trying to get me to go into their program. I ended up on the phone for 2 hrs with one of them, I think it was university of phoenix, they didn't tell me the cost nor how many credits ect I needed until the end of the phone call.. from what I remember it was 20k for one yr of classes. I was like uffda... they kept calling me to get into their program and I kept telling them I wasn't interested..

[netglow, ASN, RN]

You are correct OP, and it will only get worse.

[BacktotheBeach, ADN, BSN, RN]

I have been looking into these programs and thinking the same thing. I ran across one in Florida that you can do online. It is through St. Petersburg Community College and it does not require a long list of prereqs other than the stuff you take for nursing, like A & P and micro. The only thing I would need that I do not have is statistics. If you happen to live in Florida, the price is excellent, out of state is a bit more, but you wouldn't need all the extra classes.

St. Petersburg College (SPC) Bachelors Degrees - College of Nursing

[nd deb]

It is like that alot of schools are taking advantage of the supposely nursing shortage so they popping with rn programs all over the place... some of them I question if people would even hire a person knowing they are from a business college type of school.. I also get the impression that alot of universities ect.. are seeing the rn to bsn as a opportunity to get money out of person. Wouldn't so bad if they wouldn't try to get one to take a bunch of generals that they have already taken. I have been telling people lately to not even do the associate degree rn program.. been telling them that they are perhaps better with lpn to bsn instead thru a university that has bsn program. Have noticed alot of people have a tough time getting into 4 yr programs so they opt for doing a lpn program first and then are able to get into a bsn program.

[vic_rn]

I agree. I was highly disappointed in my RN-BSN program. Pharm and Patho were the exact same courses I took for my ASN. The rest of the classes were a joke as well. The only one I feel I actually benefited from was Research, something not covered at my community college. I'm not saying I didn't learn new things. However, I could have easily learned them on my own for much cheaper. UGH. Wish I had gone straight for BSN the first time.

It would be nice to see specialty RN-BSN programs for experienced nurses. Where you could learn something actually applicable to your career. Maybe a choice of ICU, Cardiac, Community, Pediatric, or Geriatric pathways. Maybe some universities already offer this.

Definitely feel I paid for a degree and not an education!

[nd deb]

Vic Rn, yeah.. this is how i am feeling and I haven't even started the program yet.. just hard to swallow pay for all these classes just so I have an extra edge for more possible job opportunities... now if I was guarrenteed to get a raise that wouldn't be so bad but here I am thinking of taking these classes because it will make me more competitive in getting future jobs.. ugh.. I live a rural area so I perhaps don't necessarily need a bsn but yet I know if there is something that comes up that it is between another person and I that the one with bsn will get it..