AA in Nursing Online?

[humboldtjake]

HI,

I have a BA from a Cal State University. I was wondering if there is a short (6-8 month) online associates in nursing degree online. Does something like this exist?

[clep3705]

If you use the search option, you will find that online nursing has been discussed previously. You have not provided enough information for a response. allnurses.com is a better place to ask such questions.

If you are not an RN, you cannot get a nursing degree online. That's true even if you are a paramedic or LVN/LPN. Online nursing degrees are for RNs who want to get a BSN or MSN.

The shortest nursing degree in the country is about 10 months long. Accelerated BSN degrees are covered at allnurses.com. Accelerated degree programs were a fad that has mostly gone away. Accelerated programs have had very low success rates. It takes time to become a competent nurse.

[rebel100]

If you use the search option, you will find that online nursing has been discussed previously. You have not provided enough information for a response. allnurses.com is a better place to ask such questions.

If you are not an RN, you cannot get a nursing degree online. That's true even if you are a paramedic or LVN/LPN. Online nursing degrees are for RNs who want to get a BSN or MSN.

The shortest nursing degree in the country is about 10 months long. Accelerated BSN degrees are covered at allnurses.com. Accelerated degree programs were a fad that has mostly gone away. Accelerated programs have had very low success rates. It takes time to become a competent nurse.

Excelsiors bridge is self paced/test based and designed for Lpn'smedics/and rt's. Practicals are handled over a single long weekend. So it does exist...sort of.

[Yanji]

UW Oshkosh has an online BSN (second degree) for people from any background as long as they meet the science prereqs and attend three short residencies. (no longer than two weeks each) It's not online, but I think it's the closest thing in the US.
Accelerated Online Bachelor's to BSN — College of Nursing

[clep3705]

Excelsior's program isn't accepted in every state or by every employer. The Oshkosh program isn't just three short residencies. It's also hundreds of hours of precepted clinical experiences, just like any other RN program. It is 12 months of didactic course work, which as previously stated has been proven to be a bad idea abandoned by most institutions.

If you want career advice on nursing, go to allnurses.com and get the whole story.

[rebel100]

Excelsior's program isn't accepted in every state or by every employer. The Oshkosh program isn't just three short residencies. It's also hundreds of hours or precepted clinical experiences, just like any other RN program. It is 12 months of didactic course work, which as previously stated has been proven to be a bad idea abandoned by most institutions.

If you want career advice on nursing, go to allnurses.com and get the whole story.

I'm going to agree that EC's nursing bridge isn't for everyone. I disagree that you can't build a competent RN that way. I'm not an RN but I have worked critical care alongside a whole bunch of them, I currently work in a hospital with a whole bunch more. You can find graduates of any program that are sub-par. Some programs produce a lot more of these than others...locally I don't care for the graduates of the for profits like city college and herzing....but they can and do produce minimally qualified RN's....and so does EC. I have several friends who have gone that route and they are doing fine in their new roles.

EC isn't really an "accelerated" program. It's a competency based model that builds upon existing skills. That's why admissions are limited to specific license holders such as Paramedics, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses, and Respiratory Therapist. Its a "bridge" program...every CC in my area has a bridge program and I see no indication that they are going away any time soon.

A few highlights about EC:

National League for Nursing Center of Excellence in Nursing Education for 2005-2008, 2008-2011, and 2011-2016

Best School Award, for the 4th time, from the American Assembly for Men in Nursing, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011

Among Top 20 Military Friendly Colleges and Universities, 2007 and 2008

Ranked 9th in the nation by Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education in 2006 for the number of Hispanics receiving nursing degrees

Hiring Nursing Graduates - excelsior.edu

A few states place additional burdens on EC RN grads in order to meet state minimally mandated license requirements. State Board Requirements - excelsior.edu Some are more onerous than others, California being the only state I know of that has no provision for licensing EC grads. Note that 37 of 50 states have no issue whatsoever allowing an EC RN grad to sit for the NCLEX and become an RN. I suspect if you wanted to look you could find many nuances in which state "a" doesn't recognize state "b's" graduate nurses...that doesn't inherently mean that state b turns out substandard nurses...it means they have different standards.

[clep3705]

It is because of the difference of opinion that I recommend the OP to take the question to allnurses.com. There aren't enough nurses participating in these forums to provide the breadth and depth of guidance needed on something as important as career advice. I'm not recommending allnurses.com because I think they'll agree with me or disagree with you. I recommend it because it's the right place for this discussion. Nurses, nurse educators, and nurse managers are the people the OP should be listening to. It is an online community of 702,149.

[Yanji]

It is because of the difference of opinion that I recommend the OP to take the question to allnurses.com. There aren't enough nurses participating in these forums to provide the breadth and depth of guidance needed on something as important as career advice. I'm not recommending allnurses.com because I think they'll agree with me or disagree with you. T recommend it because it's the right place for this discussion. Nurses, nurse educators, and nurse managers are the people the OP should be listening to. It is an online community of 702,149.

Totally agree. There's never a one size fits all answer and a nursing community will have much more experience with this topic than our little niche distance ed community.

[namwen]

I agree that it is a wonderful resource, but I would also like to expand the resources of this forum.

So, please visit allnurses and share here. Or just share here with us and keep the discussion going.

[Getiton1]

OK, I think I am about the only RN on this thread...and I graduated from Excelsior. I have to say I agree with 95% of Rebel's Take. The Excelsior program is intense. It's absolutely NOT for everyone. But for the people in professions such as he stated it can help them move to a clinical level that (depending on the individual) has a strong inclination that they could accomplish. For example, I was an LPN and had a higher degree, but Exclesior is (or at least it was not) based on having a Bachelors. As Rebel said, the program required you to be a health care provider and when I went to school you had to have your LPN or a Paramedic License. So I don't think that's your situation right? If it IS, let me know or post me privately and I can share my experience with you as well as that of my peers. One of the other other posters had a very good point. Being an Excelsior graduate now has more restrictions...(it didn't have quiet as many restrictions when I went through the program). When I went through the program only California did not recognize an Excelsior AAS degree/RN license...yes, this is true... even though I am the same person that took and passed the SAME test as every other RN in that time period for my State. Currently even more states have stricter rules for recognizing degrees not just from Excelsior but from other distance programs as well. (For example Maryland does not accept newer Excelsior AAS, or RN's). Other states Boards of Nursing (BON) have specific rules for how, when and if they will take a distance learning degree. It's really sad, because as a graduate of Excelsior College and a high ranking professional, I can tell you that I would take on an Excelsior Graduate from the RN program in a heartbeat! Why? Because the CPNE (the 3 day clinical) is about the hardest things I have EVER done in my life. It was more stressful than planning a wedding in 2 countries a week apart (I married a man from England and we didn't want either side of our family to miss out on something as awesome as our wedding day!) SO...for what it's worth I think you need to consider ALL of the advice from everyone. I think Allnurses is a GREAT suggestion. If you do not have any health professional experience I would not even think to recommend any nursing program that was less than one year. Why? Because if you are thinking about holding people's lives in your hands, you need to have a lot of knowledge and clinical experience under your belt. There is a reason being an RN is one of the most highly respected careers. We are not doctors, but hold and gather massive amount of knowledge about the entire human being, both emotional and physical. Not only that, but we are the ones GIVING the medications and monitoring people after things like open heart surgery. You have to know what to do and when to question things. You only gain that confidence through experience. As a nurse you have to also have a sense of compassion and be able to keep your cool in some very frustrating circumstances.

OK, that's a LOT of information. But don't let anyone discourage you if this is your hearts ambition. The world could always use another compassionate, caring, passionate and SMART nurse! You have your Bachelors Degree already? Well, you have proven that you have the discipline to get through a lot of course work. I might suggest that if you haven't already tried working as an aide in a hospital to see if it's for you. The pay is not good, but it's learning about caring for the public from the ground up.

I only know of the TESC program for Bachelors. It's a mandatory "in person" course and it's a year. If you are really into becoming a public servant like a nurse I would check it out!

I applaud your desire to want to help people. Nursing without a doubt is a "helping" profession.

Hope this info helped you a little