Have you ever imagined nursing through digital platforms? Nursing seems like the sort of thing you’d need to learn in person. It is, after all, one of the most interpersonal careers in the job marketplace. There are clinical rotations that do, of course, necessitate being physically present.
And yet, with the proliferation of remote learning, there are ample opportunities for remote education. Lectures viewed from behind a screen. Group projects done using collaborative cloud-based software.
Is this beneficial? In this article, we take a look at how technology and remote learning are better preparing nurses for demanding careers.
Key Takeaways
- Online digital platforms have made it very easy to earn a nursing degree.
- These sites provide nursing programs with significantly lower costs than the on-campus programs.
- Students and professionals can pursue online degrees without compromising their studies and jobs.
- It helps nurses to evolve and grow with the modern updated syllabus and demanding nature.
Can You Earn a Complete Nursing Degree Online?
Many online platforms are available that can allow you to earn a complete nursing degree online. Clinical rotations do still need to be completed in person. Here, the nursing students actually get to practice their craft within a hospital, being with patients and learning the day-in and day-out of their craft. That cannot be done over the internet, however, and should not.
Online universities align with community hospital rotations to provide access to rotations when necessary while retaining the ability of students to learn safely from home.
Benefits of Online Education for Nursing Students
Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be done. Do online learning opportunities fully prepare nurses in a career development sense? That is an interesting question, and one without a singular answer.
Here’s what we will say. Online learning can improve healthcare job training by making the educational experience more accessible. Aspirants prefer to select nursing as a second career option. On these occasions, the people pursuing a degree are generally established professionals, possibly balancing family responsibilities along with the requirements of their current job.
In this case, yes. Online learning is often the best and most dependable way to get a degree. The format is more flexible. The simple act of cutting out the commute can save hundreds of hours throughout the course of an academic year.
And because many virtual curricula consist of pre-recorded lectures over mandatory meeting times, it’s often the best and most realistic way for a busy person to complete their educational goals.
Is Nursing Training Enough?
Okay, so we’ve gotten into how the format can be beneficial. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s optimal. Nursing is an important job. Getting the training right is key. Can you do that online?
This is a yes-but-sort-of answer. Yes, you absolutely can, but it’s not necessarily right for everyone. Here’s what you should know:
- Online learning is completely legitimate and facilitated by the same professors who teach at physical locations.
- It gives you ample options. You’ll be limited, of course, by programs that are regionally accredited. That means officially recognized by your state. Otherwise, you’ll have many more options than would be possible if you were restricted only to schools within driving distance.
- Online learning is often cheaper, and that’s a key secondary consideration for many people considering online education. Virtual learning schools that don’t have a physical campus are generally more affordable than traditional learning environments. Certain brick-and-mortar universities will provide less-expensive online courses, too, specifically in nursing, education, or social work, whereby the intention is to achieve specialized certification.
That being said, it will ultimately depend on what type of learner you are. Do you function well within a self-directed setup? Are you internally motivated to learn, or do you respond best to the discipline of a classroom? There’s no right or wrong in answering questions like these, but knowing where you’re starting will benefit you prior to starting.
Interesting Fact
According to AACN, nearly 50% of nursing schools in the U.S are now offering hybrid online platforms.
How Remote Learning Builds Your Career
Online learning opens doors to continuing education. One of the best things about the modern online learning environment for nursing education is that it makes continued learning easier than ever. If you want to become a nurse practitioner or occupy a similar advanced practice position, you need to get a graduate degree.
The benefits of pursuing an MSW online are largely similar to those we’ve already described. The life of a nurse is very busy. They have to go on unplanned shifts and even have to work on rotational shifts. These challenges make this profession really hard to choose. In what world can someone who works 12-hour shifts commit to something like that?
MSW programs, of course, recognize that many of their students are working nurses and calibrate their schedule accordingly, but online formats make it easier still to optimize your schedule to complement your professional and personal needs.
Here’s the bottom line. Learning online is not for everyone, but if you can genuinely engage well with the course materials in a self-guided model, you probably should. It’s not a question of one format being better than another from an instructional perspective, but from an accessibility one. Online learning is unmatched.
Concussion
Remote learning and advanced digital technology have made clinical training very effective and easy. It is not that it has replaced the need for hands-on practical training. If you are a student who wants to begin your career in nursing or aim fr its advanced practice, digital platforms provide facilities to balance between life and career. Digital technology has made nursing easier than ever before.
Ans: Yes, many of the online platforms come with certifications and badges that will be applicable in the medical industry.
Ans: No, most of the online platforms are cheaper than campus learning.
Ans: Yes, qualified and certified virtual learning sites can foster a bright future among nurses.
Ans: Yes, students can attain a higher nursing career with degrees and courses through the internet.
