Nurses Needing a BSN: I’ve Discovered a Revolutionary Path

I was watching TV the other day and saw this commercial for an online college I had never heard of out of the north east.  It was for some sort of business or finance graduate degree, but what they offered was an interesting concept.   Basically, you take exams (or competencies) and if you pass them, you’re done with the course –instead of taking the entire course.  Therefore, the only classes you take are the ones you actually need.  You’re not repeating information you’ve demonstrated that you already know.

I thought that was GENIUS!  What an amazing idea.  Working at a Magnet hospital, sitting on a Shared Governance council with the goal to increase the number of BSN-prepared nurses at our facility; I immediately thought, “Someone needs to do this for RN to BSN completion programs!”

Well.  Yesterday was my lucky day.  One of the big-wigs in the nursing department over at Capella University called me to tell me that they officially are offering a similar program at Capella for RN to BSN completion programs!

Wait.. seriously!?

This made me so glad that I have partnered with Capella in the past and continue to do so.  Thank you to Capella for partnering with me for this post; please know all opinions are my own.

They had just let out a press release announcing the program literally an hour before the call.

(Here is a link to their official press release that went out Monday evening.)

I geeked out.

Seriously!?  So all of these ADN nurses that have been at the bedside for 20 years can take competency assessments to move quickly through classes so they can focus on learning new skills?!

This is amazing.

Talking to nurses that have much more experience than myself, one of the major roadblocks to getting their BSN is being forced to spend a lot of time on subjects they are already knowlegable on through their on the job experiences.  Why should they waste their time AND money?  I get it.  That seems completely unnecessary.

Don’t waste your time or money on pre-req’s.

Also, they have to re-take their prerequisets too.  You know, those science courses that expired over 10 years ago.  Or the dreaded statistics course.  If you’ve been working as a nurse for 15 years, why should you have to take a stats class!?

So, not only does this program allow you to leverage what you already know from your years of experience, you also don’t have pre-req requirements to get into this program.

Yes.  You read that correctly.

No pre-req’s required.

As long as you have an active, current RN license, you’re good.

You also set your own deadlines.  So none of that “I have a paper due every Friday” nonsense.  Most online programs promise flexibility, but you still have rigid deadlines for assignments and posts.  This program is different – you create your own structure. Although I know there are people out there that do need the structure, but there’s now an option for those of you that do not.

Ok, I hear you asking this question already: how much does it cost?   You basically pay per “session,” which is a 12-week period (so no semesters or quarters.. they’re called sessions!).  Each 12 week session costs $2,500. You try to get as many classes done in that time as possible.  So let’s say you pass a set of competencies to complete a course and effectively did that 2 more times, you’ve knocked out three courses in 12 weeks for a cool $2.5K.  And if you’re a member of the American Nurses Association, you automatically get a 10% discount.  Those with a military affiliation get a 15% discount.  And Capella partners with multiple employers and discounts are also available through them.  What what!

So, it’s a flat tuition rate rather than the “pay per credit hour” scenario that a lot of programs follow.  I like that better because you have the ability to plan better financially because you know exactly what tuition will be every 12 weeks. And it is up to you on how much you can accomplish within those 12 weeks.

This is one of the first RN-to-BSN programs of its kind, which truly revolutionizes how nurses can achieve their BSN degree.  They’re predicting that people can get done in as little as 12-18 months.  However, you could stretch it as longer if you would like. It’s your BSN, your way!

One of my coworkers is actually getting her MSN through Capella and was telling me how much she’s enjoyed the process.  I personally haven’t gone to school through them, but I’ve worked with them at various conferences and had great experiences.  She said that their online application process was a breeze, financial aid/grants/scholarships were fantastic, and everything is just easier and they are more accommodating than the other schools she was interacting with.  She could not say enough about how much she loved Capella.

I’ll be at the ANCC Magnet Conference in Atlanta next week with them as a featured author.  They will be booth #1317 in the Exhibit Hall and we’ll have information about this innovative new program.  I think this is such an awesome option for those nurses that have been in the field for a while, have a ton of knowledge, and just need to complete that BSN.  Don’t waste your time or money on pre-req’s or classes you don’t need!  Get that degree, STAT!

We’ll also be giving away copies of my book!  So let’s take a selfie together, high-five, and chat nursey at the Capella both!  I will be there Thursday, Oct. 8th from 0830-1430.

Here are some links with more information about this!

BSN FlexPath:  http://www.capella.edu/online-degrees/bachelors-rn-to-bsn-completion/

More general info about FlexPath format at Capella:  http://www.capella.edu/flexpath/

Is FlexPath right for you?  Take the assessment:  https://www.capella.edu/tools/flexpath-self-paced-learning/assessment#/area-of-study

Do you have any questions, comments, concerns about this program?  Are you an RN thinking about getting your BSN, or are you already doing so?  How’s it going?  What school are you going to and what do you think about the process?