You're an RN with an Associate Degree working several 12 hour shifts per week plus overtime because of sporadic staffing shortages (even though BSN schools are matriculating and graduating nurses as quickly as humanly possible). Your goal is to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, for higher pay and more job opportunities with additional responsibilities in different clinical settings outside of the hospital such as home health.
But how is such a goal even realistic with your work schedule and family responsibilities? Going back to school the traditional way, in the classroom at a local college or university for a full 15 week semester, makes for an almost impossible schedule to juggle. Thank goodness innovative nursing programs across the country are starting to understand this and offering a flexible alternative.
Many community colleges and universities are now offering online versions of BSN refresher and BSN transition programs to help existing or former nurses meet their continuing education goals. Online courses incorporate the same academic coursework typically taught in the classroom setting on a more rigid schedule. The courses also include practical work in clinical settings that emphasize more advanced clinical skills required by the RN BSN along with an emphasis on leadership and management training.
I recently participated in an online RN, BSN refresher course. This was my first time "back to school" along with my first time taking any kind of online training course. Live classroom discussions among students and teachers are replaced by online message board discussions that resemble regular message board threads on popular social websites.
The discussions are extremely academic with strict guidelines revolving around specific weekly assignment questions that reflect the reading. However, students are encouraged to share their opinions, clinical experiences, observations and research findings. Honestly I found these discussions to be much more thorough and informative than the ones I recall from traditional nursing school.
This may be due to the combination of experienced nurses as students along with the online aspect removing any fears of raising one's hand and speaking up. Quizzes and exams are also taken online; experiences that feel partly like taking an online trivia exam and partly like an online IQ test.
Overall the experience was extremely positive, very convenient and I'm glad that nursing programs are recognizing online BSN training as a viable solution for nurses to meet their goals.
Online BSN Degree For Nurses
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