university of phoenix RN and clinicals???

Nursing Students School Programs

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Hey i am thinking about taking the rn program at university of phoenix right now i am only a cna i talked to the school today and they said i can take the hole rn program there and in about 4 years i can get my bachelors rn and i can do all the clinicals threw the state board has anyone done this and is it hard to get clinical times? and do they help you set up clinicals? is this lidgit? i have to have a full time job to be able to suport myself so i would perfer online classes please can any one help me figure out this

Specializes in Critical Care.

Just as a side note.... UOP is NLNAC and accepted by all hospitals. Just check into the options offered. I am a UOP student for my RN to BSN and as others have stated i don't believe they have a straight RN program. Good Luck to you. I know how it feels to have to juggle many hats, and I love my online classes, nothing like going to class in your PJ's with your coffee.

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i was just wanting to know if anyone has heard of this the school told me I could finish with a degree in 3 1/2 years but getting clinicals in was up to me i would have to set up with the state boad and i have never heard of anyone doing this program. i called the school just to see about doing my prereqs online and going to ivy tech for the program but i do work 12 hour days at aa nursing home and i just want to go further but no where to start and no where to go.....just so confused

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

The only way you will get the accurate information is to call the BON for your state or go to their website and search for it. The person you spoke with may not have understood that you are not a nurse yet.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

Be wary. The Board exists to protect the public, not to assist the nurse in gaining a license.

My facility requires an affiliation agreement (contract) with a school before any student may do clinicals here. We do not affiliate with online schools, unless it is a state program (because we will then have better access to people, resources, information, accreditation, etc).

I do not think online programs are bad per se, but I believe the student is wise to consider all the possibilities and to compare with state programs. Might even talk to a few HR people to get local facility input.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

PAROPPY: I agree. I received my MSN online but from a state university. Many people do not understand how the online programs function so they make hasty decisions.

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Some states require a certain amount of practice hours with a license before they will transfer your license. Check the rules carefully with the State Board of Nursing before you take boards and decide where to obtain a licence. It isn't always as easy as applying for a license transfer as a new grad.

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I'd stay away from an online RN degree from a for-profit school. How on earth is anybody supposed to "set up their own clinicals with the state board of nursing?" Basically University of Pheonix is trying to sell you (and charge you an arm and a leg for) the academic part of an RN program, but they're not giving you the clinicals that are so crucial to becoming a nurse and having the required hours you need to enter practice. Also, these online for profit schools are VERY expensive, they encourage you to borrow, borrow, and borrow more, until you're in debt up to your eyeballs. You can't declare bankruptcy for student loan debt, you will have this with you for life. And without having the clinical learning time you need to get a job and practice, it will be very hard to pay off that debt. My advice is to go to your local community college for your RN, the price will be fair and you will get the clinical time. If you want to do your RN-BSN online or MSN online, that is fine (at Pheonix or wherever). But for the RN part, you need a real physical school.

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i was just wanting to know if anyone has heard of this the school told me I could finish with a degree in 3 1/2 years but getting clinicals in was up to me i would have to set up with the state boad

In my experience teaching nursing in B&M programs, all clinical sites have to be approved by the BON (for use as clinical sites) in order for the school to be able to use them for student experiences. That may be what the UOP person was referring to, that any clinicals you arrange would have to be in sites/facilities approved by the BON for student clinical experiences. Your state BON is certainly not going to help you arrange clinicals, and there have been many, many threads here about the difficulties students at various levels have had getting facilities to allow them to do clinicals when they are not affiliated with a local nursing program. There is no incentive or value for a facility to do this (sufficient to outweigh the risk involved) -- and who would the clinical instructor/supervisor be? Are the facilities also supposed to provide an instructor?

This sounds like a v. "long shot" to me -- I doubt one would be able to find facilities willing to cooperate with a program like this.

I would make v. sure, in advance, of exactly what I was getting into (what the requirements/expectations of the program are), whether I would be able to find clinical settings willing to cooperate, and whether my state BON would consider me eligible for licensure after completing this program, before I gave UOP a single penny. They are primarily interested in making money, not in looking out for your best interests.

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UofP is a for profit school. The advisers are paid commission for recruiting new students and their classes cost a small fortune!

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Specializes in chemical dependency detox/psych.

I watched a very interesting documentary on PBS about the for-profit colleges, that I think might interest you and others:

FRONTLINE: college, inc.: watch the full program online | PBS

In it, they talk quite a bit about the University of Phoenix and their predatory recruitment practices.

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Specializes in Home Care.

To the OP:

1. Investigate your local hospitals and see if you can find one that offers an "earn as you learn program". These programs are offered to people who are usually CNAs or PCTs and may already be employed at the hospital. In an EAYL program you won't have to pay for school, the hospital will pay and you will sign a contract to work for them for "x" number of years as repayment.

2. Research your local public colleges that offer nursing programs. Find out what the pre-reqs are, how much the classes cost and what classes can be done online.

3. If you do your ADN (2 yr RN) at a public college, the college will set up your clinicals. After you get your RN you can often do an online BSN with the same college or other public university that accepts your credits from the public college.

4. Don't spend more money than absolutely necessary on nursing school.

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Specializes in Occupational Health Nurse/ case manager.
I watched a very interesting documentary on PBS about the for-profit colleges, that I think might interest you and others:

FRONTLINE: college, inc.: watch the full program online | PBS

In it, they talk quite a bit about the University of Phoenix and their predatory recruitment practices.

THANK YOU FOR THIS LINK! This is a true eye-opener!! This is a MUST-see documentary. It mentions U of P and the $67million law suit filed by the US government for fraudalent recruitment practices and their "take anybody" regardless of eligibility to make quotas and commissions for the recruiters. It also mention those left with huge student loans they are unable to pay!!! Please take a look!---Thank you Jen the RN!

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