Is It Worth Pursuing a Nursing Degree Online?

Nursing is indeed an integral part of the healthcare system. Whether it be a nurse practitioner, who works in a hospital, or a geriatric nurse, working with the elderly, nurses strive to bring comfort and ease to their patients through their service. In order to deliver top quality medical care, it is essential that the nurses have the proper skills. To attain these skills, they must enroll themselves in higher level nursing programs. 

Online nursing courses have become increasingly popular in the last few years. While there are many advantages to online degree programs, there are also a few minor drawbacks that one must consider before making a final decision. This article seeks to highlight potential prospects of pursuing online nursing courses, so that you, as a student, can make a well-informed decision for your career based on the discussion here.

Flexibility in Schedule 

This is an obvious one. Compared to a traditional degree, an online degree program allows nurses to choose their own class timings and to study around their own professional schedules. Coursework and assignments are not deadline bound, as they are in traditional degree settings, and can be submitted at any time they are completed. This is highly advantageous for the nurses already working in the day time. 

Accreditation 

Accreditation is a process by which an online program is assessed by a governing body to see if it fits all the degree requirements. This means that the nursing educational bodies will perform a verification check on the program, the teaching staff, and curriculum and ensure that these are up to standards. 

If you’re looking for a good accredited course, you should consider checking out the online agacnp course, which is a versatile program designed to train nurses in acute-care settings. It holds great earning potential and is a popular option amongst many nursing practitioners. 

It is always important that you check the accreditation of a course before you enroll as you do not want to earn a degree that isn’t recognized by the nursing bodies, which will later on lead you to face hurdles in getting gainful employment as a nurse practitioner. 

Procrastination 

With a flexible schedule, students or nurses can manage their lives much more easily. Juggling family commitments, work, and studies is much easier without an impending sense of approaching deadline anxiety. However, there is also a significant downside to this. While flexible schedules do allow you to manage your time better, on the other hand, they are also a major enabler of procrastination among online students.

Online Degrees Help You Save Money

Traditional classes are often expensive. This is because they require you to come to class and use the facilities at campus. Transport costs, lab fees, hostel fees and using the library can add a significant amount to your student debt. Online classes, on the other hand, are much less expensive. You’re not taking up parking space, you don’t need to commute, and you don’t incur other university-related costs, enabling you to save a lot of money. Online courses may not even require you to buy textbooks which can help you save even more. 

Versatility 

Since an online program doesn’t require students to be at campus, it means they can access courses that aren’t even available in their immediate proximity or even their country. 

Lack of interaction 

Students in traditional classroom settings can interact, make friends, and work collaboratively on projects or assignments. It is common to make a handful of acquaintances this way alone by the end of your program. 

However, this is not the case with online courses. In an online class you are required to check your tasks, complete them and sign off, allowing no room whatsoever for interaction with your peers. This can be a disadvantage as it limits you from learning in social settings, which is where nurses operate all the time. 

Teaching and Learning Methodology 

For any kind of a nursing degree, clinical experience is mandatory. Every nursing school allots credit hours specifically for clinical internships and hospital rounds without which a nursing degree cannot be completed. Since learning in online degree programs is entirely off campus, there is a limited amount of clinical exposure, but with the right accredited online degree, you can easily get an in-house job or internship to build up your practical experience later on. 

Final Thoughts

Online nursing programs are a great way for nursing students to enhance their skills and credentials, so that they can stand out among a sea of average nursing practitioners. The most obvious benefits of attending an online nursing course are the flexibility to choose your own timings and to be able to work around your own schedule. You can also save a ton on transport and hefty university fee costs. There is also a huge resource of these courses available for fraction of the prices of traditional degree programs.