Roughly a thousand RN-BSN online programs??

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I just started thinking about looking into an RN-BSN online program. Needed time to adjust to NOT having school, but know I want to start to continue in a few months.

I did a Google search and was BLOWN AWAY by how many there are! How the heck does anyone choose? Based on what? I only looked at a half dozen but I saw precious little to differentiate one from the other. The colleges / universities are all over the planet, yet don't require you to go to campus (and I don't want to, so that's fine). Some require clinicals. I'm not sure if all did or only some, come to think of it. I don't know. What kind of clinicals would I expect to have, if I already HAVE an RN?

Some guidance here would be greatly appreciated....it feels like there's a thousand choices and I don't want to sink months/years and dollars into a bad one.

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Most do require some type of precepted experience or socialization project, but not all do. Sometimes I think you're right with your estimate of 1,000.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ER and ICU!!!.

I have heard alot of great things about the Excelsior program. I am actually considering them for LVN-RN bridge. Have had several people in my area do this, and they love them. I think it is excelsior.edu Good luck in what ever you decide.

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There is a sticky thread here regarding RN-BSN online programs that are very affordable...I was checking it out the other day, try searching for it, I am very bad at attaching links and stuff like that!

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Here's the stickey the above poster was talking about. https://allnurses.com/forums/f125/rn-bsn-online-105380.html

The "clinicals" I've gotten so far were in community health and assessment. We got credit for a teaching project, where we had to teach a special population, which could be your friends, neighborhood kids, or your co-workers (falls under occupational health). During the assessment class we got clinical hours for following a NP for 8 hours doing assessments, and doing having a NP or master-prepared nurse check us off on a physical exam. During leadership we have to follow a manager around for 8 hours.

Every school is different. The local school here has a family nursing course, where clinical hours are awarded for spending time with a family that has a sick child. They had more clinical community health hours than my program, which may have entailed a public health clinic, adolescent home, stuff like that.

Obviously since you are an RN already there are no clinicals like you're used to. However, NLN approved RN to BSN courses require a "clinical" component of one sort or another.

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