RN to BSN: Registered Nurse To Bachelor Of Science In Nursing. How long does it take?
Indeed, you have pulled off a great feat as a registered nurse, and congratulations are definitely in order. But, like it is said, you shouldn’t rest on your laurels, you are seriously taking that word, and you are getting set for the next challenge. That’s the challenge of bagging a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. In this article, you will read about RN to BSN programs.
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As a registered nurse, you are wondering how long it would take to get this Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree especially since you have other commitments on ground. Even more, you want to find out if all the transition programmes have the same requirements. Then, you would need to sit back and patiently read through to have all these questions and more answered.
How long are RN to BSN programs?
At the moment, statistics courtesy of the American Association of College of Nursing show that there are around 777 RN to BSN programs just in the United States and at least 600 out of these are offered completely offline or partly online. The average length of years to finish a RN to BSN program is about two years.
However, it is important you know that these two years isn’t set in stone because this depends on the university you opt for and of course, the type of RN to BSN program you select too. Even the number of credits that the school you enroll in can influence the time you would spend.
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There are three types of RN to BSN programs you can pick from. It could be on-site, online or even hybrid each having unique features that distinguish them.
On-site or On-campus RN to BSN program
This is the conventional RN to BSN program, the older generation would be most familiar with. It adopts the traditional school system of attending classes physically and listening to lecturers teach. It offers students who choose them the opportunity to have an organized learning structure who enjoy routine studying and best believe you can be much accountable in this type of RN to BSN program.
Typically, you can complete the RN to BSN program between nine months to two years. The reason for this range is dependent on the number of undergraduate credits you came into the school with. At the moment, this particular RN to BSN program has began to fade into the background with non traditional RN to BSN programs rising in popularity.
San Jose University’s On-campus RN to BSN program has to be top on the list. In less than a year, you are guaranteed to have bagged a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, however, at the expense of flexibility. This means you can’t combine this type of RN to BSN program whilst still working full-time as a registered nurse.
Online RN to BSN programs
If you are one who is on the lookout for flexibility, then this online RN to BSN program, surely is a perfect fit. This one suits those who wish to juggle both their full-time associate practice and advanced education together. In fact, many of the available online RN to BSN programs, allow you to study at your own pace. The average length is between twelve months to two years.
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The University of Southern Indiana is one school that offers an online RN to BSN program that you should most probably check out. Within 14 months of consistent study, you can have that Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. In these 14 months, you would be exposed to an eight-week long course as opposed to the sixteen-week long courses you would find with On-campus RN to BSN programs.
Hybrid RN to BSN programs
If you would love to have best of both worlds, that is, the online coursework and physical learning, then hybrid RN to BSN programs is certainly the one for you. The standout benefit of hybrid RN to BSN programs is the fact that you can have a self-paced Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree whilst still having physical class interactions. So, unlike the online RN to BSN programs which give you that feeling of loneliness while taking the RN to BSN program, hybrid RN to BSN programs give you that sense of community.
With two to five semesters in hybrid RN to BSN program, you can have your Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in the bag. Of course, the best place to go for hybrid RN to BSN programs has to be the University of Oklahoma which is normally finished in nine months. The highlight of this program here has to be the optional Saturday classes which are offered alongside the online classes.
Factors That Affect the Length of RN to BSN programs You Should Consider
As we have seen already, several factors play a role in the duration spent in any of these RN to BSN programs. It is worth mentioning that some of these factors could be minor, nonetheless, they are important if you know them before selecting any of the RN to BSN programs.
Accreditation and Quality Education
Your desire to complete your RN to BSN program in record time is a noble one, it must be said, but would you want to finish your RN to BSN program only to find out that the university you chose isn’t anything to write home about?
Worse still, you aren’t even given the barest minimum of education after speedily finishing your RN to BSN program. In all of these, don’t let the dream to get done in time pull you away from having a quality Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Program Requirements
As we pointed earlier, each RN to BNSC programs has different admission requirements that are worth considering before you make the choice of going for any of them. For example, despite having an associate degree in Nursing, some universities still insist that you take extra coursework before you are admitted for their RN to BNSC program.
Multiple Resumption Dates
You have to bear with some of these universities because they are still given to the conventional on-campus RN to BSN program and as such you can have as many as three startup dates. This certainly disrupts the academic calendar and by implication affects the length of your RN to BSN program.
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Conclusion
So, we are back to where we started: how long does it take to complete a RN to BSN program? As we have explained in detail already, many factors play a role in determining this length. So, whichever works for you, either its a long-term or short-term RN to BSN program, make sure the standard of the school you choose isn’t below par.
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