The day of my pinning, I was so proud. I had finished the hardest two years of school that I have ever endured. The next year included the NCLEX and job interviews. I wanted to continue my education and obtain my Bachelors of Science in Nursing, my BSN. December 2017 I walked at graduation and February 2018 my degree was mailed and received. The RN-to-BSN programs held a plethora of formats and options for the student. A number of different items need to be considered when picking out a program.
#1 Schedule and Flexibility
The first consideration before entering into any program is to take a look at your schedule, obligations, and flexibility. I was working full time, at nights, three nights a week. I did not have kids and lived with my fiance. I was able to put aside time to study and work on projects. If you work five days a week or have kids, the amount of time will differ. The amount of support is also a factor. If you have kids and both parents are active, then a division of the house and children will be more equal. I am not saying that a single parent could not find the time to continue and achieve the next degree, I know plenty of single parents that have been able to do complete degrees. These are factors to keep in the back of your mind.
#2 Traditional vs. Online vs. Hybrid
I have come across all three types of a program when I was researching curriculums. The traditional program is just that, traditional, this contains a set time and meeting place, students physically come to a classroom for the lecture. An online course will feature the class on a website, discussion, assignments, readings and supplemental material will be posted on the site. No physical interaction is necessary, although, some may have exams in a proctored environment. The hybrid combines both traditional and online, the majority of the class may be online with a few scheduled meetings throughout the semester. Each type has pros and cons, that will differ from individual student, based on the flexibility of your schedule and learning styles. My program was completely online, this enabled me to live in Texas and complete the degree at a university in Alabama.
#3 Clinical
Clinical, you thought you were done but they come back. Some programs do not have any clinical in their curriculum. The majority, although do have them associated with a class. You want to view the program curriculum, they will either state the clinical component or notice the number of credits. if the number of credits in a given class is more than three there is more than likely some clinical hours involve. Contact the program and ask questions. How many hours are required? Does the school find clinical sites? If you are working, can these hours count? I have seen some schools work with certain hospitals, where if you work there they will count for hours towards the degree. Some programs just want a nurse to work does not depend where. Then the schools that have criteria of hours to obtain, does the school find your site or is that up to the student? The of clinical and the number of hours will also make some programs more desirable than others, depending on the students’ availability. During the course of two semesters, I had to complete 61 hours in particular environments. I had to find and set up two site locations, I was not aware of the amount of preparation put into finding the clinical. Contact the program and ask questions before applying.
#4 Small College or Large University
The atmosphere and overall experience can become extremely varied depending on the size of the school. The size of the school will indicate the class size, and ultimately the availability of the teaching staff. My experience has been in small universities, community colleges, and the large universities as well. Starting out in a small school and continuing to a larger institution, I found out the difficulties of adapting. I once used to class sizes of 20 to 30, finishing my first BS degree it was very common to have classes with 200 other students. This was a shock and took almost a full semester to become accustomed too. The larger universities you can feel like a number. If you like the excitement of a large university and are able to keep yourself focus and on track, a large university would be perfect. If you prefer a more one-on-one approach, enjoying smaller classes and a quieter environment the smaller university or community college would benefit.
The availability for students to take classes at any institution has been opened by the online class. Knowing the type of student and personal obligations will help guide in finding the best program in completing your degree.