Did you know that America needs more nurses now more than ever? As the need for health care continues to grow, one of the most in-demand fields for the next decade will be for nurses. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts there will be over 587,000 new jobs created in a field that already has over 2.5 million workers. Rapid employment opportunities has fueled an over-capacity of traditional education system for nurses and developed the need for more students to earn nursing degrees online.
Benefits of Studying for a Nursing Degree Online:
- Studying nursing online is much reasonable than studying at a traditional college or university. While tuition cost varies by school, it can still cost as much as 30 to 50% less than class-based programs.
- Today’s working nurses enjoy the ability to improve their credentials and career options through the convenience of accredited online nursing programs without sacrificing family time of taking time off work.
- No classroom attendance, no nursing school waiting lists, no traffic, or schedule conflicts to worry about!
- Study at your own pace from your own place anytime. Many students choose to continue working while studying and e-learning allows the flexibility to do this by offering studies that can be done 24/7.
- Coursework can be completed at your own pace, without disrupting work or family life. Students may download the coursework to read or watch a video lecture in the convenience of their own home or during their lunch hour at work.
- If the work is too difficult for the student, they may simply go over it again to understand it more thoroughly or fast forward through it if the work is too easy.
- Easier access to instructors and academic counselors than most campus-based students, who traditionally have to meet with professors at set office times during the week. Online students mainly interact by posting questions via email, texting, virtual chat rooms, bulletin boards, live chat, webinars and many other innovative support technologies evolving every day.
Popular Accredited Online Nursing Schools
- Kaplan University School of Nursing - When you enroll in Kaplan University School of Nursing online, you will enjoy the flexibility of pursuing your educational goals from the convenience of your own home or anywhere you have Internet access.
- Walden University - You understand the needs of your patients and your organization—but you see the opportunities for improvement in the nursing profession. With Walden University’s online degree programs in nursing, you can become an agent of change and a leader in your field.
A recent study published by the American Medical Association stated that patients cared for by nurses having a bachelor’s degree in nursing have a “substantial survival advantage” over patients who are cared for by nurses who do not.
Nursing is one of those few professions that offer individuals the opportunity to have direct influence on the recovery of the sick and injured. In fact, the study further showed that with just a 10% increase in nurses with a bachelor’s degree in the health care profession would result in 5% decrease in patient death and failure to rescue.
Why earn an Undergraduate Degree in Nursing?
Undergraduate degrees in nursing come in the form of:
- Online Associate Degree in Nursing: The online associate degree in nursing is an introductory program to the field of nursing. It is skewed towards developing the technical skills more than theoretical principles so that students have some practical knowledge before moving onto their bachelor’s degree. Graduates of the online degree in nursing are also qualified to be registered nurses so they can start working in just over 2 years of starting the program.
- Online Diploma in Nursing: The online diploma in nursing is 2-3 year training program that at a level between the associate and bachelor’s degree. Today, nursing diplomas are not as popular as before, but are still recognized by the profession. The diploma in nursing adds more theory to the practical experiences of the associates degree and prepares students for employment in hospitals and other patient care facilities.
- Online Bachelor’s in Nursing: The online bachelor’s degree in nursing is the most preferred degree to employers with the nursing profession. This is because it entails an intense study of nursing principles combined with significant practical training.
Course Outline of the Undergraduate Degree in Nursing
Instead of putting their lives on pause to attend a traditional university to pursue your undergraduate degree in nursing, many students are now opting for the pursuit of their nursing undergraduate degree. At online colleges that offer undergraduate nursing degrees, students can study at times and in locations convenient to them. Courses are divided into several modules and available from their university’s web site. Students cover general subject areas such as biology, physiology, pharmacology, nursing theory, clinical governance and ethics and law in nursing. Some students also choose specialized electives such as substance abuse recovery, pediatric care and midwifery.
It is important to note that all nurses must receive licensure by completing the National Certification Licensure Examination. This will qualify them to function as registered nurses.
Top Online Schools to study Undergraduate Degree in Nursing
Some of the top online colleges for undergraduate degrees in nursing include:
Chamberlin College of Nursing
Colorado Technical University
Walden University
What can I do with an Undergraduate Degree in Nursing?
Currently the entire world is facing a shortage of nurses. This is triggered by continuous wars, natural and man-made disasters. A study published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics detailed that the demand for trained nurses will continue to be high through to 2014.Many nurses with undergraduate degrees function in environment such as hospitals, private nursing homes, birth centers and public health.
What are Nursing Scholarships?
Scholarship programs are available for students pursuing their education in the field of nursing. Scholarships have rather become a necessity for nursing educational programs due to their demanding and time consuming nature. Students who take up nursing programs are seriously finding it difficult to manage their studies, work and family responsibilities. It is just impossible to work full time having taken up nursing as main stream of education. Hence scholarships surely relieve students of their financial stress and tension. How do we go about scouting for nursing scholarship programs?
How do you find available Nursing Scholarships?
A search for scholarship programs is all the same no matter the area of specialization.
- Access the internet and search for scholarship programs online.
- Search for scholarship programs offered by well known institutions. Following are some of the websites that you normally look up to:
The American Nurses Association
State Boards of Nursing
The American Association of Colleges of Nurses
These institutions understand the need for scholarship support and thereby intend to help students become professional nurses.
- Out of the many resources available internet is one of the best. Scholarship sources available over the net help you find the most suitable scholarship programs provided you give them the basic details about your search for scholarship programs.
- The next best place that you should look into is the school of study you wish to attend. Most of the colleges offer scholarship programs for their students. It is upto the students to verify the aid factor for the nursing courses.
- It is good to know that scholarships are offered not just for any particular course, but also for common and unique reasons. Like scholarship for women, people who write with their left hand, tall people, short people, people with similar names. The list goes never ending. Apart from trying for scholarships specific to nursing course of study, one can also try for other forms of financial scholarships offered that will help them in meeting their financial needs.
