Why Online Degree Is A Good Idea for Nurses

The pandemic has highlighted the important work that nurses carry out to keep the communities and societies healthy. They have served selflessly without any consideration for their families. If nurses were not ready for selfless service, we might have witnessed an extinction of the human race. The severity of the pandemic was extreme, and the cure was unknown.

During the same time, one thing that also gained popularity was online education, specifically among nurses. Nurses responded to the needs of the healthcare industry during such uncertain times, taking more interest in upskilling themselves and enrolling in advanced degree programs. However, due to lockdown measures and the norms of social distancing, the online mode of education became more popular. While many struggled with it in the beginning, the benefits of online education gradually became clearer. The online mode of education benefits everyone, but it is extremely favorable for nurses. They can continue working in the hospital but take their nursing courses simultaneously.

Nurse’s Interest In Online Education

There has been a significant increase in nurses enrolling in nursing programs over the years. New nurses and older nurses are participating in the race too. They are now able to manage their tasks more easily by enrolling in online degrees like an online RN to BSN Program and taking their career further. There has been a 6% increase in enrollment in bachelor nursing programs in 2020. The increased dedication of nurses has been inspirational. The pandemic has failed to scare the nurses away, and a bump in enrollment numbers is proof.

Pursuing education with your personal engagements and working in a care facility is a difficult step. However, nurses are taking this challenge because the healthcare industry needs skilled nurses. The old ideas and knowledge are not enough to fight the novel viruses and diseases. The demand is for quickly gathering skills. Therefore, online nursing degrees are a hot preference among nurses.

How To Pursue An Online Nursing Degree?

Since nursing is a practice-oriented career, many wonder how it is even possible to have an online nursing degree. Many questions pop up in one’s mind, like “is the online degree valid?” “Can you earn a full associate, BSN, or an MSN degree online?” “What about the clinical hours?” The answer to the first two questions is a “yes.” As far as the clinical hours are concerned, you have to finish them in person in a hospital or any other work setting, but you will complete the majority of the courses online. Innovative communication technologies and teaching methodologies have significantly improved the online teaching and learning experience. The other benefits of an online nursing degree include the following.

• Lower Costs

Many schools have started offering online education for new and older nurses. When there are many options available to the consumers, we all know that price always remains in check through the market mechanism. Online education has also kept the financial factor of these degrees in check.

Online education is less costly than taking classes in traditional brick-and-mortar schools. Therefore, they often charge their students less as well. Additionally, they don’t have to pay the facility’s rent or utility bills. Moreover, many tasks such as making and grading quizzes and exams become online, so the need for administrative personnel also reduces. All this has a ripple effect in the form of lower fees for courses. Nursing students who have been barred from earning a degree due to higher costs can also enroll in education and complete the same courses by spending less. For students, there is no need to pay for on-campus living expenses or day-to-day school expenses, as they will be getting all the learning from the comfort of their house. Most learning material is also available online.

• More Flexibility

Nurses are needed on the ground taking care of the patients, and healthcare today is in no position to send nurses off-duty to pursue their educational careers. In the case of traditional on-campus classes, you are forced to attend the classes when everyone else does. It means, in most cases, you cannot work a job. This is not the case in online education. While students are sometimes required to attend live sessions and be present in the class, mostly there are recorded lectures that can be taken at any time and from anywhere. So, the flexibility of space and time is the biggest advantage of online education. You can organize your study timing according to your work schedule. You can access your courses even during the shift breaks, go through the assessment, and work on your homework. You only need to have a stable internet connection, which is present in all hospitals these days.

• Makes Them More Comfortable

The chances are that introverted students may be less comfortable attending on-campus classes, so an online mode of education is ideal for them. This way, they can choose to connect with other people according to their comfort level. Meeting other people, spending time with them, and socializing are not required in online education. People may argue how these nurses will interact with patients in a care facility, but the answer is that introverts manage these things at their pace. Therefore, they can easily concentrate on their work in online classes, therefore making them more comfortable and confident.

The close connection with your teachers can help you overcome your shyness, training you to become an exceptional nurse. So, online education is perfect for shy and less outgoing students. It can also boost their confidence with time, making them ready for their job in a hospital.

• More Organized Paperwork

In the case of online education, there is less paper material to manage. Most of the work is online, and all documents are in PDF form. Moreover, online databases can manage your documents on your behalf whenever needed. So, online education is more organized. Managing notes and keeping track of the papers in online mode will also help you save time.

Online mode of education is becoming popular, especially among nurses. They can have more control over their work and family life while managing their studies. The online method of education is more organized and less costly too. All these perks make it an excellent choice for new and on-duty nurses.