Licensed practical nurses can obtain a registered nursing degree online.
Nurses who want to increase employment potential may seek an advanced degree. Registered or licensed practical nurses working full-time may not have a schedule that allows for classroom training. Online training provides a way to work and go to school. All accredited registered nursing programs require some clinical training. However, there are options for new students, LPNs and RNs with a diploma or associate's degree to do partial online training or full bridge programs to advance their degree.
New Nursing Students
Many community colleges offer post-secondary registered nursing programs that encompass both classroom and clinical requirements. Students may be able to take their core requirements, such as English, math, chemistry or anatomy and physiology online, or partially online by attending a weekly lab. Students seeking online training should speak to the admissions department of the community college they are interested in to determine the availability of online classes.
LPN to B.S.N.
The College Network, a group of nationwide universities that pool resources, is the only institution to offer an accredited fully online LPN (or LVN) to RN program through Indiana State University. ISU requires the student be a currently licensed practical nurse to enroll. They partner with health care providers local to the student to provide required clinical training. This program is not recognized as accredited in Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee or Texas. Indiana State University warns, "At this time (as of May 2010), the New York State Board of Education has not recognized or approved Indiana State University to conduct clinical nursing education with citizens from New York. Indiana State nursing programs have been submitted for review but, at the time of writing, it has yet to be determined if the online programs will be considered. The nursing programs at Indiana State University will not be accepting any undergraduate or graduate nursing students from the state of New York for admission into the major."
RN to B.S.N. Nursing
A registered nurse with an A.D.N. may wish to obtain her Bachelor of Science degree to open up more employment and education opportunities. An online RN to B.S.N. can be obtained through the College Network, Kaplan University, University of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University, Liberty University and Indiana State University, as of May 2010. Individual states may not recognize certain schools, so potential students should contact their state board of nursing to verify a college or university's accreditation.
B.S.N. to M.S.N. Nursing
Registered nurses holding a Bachelor of Science degree may wish to move into specialized nursing, management or business nursing positions. A master's degree usually is required for these positions. The College Network and Walden University offer online B.S.N. to M.S.N. courses.
Specialized Nursing Online
Nurses who wish to train for specialty nursing should speak to the admissions department of the college they want to attend to determine which, if any, classes they can take online. As of May 2010, there are not any fully online programs for specialized nursing.
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