If you are a nurse interested in getting an RN to BSN degree online, you may want to think about finding a school that does not require all the clinical or practicum requirements that exist in nursing bachelors programs. In a typical BSN “completion” program, your clinical commitment can be as much as 700 to 900 hours – a massive time commitment that may not mean much if you have already spent significant time caring for patients in a clinical setting. That can be complicated to fulfill, particularly if you are getting your degree from an online school located far from your home.
It’s hard to “shop” for a BSN with no clinicals, because strictly speaking, all accredited BSN programs involve some kind of clinical practice experience. Some schools do not give clinical teaching to online students themselves, but require students who live a distance from campus to find a place where they can complete them with the help of a preceptor. Others do not list clinical hours as free-standing courses, but rather integrate clinical experience into other courses or professional capstone projects.
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BSN Career Skills
The time spent on clinical experience can be tougher in some ways than classroom learning, but it’s a critical part of a nurses training. It’s important to get clinical teaching in an actual hospital or clinic setting, where there is real pressure to make good decisions and perform jobs correctly. It also provides some training in dealing with other health professionals. The kinds of personality conflicts that can come up with clinical instructors or other nurses can be a good rehearsal for the kinds of issues you’ll need to deal with in the health care environment after graduation.
RN to BSN Programs With No On-Campus Clinical Courses Required
Here are some online nursing schools that other incorporate clinical experiences into a variety of courses, or allow 100% online learning without campus visits by offering field experiences in your region.
Grand Canyon University
GCU is a Christian-based school with a large online teaching division. Their 36 credit RN to BSN program has a rolling system allowing new students to start every two weeks. The program has no required clinical component.
Get information on Grand Canyon University
South University
A private university with over 18,000 students, South has a large and diverse online degree offering. Along with several nursing master’s degrees, it offers an RN to BSN completion program online with no clinical courses required. Up to 90 credits are accepted in transfer toward your BSN degree from previous learning.
Get info on South University’s BSN Program
Arizona State University
This 100% online program, offered through the public state university system of Arizona, has no clinical or practicum courses. Clinical learning is done through what’s called “practical learning activities.”
Get info on Arizona State
Saint Louis University
A Catholic Jesuit school in St. Louis, Missouri, the school’s online RN to BSN program allows for up to 64 credit hours being transferred in, and has no clinical courses required.
Learn more about St. Louis University
Indiana University
A single program created by eight campuses of the Indiana University Nursing program – a state public university system. The school’s site says that clinical learning experiences are “embedded in didactic or lecture-based courses.”
Learn more about Indiana U.
Campus-Based Schools
University of Wyoming
The public university’s program in Laramie, Wyoming, is designed for completion in one year at an accelerated pace. It requires full time attendance, and is a rare campus based program that requires no clinical time.
Learn more about University of Wyoming
