Nursing is one of the fastest-growing professions with high upward mobility. However, with tight schedules from the increasing demand for their services, nurses can easily feel stuck and unable to pursue career advancement opportunities.
Enter online education, where nurses can leverage flexible, cost-effective study methods to prepare for advanced roles while still working. With online studies, you can complete a variety of advanced certifications at a comfortable pace and emerge with high-level licenses.
Whether you’re aspiring to become a nurse or are eyeing more advanced roles at your current workplace, online education can help you get there more easily than traditional education.
In the following article, we outline how online education can help you achieve your career goals. First, we’ll highlight what you can expect from online education – the study experience, types of certifications and licenses, etc. After that, we’ll explore how online education can benefit your career.
What can you expect from an online study experience?
Online education is on par with traditional education in nearly every regard, from the content to the format. It is equally as rigorous and meets the highest standards of education.
However, the slight differences between the two can enormously impact your study experience.
Differences like the method of participation and the self-paced learning style give you more flexibility and control. Some components require time-bound commitments, but students will enjoy flexibility and control for most of their online programs.
In general, here are some key elements of the online learning experience:
- Tracking and reviewing learning objectives
- Consuming study materials
- Completing tasks and assignments
- Participating in group activities such as group discussions and study groups
- Engaging in asynchronous study (studying on your own) and synchronous study (studying in classes with others)
Another important thing to note about online education is that you can choose from various programs across multiple levels, from diplomas to associate degrees, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. This gives you the freedom and convenience to choose the exact type of degree needed for your immediate and future career advancement goals.
For instance, you can easily qualify for roles offering a top-range MSN FNP salary by completing an accredited, self-paced MSN program like the one provided by Carson Newman University. Carson Newman’s MSN FNP program is affordable and nationally acclaimed, with 100% online coursework, clinical placement, and extensive personalized support. There are no login obligations. Students get complete control over their study pace while enjoying comprehensive personal and academic support to help them acquire their FNP licensure.
What are the benefits of online education?
Online learning experiences are not all created equal. However, most do offer some common benefits, including:
High-level accreditations
Relevant regulatory bodies accredit most online courses. For nursing programs, that would be the CCNE accreditation, which places online nursing programs on par with their traditional counterparts. That means your online degree will carry as much weight as a conventional degree on your resume.
You can expect high-quality education and learning experiences, guaranteeing that you’re as qualified as anyone else for the advanced nursing role you’re seeking.
Low student-to-faculty ratios
With online education, you can get the maximum attention you need from your lecturers and faculty staff. Besides the much lower student-to-faculty ratio, students also get full engagement with online education. Compared to synchronous learning, everyone is studying at their own pace with online learning and won’t simultaneously have the same study needs.
For instance, everyone will not be taking on tasks and assignments at the same moment as you, so lecturers will have fewer requests for help with their assignments right when you are online.
Interactive course management
Besides self-paced learning, online programs provide many other features that give students greater control over their learning experience.
An interactive course management dashboard places a range of resources at your fingertips. Students can retrieve their learning materials anytime from anywhere, connect with fellow students and faculty staff at their convenience, set up schedules and reminders to keep them on track, and more.
Enhanced self-motivation
These advantages of online education can boost a student’s motivation, encouraging them to complete their program on time. This motivation can also fuel career advancement beyond the program, helping students cultivate self-determination, autonomy, and better time management. Online education also equips students to adapt faster to changes in their work environment and experiment with new skills and techniques to improve productivity.
Extensive networking opportunities
While students may study independently for most of the program, loneliness is the least of their problems. With online learning, students can have a large community of students, like-minded professionals, and experts all available at their fingertips.
You can easily find a listening ear to air their problems and talk about their experiences. You can also rub minds with people who are far ahead of you and can offer you everything from career counseling to referrals for job openings.
Cost savings
Online learning can significantly cut down the cost of getting a high-quality education. You can forgo fees such as accommodation, traveling expenses to and from campus, etc.
What’s more, the time and energy you save from having to commute every day can be channeled back into the course, enabling you to complete your program more quickly and conveniently.
Embracing technology
Lastly, online education prepares you for the modern workplace. It gives you earlier exposure to technologies critical to your daily routine as a nurse.
These include communication tools like Slack and Skype, file management tools like Dropbox, and collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and Trello.
Leverage online education for easier career advancement
As a nurse, you no longer need to choose between working and studying. Both can go hand in hand with online education. You can set aside time to acquire the exact certification and license you need for short-term and long-term career goals without straining your work or personal life.
You can also enjoy maximum attention from faculty staff and fellow students and a supportive community of alums and like-minded professionals.
Online education also prepares you for the modern work environment, giving you a good grip on modern communication and collaboration tools while encouraging you to cultivate self-motivation, self-care, and better time management, which can significantly enhance your productivity.
