RN-MSN program at Aspen University

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I am enrolled in the RN-MSN program at Aspen University and after finishing the first two courses I feel that this has been a great choice. If anyone out there is looking for an affordable program with solid nursing content check out Aspen. :yeah:

Specializes in ER, Tele, Cardiac Cath Lab.
1500 word? I cannot imagine page.

Thanks

It's really not as bad as it sounds. I started the program in June of this year. I have been out of school for over 20 years. It seemed over whelming at first but it's very doable. So far the program is going good for me. I'm currently taking 3 courses. I would recommend starting with one or two courses until you get the feel for the program . Their website is very user friendly . Which helps an old man like me ;) I hope that helps . feel free to contact me anytime with questions [email protected]

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Thanks Carl. I emailed you. The other post said 1500 pages, but surely that means 1500 words not pages, right? lol

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Specializes in ER, Tele, Cardiac Cath Lab.
Thanks Carl. I emailed you. The other post said 1500 pages, but surely that means 1500 words not pages, right? lol

lol yea that means 1500 words. It's usually 3 essays 500 word minimum per essay. I emailed you back. did you get my email? Been having problems with my yahoo account.

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Hi Carl,

I got one email back from you. I wondered if you were having problems because I got a message form yahoo saying they could not deliver my email but then you answered it. lol

OK, thank you for clarifying that. When you say 3 essays, is that per week or per class? Thanks!

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Specializes in ER, Tele, Cardiac Cath Lab.
Hi Carl,

I got one email back from you. I wondered if you were having problems because I got a message form yahoo saying they could not deliver my email but then you answered it. lol

OK, thank you for clarifying that. When you say 3 essays, is that per week or per class? Thanks!

You're welcome. 3 essays a week per course with one to two discussion post depending on the course. It's not too bad . I find most of my information online quickly for the essays. I just had to learn that APA format. If this old man can do it you can :) I was very anxious at first considering I've been out of school for over 20 years but it's a user friendly website. Also i have academic counselors calling me regularly to check up on me to see if everything is good.

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I have been out of school for 30 years =) so I understand. I had no idea what APA was when I started. Wow, 3 essays a week for 10 weeks! Yikes! LOL So you are in 3 classes and you have to write 9 essays a week? I'm sure I could do it. I guess since it is Master's level classes, more is expected. We write 1 paper a week and have a discussion which is usually 2 part. It's not bad.

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Specializes in ER, Tele, Cardiac Cath Lab.
I have been out of school for 30 years =) so I understand. I had no idea what APA was when I started. Wow, 3 essays a week for 10 weeks! Yikes! LOL So you are in 3 classes and you have to write 9 essays a week? I'm sure I could do it. I guess since it is Master's level classes, more is expected. We write 1 paper a week and have a discussion which is usually 2 part. It's not bad.

It's not too bad. Just for future reference you can contact me here for questions or at my NEW email address [email protected] That old email address was giving problems. :)

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Specializes in Family Medicine & Nursing Education.

Greetings,

I believe you posed a question to me regarding Aspen in this or another trade. Aspen U has a great program. However, online education is not the same as a traditional, ground school experience. Online education can leave you with the misperception” that you are 'teaching yourself'.

If you think about the experience you have at a physician's office: You visit the physician, you articulate your problem, they provide some counseling within the timeframe allotted, and write you a prescription. The prescription "if properly followed" along with the "supplemental information" provided should effectuate a resolution of your problem. Along the way, you may have concerns; thus, you return to the physician and have the concerns addressed. Very rarely, does the physician ‘contact' you outside of the appointment; however, the front office may check in on you from time to time.

Online education is similar: students present to the enrollment counselors with a desire to learn a topic, they submit their transcripts, then an academic pathway is developed: take these classes and you will complete the goal – obtain the degree. The courses if well designed by the instructors, are the "prescription", i.e., read these chapters, review these power points, complete research on this topic, explore these questions in a written assignment and engage in discussion regarding these questions with your classmates. All of this if properly attacked by the student, will broaden the student's personal understanding of the topics via development of the student's knowledge base. In addition, the information gleaned from these ‘learning prescriptions' will help you in your professional nursing practice. Of course, if you have concerns along the way, return to the instructor for additional guidance. If the instructor notices that you appear to be noncompliant” or not meeting the goals” previously identified, the instructor will seek to guide you back to the ‘learning prescription.' Otherwise, as in a Montessori-type education, the instructor allows the students to ‘explore' and ‘grow' within a safe but controlled environment.

What I have found as a Nurse Educator, most students want to be handheld throughout their nursing education. An educational program, if properly constructed, is designed to not only educate but also to empower the student towards self-independence and to develop a thirst for learning. The large majority of the time, the questions that students ask can be answered by a careful review” of the assignment descriptions, course descriptions, student handbook, etc.

A large majority of students are impatient and want easy answers and if they don't like the answers or constructive feedback given by the instructor, they run to the next level of authority. It's like the spouse that ask you ‘where are my socks?' before they take the time to look for them first. Or like the child that asks dad for permission and then runs to mom if dad said no. Gosh, as I look back, I was a ‘horrible' whinnying student also. I took every minor feedback personally. I had not developed the knowledge and sophistication on how to weather the ‘fine art of failure' (failure simply meaning – things not going the way I intended them to go).

It is important that educators help students to utilize the power of their brain versus relying constantly on the brain power of the instructor. That is best achieved via well written course curriculum and weekly assignments. Now of course, the course curriculum must answer the important questions, i.e., who, what, when, where, how, what if, what for, etc. in order to be truly effective.

Again, online education is different and it requires a student with a certain skill set BEFORE entering the program. The student must have a certain degree of tenacity and assertiveness. Best wishes at Aspen, which has well-designed undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.

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Specializes in Family Medicine & Nursing Education.

Aspen U does not have a FNP program at this time. I completed my FNP via a post-master's certificate program.

Currently, there are no quizzes or final exams, per se at Aspen U. Some students liked the quizzes, some did not. However, keep in mind the point of the BSN and MSN degrees. These degrees are designed to help nursing professionals learn and practice the fine art of research, topic exploration, presenting an argument, properly supporting an argument with scholarly, peer-reviewed resources, etc. The overall goal is to help students learn how to identify the need for change and effectuate change within their practice arenas - how to be a valuable healthcare team member.

So, there is a ‘process': read these chapters from these textbooks, explore the topic via research, identify and develop a clear argument for or against, find others that support your ideals, etc. Towards the end of the program, students become experts in researching, writing, constructing, and presenting their ideas. Of course, expert development occurs as long as there is no ‘remission' or ‘resistance to treatment' along the way . . . Best wishes.

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Thank you for your response.

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Yes, 1500 words. Sorry.

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I know these posts are old but I am considering Aspen University for my RN-BSN. Any advice on experiences here would be greatly appreciated! They have a proctored exam at the end of the program, can anyone tell me if it's a fair exam?

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