I can understand the theory of wanting clinical hours to be a part of the requirement for RN program.My first resource when considering online was my State Board.In my state of residence which is Florida as an LPN I could sit for boards as long as I had hospital experience.I now have 10 years of extensive experience. I have worked with newly graduated RN's that have yet to insert a foley, never seen a suprapubic catheter,let alone started an IV.As an LPN the first thing I had to get certified in was IV's,this included central line care and medication administration.As a new LPN grad I had much to learn and it was on the floor experience.No hospital or Nursing Home is going to let a new person do anything without an orientation that includes that facilities standards.

I do not wish to pit RN to LPN but it is standing knowledge that LPN's have more hands on experience.Paramedics also have hands on experience,as do Respiratory therapistes.Are there areas that non nursing personnel need to be schooled?You betcha,but so do new grads from the campus.Respiratory techs can do blood gases,have been in codes as have paramedics.You also have some folks that are coming from the military,do they have good trainging or what.I think that would be a yes. When needed to float does an experienced ICU nurse readily go form ICU to a floor?How about a new grad that is going into a specialty that has not been on a med surg floor let alone never stepped into a nursing home,won't even mention tele monitors and being able to look at a strip and know that their patient's rythmn is changing or what to tell the doc when they call him.

If nothing else at least recognize those who are already coming into the program with this experise.New RN grads are novices with many of the procedures LPN's,Paramedics , Respiratory Techs,and military medical folks have.There is a wealth of  quality these areas of expertise can bring to a hospital floor,more than just a warm body.

I have tried the campus program and cannot afford to go to school full time but am able to soon reach my goal.Even with the online at my own pace,I have had to take off work to study and seek outside resources,maybe more so than a campus student.

I have worked in the State of Virgina as an LPN and enjoyed it,also to mention had to go through excellent orientation that included detailed schooling in the areas of expertise that we would encounter.Once again I have seen new grads in specialty  in your state and mine, how safe is it to put brand new grad into er,can they give an enema,start iv,let alone read the monitor? How about tele when they have no med surg or nursing home experience?They are just learning to read the monitors and get a tube feeder with a supra pubic and never seen either.Not pointing fingers or finding fault,it is just that even though Paramedics,Resp Techs and LPN's are in campus programs we are also in online programs.

Thank you for you time,eyes and "ears".