With a large number of nurses retiring per year, the nursing shortage is continuously on the rise. As the demand for nurses is expected to create more than a million jobs, more people are turning to the nursing profession in hopes of finding a stable career. Student applications to nursing schools are growing and a lot of students are being placed on waiting lists for over a year before they could start their training. Fortunately, students who want a career in nursing have other options aside from enrolling into a traditional nursing school. These days, it is not rare to find students enrolled in online schools to get their degree in nursing. While some students have to wait for as long as 3 years to get accepted into a traditional nursing school, those who choose to go into distance learning can immediately start their RN training as long as they meet the program requirements.
More people are starting to choose studying online as this allows students to advance their career without having to quit their current jobs. Those who have family responsibilities are often skeptical about going back to school because they do not want to lose working hours just to attend their classes. Online studying makes it possible for students to earn their degree without having to change their current work schedules because they are given flexible hours. Working students can also learn at their own pace right in the comfort of their own home.
Aside from offering flexible schedules, online programs can lower the cost of education for its students. Housing costs, student association fees, and even the cost of textbooks are reduced. In addition to these eliminated costs, commuting expenses are lowered since students will not have to go to school for classroom instructions. Students in an online RN program or an online lpn program, however, cannot fulfill their clinical training-hours requirement online. They will still need to complete their on-site clinical rotations at an accredited nursing facility.
Since there are many advantages to distance education, nursing schools which offer online programs are expected to grow in numbers in the next few years as more people would prefer to get their nursing degrees online. Due to a positive job outlook and an attractive income, more people who have non-nursing bachelor's degrees are encouraged to change their career paths and study nursing. Because these individuals are currently working, they would prefer to complete their nursing education at a school which offers flexibility in schedule. Online nursing programs will also save them travel time especially if they don't live near any traditional nursing schools.
Online nursing schools offer degree programs that are similar to that of the LPN and RN programs in traditional schools. However, the most commonly offered degree online is the RN-BSN and BSN-MSN degrees. Online schools also offer classes that are not part of the LPN or RN program curriculum but serves as supplements to those courses. Some of the popular online classes include nursing theories, health management, ethics, health assessment, and nursing strategies.
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