Nursing Degrees, On Campus and Online
 By the year 2020, there will be an estimated shortage of 800,000 nurses. With the baby boomers entering retirement and people living longer, healthcare professionals are in great demand. If you're a medical assistant or technician--or if you're looking for a career change--the time is right for a degree in nursing. Online education has made continuing education within reach, even for those with work and family commitments. |
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Deedy Silva, a medical assistant, is one of the working professionals taking advantage of the online format. I talked to her about her nursing degree program, and the challenges of balancing work and education. FSOD: You're currently working full time in a medical clinic. What do you do there? DS: I'm a medical assistant at a private Family Practice/Urgent Care clinic. I was a receptionist originally, but I've since gotten my venipuncture license and been office-trained to do X-Rays. I do vital signs, EKGs, X-Rays, shots, and lab work. FSOD: Why did you decide to go back to school? DS: I've taken technical clinics, but I need a degree to advance in the healthcare field. I hope to get my RN over the next few years and work in the ER or Intensive Care Unit. My long-term goal is to earn my master degree in Nursing. I'm currently working toward a BSN (bachelor degree in Nursing), and then I'm starting a fast-track RN program. FSOD: How does online education figure into your nursing degree? DS: I'm doing a combined program that lets you take courses online and on campus. So far I've taken six courses online: the core humanities requirements, and electives such as environmental science and psychology. I usually take a class on campus if it involves a lab or practicum. Online education makes sense for some classes, not for others; administrative nursing might work online, but clinical nursing wouldn't. You need the hands-on training. In the mid-1800s, American nurses made $1 for each house call; today, the median salary for a Registered Nurse is $61,136. Find Schools
FSOD: Why did you decide to do some of your degree online? DS: Because of my work schedule. I couldn't take time off work, so I had to do some of the degree online. I was apprehensive at first. I didn't know if I could actually sit down and do the assignments. But it's worked out well. You have to learn to manage your time and not do things at the last minute. FSOD: How did you manage the on-site component of the program? DS: I've been alternating each semester between part-time and full-time hours at work. One semester I'll work part time and take a class on campus; the next I'll return to full time and take a couple classes online. FSOD: Describe an online education. What's it like? DS: It's the same as taking a class, except you're not driving to campus all the time. I still go to campus once a week because there are more resources there--I'll go to the library, for example. Most midterms and finals are online, meaning you do them from home. You're given a 24-hour period to take the test. It's open book, but you still have to do the homework because the exam is timed--it shuts off automatically. In zoology, a "nurse" is a worker ant or bee that feeds and cares for the colony's young. Find Schools
FSOD: How do you interact with your professors and the other students? DS: I communicate with my professors through interoffice mail. They have their own webpage. It's set up like a forum. Class participation is part of the grade, so you have to interact with the other students. For example, there'll be weekly posts on a given topic--everyone has to write three paragraphs and respond to each other. FSOD: Do you ever collaborate on projects with other students? DS: It depends on the class. For environmental science we had to convene on campus three times, right before the midterm and final, to do a group project. FSOD: What's the biggest advantage and disadvantage of an online nursing degree? DS: It's great for single parents. And it's a great way to advance your career without taking time off. I know a lot of people in their thirties and forties who are going back to school while working fulltime. They do online programs because of the convenience and short timeframe. In some cases their employers are willing to pay for it. You don't need to know much about computers, but you do need to be motivated. And you need to plan ahead. If you need a last minute question answered, you're out of luck. It can take three to five days to get an answer from the teacher. FSOD: Do you have a sense of how online education is perceived in your field? DS: Employers look at the university, not the learning method. The degree is the same whether you've taken the class online or on campus. You're doing the same work, the same reading. They might look differently at a nursing degree that's completely online, because there's no practicum. An online degree might be fine for an administrative nurse. But for what I want to do--clinical nursing--a combined online and campus program is ideal. Sources
Learn more about Nursing About the Author Sonja Albrecht works as a writer and editor for an online media company. She has also taught college writing and completed a Ph.D. in English. |
