South University Associate degree in Nursing through online program

Serlait · Jan 5, 2010

I went to their website (http://www.southuniversity.edu) and I don't see an Associates Degree in nursing. I see an associates degree in Health Science which according to the website:

"Our Health Science courses are designed to expose students to a broad education in general studies combined with an emphasis on life science subjects such as anatomy and physiology, chemistry, nutrition, and pathophysiology. The Associate of Science in Allied Health Science degree program online offers students interested in healthcare careers a knowledge base from which they may pursue their professional goals. After successful completion of the Health Science classes and all other graduation requirements, you would receive an Associate of Science in Allied Health Science. Alternatively, completion of the first two years provides you with the required prerequisite courses to apply for South University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. However, admission to the nursing program is competitive and requires a separate application."

Unless I'm missing something, when you finish the associates degree program, THEN you can apply for nursing. Also, be sure to check your state's BON and make certain that this program is accepted. I know that here in Virginia very few online programs are accepted by the Board of Nursing for entry into nursing.

mmm333, LVN · Apr 18, 2010

The Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) used to be the gold standard for entry into the nursing profession. Due to the shortage of nurses, it still is. However, with the advances in science and technology over the past two decades, it has become evident to managers and educators that the new standard for entry into the profession should be the Bachelor's, if not the Master's degree.

Nursing students usually meet the requirements for the Associate's in Science (generally) by the time they finish prerequisite and general education classes. Therefore it is almost unfair that they be held at the AS level while they go on to take two more years of very difficult and advanced classes that would be considered upper division courses in pathophysiology and pharmacology for most biology majors. So at the end of 4 years, all they have is an ASN though they should have a BSN. The only major difference between ASN and BSN programs are courses in research, management, and public health (there is also an emphasis on research and writing in BSN programs, whereas many ASN program grads come out with more hands-on practical skills).

The professional associations for nursing have come to take the stance that the BSN should be the new entry point. Some community colleges are already teaming up with local 4-year universities in order to offer a hybrid program. This is happening in California so count on the rest of the US to gradually follow. One association recommends the MSN be the entry point after students pick up a Bachelor's in pre-nursing/health science, biology, management, languages, etc. But nobody is holding their breath because this ideal conflicts with the reality of the nursing shortage. Another issue is accreditation. Many of the nursing schools that fail to gain accreditation have been poorly-funded and understaffed/underpaid community colleges.

So the poor ASN has nobody cheering it on, and it is slowly disappearing from schools. But for the time being it is meeting the needs of many people, and of the profession. Because of it's accessibility and presence near people's homes and its orientation toward working students, it is still the springboard from which most nurses launch their careers.