Seeking Guidance

Published

Hello!

I am a new graduate RN (ADN) and a military spouse. My spouse received orders to move out of state 2 months after I received my RN license. Unfortunately, I have yet to find employment due to following reasons:

1- Childcare for a 2 year old has limited my ability to work no more than 8 hour shifts (I do not have a support system in this new area and my spouse's job requires to be on call so basically I am a single parent and I can not rely on other parent to care for children)

2- Currently 4 months pregnant and unsure of who would employ me (I realize that this is a form of discrimination)

So my next option is to pursue my BSN. I have been looking into online schools offering RN-BSN programs. Many of them require that you call or contact them. Before I do.. I was hoping to receive some advice from others of which colleges to look in to or to avoid. I am worried that I will not be eligible for any of these programs because I'm not currently employed. Are there programs that are 100% online and accredited? Is there a "clinical" component to these programs that will require that I complete at an acute care facility? Will preceptorship/mentoring be a critical part of the program. I am in need of direction and advice.

Thank you in advance.

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Specializes in Mental Health.

Hey sjmadailey!

First and foremost I want to say...OMG CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BABY!

Chamberlain College of Nursing

The campus is in Illinois but they have an extremely comprehensive RN-BSN online program. I believe this is the right choice for you. When I applied there, they accepted ~80-90% of my credits from my AAS degree. Their only requirement is that you have an RN license. Trust me I was planning to go to a college in the area since, unlike you I work a "8-4" job (we nurses know what that really means) and I don't have any family or children to support. When I learned about Chamberlain College of Nursing, I was very suspicious about earning a degree online. It is the most comprehensive program I ever took. I wish I got my associates degree here. The professors are very accommodating; student services are always available. They can help you with anything from reviewing a paper to helping with emergency housing and babysitting services (not sure what exactly they do but it's worth a try if you need it). All you really need is an internet connection. In one of my classes I had a lady whose husband was also in the military and was stationed in Paris, France for two years so she was doing the program overseas and it was fairly uncomplicated (as per her own words. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out; email: [email protected]

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Specializes in Dialysis.

University of southern Indiana; WGU. Good luck and congrats on the baby

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Hello! I am also a military spouse. The two universities I have found that discount their tuition for military spouses are Liberty University and Southern New Hampshire University. Both are completely online. Liberty's tuition is $250 per undergraduate credit and Southern New Hampshire is $225 per undergraduate credit. I haven't found anything cheaper than that.

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I moved across country very shortly after graduating. I was able to find a good (but busy) job once I got licensed, so I chose to do my BSN online. I am going through SNHU and it has been a great experience so far.

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Thank you all for commenting! I will certainly look into each of the programs suggested. I was in need of some encouragement and this has given me that. :)

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I found that my transition from my ADN program to the BSN program was seamless. It's a different type of classes you'll take. If you have strong APA writing skills and are willing to put the time in, it's not a huge ordeal to continue in school.

I have a couple of last notes regarding SNHU. The terms are short. Instead of taking 4 courses for a semester (12 credits, full time) you do two courses for half-semester length term. You're still doing the same number of credits, but it gives you a lot of flexibility. Need to train for your new job? Take one class. Not working a lot and can dedicate 30 hours/ week to school? Take two classes. However, dedication is mandatory when classes go by so quickly. Expect a lot of reading! With your military discount, each course is $675, which is barely more than a community college class. It's easy to pay-as-you-go this way.

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