Why doesn't the military accept online BSNs?

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As I was searching this board, I have read that in order to be an army nurse, you have to have a BSN and it cannot be from an online school. Why is this? What if the online school is regionally accredited? For example, Chamberlain College of Nursing RN-BSN online.

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Ask a recruiter. They have all the answers.

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Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

Direct Commission Process:

  • Possess a BSN degree from an accredited school of nursing. *Note: The U.S. Army Reserves will accept an Associate Degree RN but you must obtain a BSN by the time you go up to the promotion board for Captain.


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I would ask to see something in writting if they say yes. The recruiter is there to sign you up for the military... they don't give a crap where you end up. I was raised around a base, attempted to enter the military, and befriended my recruiter. After I was denied acceptance for medical reasons, he gave me the low down on their tactics. They will promise the moon and don't mention the miles of red tape and years of delays.

Edit: find out what accredited means in their standards.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

A moderator of these forums (LunahRN) earned her ADN through Excelsior and a BSN through Chamberlain, and was recently accepted into the Army Nurse Corps. Excelsior and Chamberlain are regionally and nationally accredited, even though they are both distance-based schools of nursing.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I am fairly certain it just has to be a CCNE or NLNAC accredited school?

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Specializes in Emergency Room/1LT Army 66HM5.

LunahRN and I both got our BSNs from Chamberlain and we were both selected during the Nov boards. Just has to be CCNE and NLNAC. And there are quite a few online schools that meet this criteria.

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LunahRN and I both got our BSNs from Chamberlain and we were both selected during the Nov boards. Just has to be CCNE and NLNAC. And there are quite a few online schools that meet this criteria.

I can confirm this for the AF...any BSN/BAN that is accredited by the CCNE or NLNAC is acceptable.

v/r

Sharky

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Specializes in ICU, ER, OR, FNP.

+1. USAF requires the schol be NLN - they don't care what seat you sat in while getting your degree

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
+1. USAF requires the schol be NLN - they don't care what seat you sat in while getting your degree

*** The AF, Army & Navy recognize degrees from schools with CCNE OR NLN, not NLN only. A great many state universities, like the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota are not NLN accredited but are CCNE accredited.

To the OP: You got some bad information. A degree from an CCNE or NLN accredited school is required. Where you butt happened to be while you did the work is irrelevant. Of course they accept online BSNs. Many school have both online and brick and mortar programs. You can't tell how one earned their degree from these schools by looking at the diploma or transcripts.

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