Courses You Take For An
RN to BSN Nursing Degree

If you’re a registered nurse (RN) who would like to move into more of a management position in a hospital or other healthcare setting, the best ticket is usually a “BSN” or Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree. Besides increasing you knowledge of technology in nursing, this bachelor's degree boosts your understanding of management and leadership. Some RNs use this degree (sometimes called an “RN to BSN completion degree” because it turns an RN into a completed Bachelor of Science degree) as a way of getting a teaching position. Although a number of online BSN degree programs require you to take some courses on-campus, there are many programs you can take purely online.

What courses you have to take: You generally need to have an up to date license to practice nursing. Along with for a BSN, the RN generally needs to do some clinical study in his or her home state, working with a local clinical facility or preceptor (an approved instructor and facilitator).

Because the BSN is a full bachelors degree, you are generally required to have completed a semester each of college English, chemistry, statistics or other courses before you start. Be sure to check this requirement with any school you’re looking at.

There's a good deal of variation in the length of BSN degree study. Because nurses are obviously busy, schools offer a variety of options, from one-year “cram” degrees to 15 month or two-year options. The BSN degree will usually cost $9,000. to $17,000 in total (though you must, as mentioned above, have completed several course requirements before you start).

Here’s a sampling of the specific courses you may actually study to get a BSN, culled from the course lists of several RN to BSN online programs:

• Introduction to nursing research and evidence based practice
• Community assessment
• Nursing leadership in health policy
• Family and community nursing
• Research in nursing
• Chemistry
• Anatomy and physiology
• Pharmacology
• Maternity and woman’s health
• Senior clinical practicum
• Therapeutic communication in health care

Indiana State University
ISU is the state university of Indiana, located in Terre Haute. It has received high ratings for many years from Princeton Review and other publications. Right now it's one of the most progressive state schools in terms of online learning, with a variety of degree progams. It's nursing program offers up to 10 hours of credit via a "professional portfolio evaluation," a mechanism through which experienced nurses can demonstrate their knowledge to receive credit in certain areas. Indiana State offers LPN to BSN and RN to BSN programs online.
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Kaplan University
Kaplan is a large school specializing in online career training, owned by the Washington Post Company. It offers degrees in many different areas. For licensed nurses, if offers an RN to BS program, or an RN to MS "bridge" degree. Nursing master's degrees are also offered in:
- Gerontology
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- MS Nurse Educator
- Informatics
- Nursing Administration
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Georgetown University
Georgetown, located in Washington D.C., is one of the oldest and most famous private universities in the country. In the online world, it specializes in masters of science programs for nurses:
- MS Adult Gerontology
- MS Family Nurse Practitioner
- MS Nurse Educator
- MS Nurse Midwifery
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American Sentinel University
ASU is a popular choice among our readers, partly due to the great affordability of it's online RN to BSN program. RNs can enroll with no work experience, and may get credit transfer for any previous courses they have taken. American Sentinal's nursing programs have accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
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