Dawn Said:

Looking to chat with someone about a nursing carrer?

We Answered:

If you are going for your initial RN licensure, you cannot obtain your degree online. You might be lucky enough to take some courses online, but definitely not all.

If you get your 2 year associates degree and later want to finish your BSN, you can do a BSN completion program online.

It's vital to have classroom time for your initial nursing program. You need to be there to interact with the faculty and have the time to ask spontaneous questions and get immediate feedback. You form close relationships with the other students and learn from them, too.

Later, if you choose online classes, contrary to what many people think, it's usually not independent study where you work at your own pace. There are weekly deadlines for assignments and projects and what makes it even more difficult is that you often have to collaborate with group work - and collaborating via online / email can be rough sometimes if everyone isn't pulling their weight. But if you're self-motivated and are disciplined enough to get online daily, it might work for you.

Don't feel intimidated by being a "non-traditional student". When I graduated over half the class was over 40. Seriously. The community college associate degree programs are full of non-traditional students. The BSN / BAN programs are a little more traditional college - younger students in general, but it's getting a bit more diverse.

2 years is how long the nursing program is, but generally people have several prerequisite courses in biology, chemistry, anatomy & physiology, and sometimes math, nutrition, or microbiology. You're better off taking some of your general education courses required for graduation during that time, a year or so prior to entering into the nursing core. Once you start the nursing classes, it's easier if you only have to focus on them. 6-8 semester credits feels like 12. So for most people, it takes about 3 years for their 2 year degree.

If you go the traditional BSN / BAN route, your prerequisites and general ed courses are taken in your first 2 years, and your nursing courses are in the last 2. This is only if you attend full-time. If you attend part time, it will take you 5-6 or more years.

At the end of either program you are eligible to sit for your board exam, the NCLEX - RN. One plus of getting your 2 year degree is you get to work about a year sooner, and if you find the right job, your employer will give tuition reimbursement and help you complete your BSN / BAN.

All schools are competative for entry. You should contact several in your area and find out their exact admissions criteria, and try to apply to several schools for a better chance at getting in. Try to keep a high college GPA, and if you haven't taken an ACT test, take it - many college's require it for entry into the nursing program.

Starting salaries vary depending on where you live and what type of facility you work at. You make more money in the "sunshine states" but then cost of living is more there too. Nursing homes and home health doesn't usually pay as well as hospital nursing. I think a good ballpark figure is around $45-$50k per year for a new graduate, and it only goes up from there.
Good luck!