Chamberlain College of Nursing Review

Chamberlain College of Nursing (CCN), dating back to 1889, is one of the oldest and largest schools of nursing in the US. The college history can be further traced back to 1836, when it was established as the first Deaconess Home and Hospital of the Deaconess traditions. And even more, the founder of modern nursing; Florence Nightingale was one of the pioneer students of that ancient hospital.

In 1889, Deaconess College of Nursing was established as a diploma awarding nursing school. Later on, two-year Associate and Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees were introduced. In 2005, a major transformation took place when the college was acquired by DeVry Inc. As such, the former name ‘Deaconess’ was dropped and Chamberlain School of Nursing became the new name towards the end of 2006. The name of the college is derived from an English word meaning ‘chief steward’ as the college is devoted to train the chief stewards of patient care; nurses.

Locations of Chamberlain College of Nursing

Chamberlain has a relatively large presentation by having campuses in 8 US states. The flagship campus of Chamberlain College of nursing is located in Illinois where two campuses are operated; one in Addison and another one in Chicago. Other locations for the college are:

  • St Louis, Missouri
  • Miramar & Jacksonville, Florida
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Arlington, Virginia
  • Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Houston, Texas
  • Columbus, Ohio

Each of the colleges’ campuses offer different programs and others even have one or two nursing programs under them.  In addition to physical campuses, Chamberlain is also very well renowned for online nursing degree programs where students can earn their degrees in distant locations without having to visit any of the onsite classes.

Nursing Programs at Chamberlain College of Nursing

For all the educational needs of students aspiring to become registered nurses, Chamberlain has most of what students would want.  A very large number of nursing programs are under the college, starting with the very lowest Associate degrees to Masters Degree in nursing.  The different levels of nursing programs are offered at selected locations; hence students must choose the locations as per their educational needs.

Associate degrees in nursing offered by the college are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC). On the other hand, the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) with few exceptions.

Undergraduate Degree Options at Chamberlain

Under their undergraduate category, students have various options as outlined below:

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

LPN to RN Bridge Option

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

  • RN to BSN Online Degree Completion Option
  • RN-BSN to MSN Online Option
  • Three-Year BSN
  • Second Degree BSN Option

Graduate Degree Options at Chamberlain

On the graduate degrees category, the following Master of Science in nursing (MSN) tracks and specialty tracks are available:

  • RN-BSN to MSN Online Option
  • Executive Specialty track
  • Educator Specialty track
  • Informatics Specialty track
  • MSN & MBA program track

A comprehensive review of the above listed programs and each of the locations in which they are offered is provided below:

Undergraduate Degrees

i)        Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

The Associate degree in nursing program at Chamberlain degree is only offered their Columbus, Ohio Campus. It is a 6-emester, 72 credit hours program which students can complete online or onsite. Most of the general education and didactic courses can be offered online and students can access the courses from any geographical location. However, all courses with a clinical component must be completed at the Columbus campus. With on-site training, students must attend real clinical labs and traditional classroom settings.

Courses are offered all year round for the six semesters whereby, general education and fundamental courses are offered in the first year and continuation to the second year for the nursing and clinical portion. On a further note, students can choose to attend campus during the entire time or choose the hybrid option of online and onsite-Columbus campus classes.

 

ii)      LPN to RN Bridge Option

This nursing program is a completion option for licensed practical nurses (LPN) who want to pursue an Associate degree in nursing and become registered nurses.  The program can be completed entirely online but for those who want to complete it onsite, it is offered only at the Columbus, Ohio campus. In addition, the LPN to RN Bridge Option is only available to practical nurses residing in Ohio but with licensure from any US state.

To be admitted, students must take and pass the Transitions in Professional Nursing Bridge course which allows validation of prior nursing knowledge received through the Chamberlain College Articulation Plan (CCAP). After passing this validation test, students receive up-to 10 semester credits; 3 and 7 in general education and nursing course respectively. Students are also required to maintain their LPN licensure to be allowed to progress into the program. For students who have not completed liberal arts and applied science courses, they can do so at DeVry University.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing Options

i)        Three-Year BSN

Instead of the common generic Bachelor of Science in nursing program that takes four years to complete, the generic BSN at Chamberlain is completed in three years. It is an entry level program that admits fresh, pre-licensure students who want to become registered nurses. The program has several attractive details including the 3-year instead of the 4-year period, starting off nursing courses as early as the first year and removal of pre-requisite courses as a requirement for admission.

This program has a wide representation as it is offered on-site in all the above mentioned campus locations of Chamberlain College of nursing. Accreditation for the BSN program at Columbus, Ohio and St Louis, Missouri has double accreditation by both the NLNAC and CCNE while tracks on all other locations are accredited by the CCNE. A total of 129 credit hours must be completed in an all-year- round format to be allowed to graduate and take the NLCEX exam and become a registered nurse.

ii)      Second Degree BSN Option

The second degree BSN program from Chamberlain College of Nursing is designed for adult learners who already hold another baccalaureate degree in any other non-nursing field.  For flexibility, this program is offered in a hybrid online-on site format. All theory courses are offered in an online format while clinical, lab and experiential learning component of the program are offered on-site. On this note, the onsite component of this hybrid program is offered at three campuses of Chamberlain namely: Florida, Houston and Chicago.

Students apply for credit transfer from their prior bachelor degree hence, completing the Bachelor of Science in nursing requirements in as little as 13months. To be allowed into the program, a prospective student must have at least 68 transferable credit hours from their first baccalaureate program. Three full- load semesters of one academic year and an extra 3-credit semester of a capstone course are required. Students are admitted and progress in cohorts of eight students who must be around a common clinical partner’s site. In addition to being an online option, each student in this program is assigned to a student services Rep from any campus of chamberlain close to their geographical location. The rep oversees that the clinical compliance requirement for the program is fulfilled and that there is ease in handling the online coursework.

iii)    RN to BSN Online Degree Completion Option

For registered nurses (RNs) wishing to complete a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree, Chamberlain College of Nursing has this option. This program is offered 100% online with very attractive provisions like non-requirement of clinical experience and individual preference log-in times. Registered nurses are able to complete the program in a record 3-semesters having completed a maximum of 48 credit hours; 24 each in nursing and liberal arts courses.

RNs that hold active licensure in any US state are able to transfer up-to 81 credit hours towards the Bachelor of Science degree through the CCAP.  These are a maximum of 44 of nursing 37 of liberal arts courses. This program also offers tuition discount for military students and those RNs working in healthcare partners of Chamberlain College of Nursing. However, the program does not accept students from Tennessee, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Vermont.

iv)    RN-BSN to MSN Online Option

The RN-BSN to MSN is for registered nurses who want to earn two degrees simultaneously in a single program. Students earn a Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) making it cost and time effective. For this online program, RNs are first admitted into the RN to BSN program at Chamberlain and are then eligible to apply for the MSN degree before they complete their BSN

In this case, students at the RN to BSN program are allowed to take selected MSN courses in place of 2 Bachelor level courses. The RN-BSN to MSN Online Bridge courses are taken at the 3rd semester of the RN to BSN program. These MSN courses are of higher content and total to 6 alternate credit hours applicable for both BSN and MSN programs. In addition to the 3 semesters of the RN to BSN, students take another 5 semesters to complete the graduate courses. Just like the RN to BSN program, students from the above named 4 states and North Dakota are not allowed into the program.

Graduate Nursing Programs

Master of Science in Nursing Degree Program

The Master of Science degree in nursing at Chamberlain is meant for the BSN-prepared candidates. The program prepares advanced practice nurses in the following three specialty tracks:

  • Nurse Executive track
  • Nurse Educator track
  • Nursing Informatics track

The informatics track was recently introduced in the college enabling nurses to take advanced roles in developing information technology for the healthcare sector. The curriculum for all the three tracks takes 6 semesters each and is delivered exclusively on an online format. Practicum hours for each track can be completed at the students’ geographical location of choice. This makes the program ideal for working nurses.

MSN & MBA Track Option

Unlike other common MSN and Master of Business Administration (MBA) tracks that take a dual learning format, the MSN & MBA track at Chamberlain is different. Students must first complete the MSN Executive specialty track after which, they can apply to take the MBA degree at the affiliated DeVry University.  The latter is offered by Keller Graduate School of Management of the university and many qualifying credits from the MSN Executive track are transferred to the MBA program.

This results to students taking only 6 additional courses to finish the second master program which would have otherwise been 16 courses. This MSN & MBA arrangement has the advantage of being fast not to mention the huge savings in tuition. Similarly, the program does not accept students from Vermont, Tennessee and North Dakota.

Financial Assistance for Chamberlain College of Nursing Students

Apart from the usual Federal Grants, Loans, Work Study plans, Chamberlain College of Nursing has several scholarships programs specific to its student’s needs which include:

Chamberlain Access Grant (CAG)

This grant program awards $175 per semester to any student of the college who are also recipients of the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity (SEOG).

Undergraduate Scholarships

Under this category, there are five scholarship programs for students at Chamberlain listed below:

i)        Nightingale Scholarship

This is awarded to pre-licensure RN student nurses based on need and its availability varies from campus to campus. Beneficiaries of this scholarship receive $2500 in tuition fees and must maintain a GPA of 3.5 to maintain eligibility.

ii)      Next Generation Scholarship

This scholarship program is merit based and is open to entry level high school graduates. Under this plan, students receive $2500 per academic semester and is funding is continued as long the beneficiary students maintains a GPA of 3.5.

iii)    Chief Steward Scholarship

The scholarship is merit based but the high achievers must have also shown a high commitment to community nursing. It is open to pre-licensure students and funds range from $1000 to $8000 per semester and availability varies by campus and semester.

iv)    Navigate to Nursing Scholarship (N2N)

This program is open to high school seniors who wish to start earning college credit hours towards the BSN g program at Chamberlain. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.2, must come from a Chamberlain-recognized school and must present a letter of recommendation for the program. Beneficiaries receive up-to $8500 in tuition fees during their high school senior year.

v)      Deans Scholarship

This is merit based and students must be in a pre-licensure program at the college. Transcripts from all schools attended are required to verify eligibility. Beneficiaries receive $2500 per academic semester and a minimum GPA of 3.5 must be maintained for continuous award.

Graduate Scholarships

i)        Clinical Educator Scholarship

This is open to RNs who have had at least 5 years experience in a hospital or clinical setting and wish to become nurse educators. Students must not be receiving any other scholarships from Chamberlain and must be currently employed. Under this scholarship program, students receive $290 per session up-to $3500.

ii)      Working Parent Scholarship

This scholarship is unlimited to parents who enroll in the Master of Science in nursing program. It is open to working RNs who hold a registered nurse license and not receiving any other form of scholarship from the college. The MSN students receive $290 per session totaling to $3500 and continuous awards is for students who maintain a GPA of 3.0

Contact:
Chamberlain College of Nursing
National Headquarter Offices,
3005 Highland Parkway,
Downers Grove, IL 60515