21 May 2008

Nursing Continuing Education Provider - Going Online

Nursing Continuing Education Provider - Going Online by Cindy Claire

Who does not want a job as a registered nurse? Compared to many other jobs, registered nurses are well-paid, respected, and in high demand. In order to obtain the right knowledge and skill to qualify for such jobs, many people are now in the search for a good nursing continuing education provider.

But, have you thought about doing your study online?

There are many advantages to online learning, and convenience is the biggest one. Studying online means a student does not have to rearrange their schedule in order to get to a campus at a certain time to take required classes. Transportation also is not a problem. To get to class, all a student has to do is sit down in front of their home computer.

Online education provider do not exercise rigid schedule requirements on students. This is a big advantage for those who have to juggle their nursing studies along with taking care of their homes and children and working at a full time job. In fact, many students in online nursing programs are able to complete their education faster than those in traditional programs. Some are able to earn a degree that usually takes four years in only two.

If you are concerned with your budget, online continuing education programs have another advantage. Often, studying online is less expensive than enrolling in an on-campus program.

Another bonus is that there are usually no waiting lists when studying online. As more people discover the advantages of becoming a registered nurse, traditional nursing schools are finding it harder and harder to accommodate all who want to enroll. In fact, they are only able to take a limited number of new students at any given time. Which could mean you might find yourself waiting for a spot to open up before you can even begin earning your degree. That usually is not a problem with online continuing education providers.

It can be a challenge to find a good online nursing education program for your specific needs. But there are programs being offered by many reputable learning institutions. Some include:

* The University of Phoenix
* Walden University
* Kaplan University
* Vanderbilt University

You may also check CE4U.com as an alternative resource.

So, are you interested in pursuing a career as a registered nurse? You can start today by checking out for yourself the right nursing continuing education provider. As discussed, the online options have many advantages and there are plenty of them out there for you to choose from.

About the Author
When searching for the right nursing continuing education provider, you may wish to visit at our online guide on medical education. You may also wish to check out this related article about distance learning - higher education.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=858656

Online Nursing Schools: LPN to RN or LPN to BSN

Online Nursing Schools: LPN to RN or LPN to BSN by Jeff Morrow

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) looking for the best, most convenient way to earn their LPN to RN or their LPN to BSN degree, should look into online nursing schools. Waiting lists are short or nonexistent, tuition is less than campus schools, school attendance is on your schedule, save time commuting, and for a dozen other reasons, attending an online nursing school might be the best career choice you make.

A great advantage to a nursing career is that it can be undertaken in small, manageable steps. You can start working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in just a few months and advance your career from there.

But, no matter where you start as a nurse, you can climb the career ladder gradually from CNA to LPN RN to RN BSN to an advanced certificate program, to an MSN, and beyond. After you become a nurse, there are literally hundreds of career paths waiting for you to explore.

Once you are a nurse, paying for nursing school becomes easier as well. Your employer will often have a program to help with your education, a financial aid application looks better if you have already proven that you have an interest in nursing. Find five ways to pay for your nursing degree.

When you are a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN). you have many options to becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Registered Nurse with a BSN.

For working adult LPN nurses, one of the best options for those who are juggling a home life or other commitments, is to attend an online nursing school.

Online Nursing Degrees Savvy nurses have found the many benefits to attending online nursing school. In comparison to campus schools, online nursing schools take less time, cost less, and are more convenient. With most of your hands-on clinical training behind you LPNs can earn their academic requirement online, while finishing off the remaining part of their clinical requirements at a local facility

10 Benefits of Online Nursing School Programs LPN to BSN or LPN to RN 1. Online Nursing Schools have no waiting lists 2. Be awarded college credit for your LPN or LVN experience 3. Earn a BSN degree in 40 credit hours 4. Going to class online saves you about 30% of your overall educational time 5. Save money because online schools are generally less expensive than campus schools 5. Earn the same nursing degree as the campus students 6. You can graduate from a prestigious nursing school whose equivalents may not be available locally 7 You never need to step into a classroom or visit the campus8. Have access to course material online for viewing and reviewing over again. 9. Academic requirements are completed online 10. Earn your clinical requirement at a local facility

About the Author
Learn the top 10 Online Nursing Schools LPN to BSN or LPN to RN.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=820214

10 May 2008

How To Choose the Best RN to BSN Online Nursing School

Distance Learning Online Nursing Articles : How To Choose the Best RN to BSN Online Nursing School by Jeff Morrow

About 41,000 nurses were either put on waiting lists or not accepted to nursing school last year. If you are a registered nurse (RN) wanting to get into nursing school, and don't want to wait any longer to earn your RN to BSN degree, or worse yet apply and be turned down to nursing school, you may want to read this article about the great benefits of online nursing schools.

RN to BSN Online Nursing Programs - A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree will help advance your nursing career in many ways. However, most students never consider applying to an online nursing school which is located out of state or across the country. Yet some of the best, fully accredited nursing schools offer their nursing program online to out of state students.

This article will discuss the benefits of earning an RN to BSN nursing degree online, and the criteria to use when choosing a top ten nursing school to attend.

While online nursing schools are relatively new, they are, by no means a fad. Nursing students can take advantage of these newly formed opportunities and earn their education online.

The Benefits of Online Nursing Schools Nursing students will be pleasantly surprised to learn about the many benefits of attending an online nursing school. Some of the high level benefits include:

1. No waiting lists However this may change soon

2. Attend classes anytime and anywhere an Internet connection is available

3. Save time by commuting to your office or anywhere an Internet connection is available

4. Save money as online schools can be as much as one half the cost of campus programs

5. Earn a degree quickly, in as few as 30 credit hours

How to Find the Best Online Nursing Schools in Three Steps - When looking into any university, it is important to understand the kind of education you will earn. Picking the wrong school can be detrimental to your career. Use the following 3 tips when finding an online nursing school to attend:

1. Attend a FULLY accredited nursing school program. Regional accreditation is the highest form of accreditation that a schools can receive. There are only six regional accrediting bodies for colleges and universities in the United States:

- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

- New England Association of Schools and Colleges

- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

- Western Association of Schools and Colleges

- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

2. If you are looking for the absolute best online nursing school to attend, find one with a supplemental nursing accreditation such as one from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

3. Look for a non-profit university. Usually state colleges or state universities offer the best nursing school education. These schools are often associated with teaching hospitals, so the nurse educators are some of the best in their field. Even if you are an out-of-state student, attending school online will likely be less expensive than attending campus-based program.

Why a Fully Accredited Nursing School Degree is Essential to Your Career Health - Attending a fully accredited nursing school has many advantages over attending a lesser accredited college or university. Do not take a chance when it comes to your nursing career. Make sure you get the best possible education for these two reasons:

1. Attending an accredited university ensures that the classes you pass will be accepted should you transfer from one school to another or if you plan on gaining an advance degree. In a regulated profession like nursing, earning an accredited degree will ensure compliance with any employer.

2. If you want help to pay for nursing school, attend a regionally accredited nursing school. The only universities allowed to offer a full package of federally funded financial aid are the regionally accredited colleges and universities. Otherwise, the financial aid options available to you will be limited

Attending an online nursing school, may not have been your first thought when you considered being a nurse, but you can earn an accredited and sometime prestigious degree when you graduation from an online nursing schools.

About the Author
Want to find a list of the best online nursing schools, find the top RN to BSN online nursing programs, or a job search engine where you can search for all...

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=818694

Online Nursing Degree: A Wide Open Opportunity

Online Nursing Degree: A Wide Open Opportunity by Elizabeth Whitesmith

The past few years has seen the need for nursing in the United States reach a critical level. By the time of retirement for the majority of the baby boomers there will be a shortage of the medical professionals needed to care for the aging population. This shortage has been beneficial to some, however, as those who are interested in the profession have seen the average salary increase consistently over a period of 15 years.

Many people, however, are unable to quit their day jobs just to go back to college. They need to be able to find an educational opportunity that works for their lifestyles, without hampering their abilities to raise families. One of the best ways that people can enter the nursing profession and work as they are studying is to enroll in an online nursing degree program.

There are many distance based programs that also offer online nursing degree programs. Among those that offer this option are Regent's College of New York, Walden University, and University of Phoenix. Some of them offer entry level programs, but the majority of them are bachelor degree programs online for those who are registered nurses with an associate's degree.

Many colleges that claim to let you earn bachelor degree online may not be properly accredited, which would render the degrees that you would earn useless. If you are thinking about taking courses for an online nursing degree, make sure that the school offering the courses is fully credentialed. No one wants to spend a lot of money and time working on a degree program and then find out that their efforts have been wasted.

How to pay for one's degree is another major concern. Nontraditional students might find it difficult to receive government loans and federal grants. So, these students will need to discover new and creative ways to pay for school. Most trustworthy institutions will have financial aid specialists to answer questions about these nontraditional avenues.

Persons who are interested in pursuing an online nursing degree must be up to the challenge. Financing may be somewhat problematic, and these individuals must learn to balance the demands of work and family with the discipline of studying on their own. Those who are able to balance these challenges, ultimately completing their degree and working as a professional nurse, may find that their success is even that much more gratifying.

About the Author
If you're interested in a career as a nurse and are looking for an educational opportunity that won't interfere with work or family time, enrolling in an online nursing degree program might be the best way for you to go.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=794340

02 May 2008

How to Determine the Quality of an Online Nursing Program

Distance Learning Nursing Degree : How to Determine the Quality of an Online Nursing Program by Grant Eckert

Accreditation

The process of accreditation is not mandatory for nursing programs, but it is desirable. Accreditation is a voluntary program that schools can use to make sure that their program is on par with other schools across the country. While there may be many fine schools that are not accredited, accreditation should give you confidence in an online nursing program. Another reason to choose a school with a valid accreditation is that many schools will not take transfers or allow continuing education from a school that is not accredited.

There are two groups that accredit nursing programs in the United States. They are the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission, or NLNAC, and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, or CCNE. By choosing a school that has the seal of approval from one of these agencies, you should feel confident that you are enrolling in a quality program.

Styles of Learning

Once you are comfortable that your school meets national standards, you must determine whether it will work for you. Online classes are becoming increasingly popular, which is both good and bad. The rapid growth in popularity of online classes has made it difficult for some schools to turn away students. Consider it from the schools point of view. An online course normally costs the same as a regular course. However, the online student does not need a seat in the classroom, does not need to fit into a class. Many colleges do not restrict the class size for online classes. While this may not be a problem if you really understand the coursework and are able to work well independently, it can cause a problem if you need extra help or find yourself falling behind.

One way that many online classes work is by collaborative learning. It is not unusual for the instructor to divide the class into smaller groups and provide assignment for each small group to work together on. Depending on your group you may find yourself spending a good deal of time in online discussions that you had not counted on when planning your time.

Other classes provide little to no interaction between yourself and other students. You will check a class message board for assignments and receive your grades in an email and have little interaction with anything other than the text book.

While it is helpful to discuss the styles of classes before you settle on a school, most teachers within a school have their own style of teaching, and you will have to adapt to each method. The most important factor when considering an online nursing program is the availability of the teachers. In even the smallest classes, if the teacher is unavailable or less than timely in returning graded assignments it will be hard to get the most from your classes.

Hands on Training

In a nursing profession it is important to receive hands on training. You will have to count on a certain number of class hours to be clinical, or hands on. The number of hours and how they are accumulated will vary by school and degree program. Someone studying for the registered nurse, or RN, degree will spend a great deal of time doing clinical work, while a student completing their Bachelor's of Science in Nursing that already is an RN and has worked as a nurse will require few, if any, clinical hours.

Getting Your Questions Answered

An online nursing program, like any other online degree program, is only as good as the people running it. It can be more difficult to determine the quality of the teaching in an online setting, but by paying attention and doing your research you may have find some clues. When you contact the school initially, how are you treated? Are your calls and emails returned promptly? Are your questions answered in a clear manner? The treatment you receive before you are a registered student can be indicative of the treatment you will receive through your time at the school.

Does the staff seem generally knowledgeable and available to answer your questions about financial aid, transferring credits, and other factors that you must consider before committing to one school? While everyone is an individual, you may discover that a helpful and administrative staff often works in the same places as supportive teachers.

The bottom line when shopping for an online nursing program is straightforward. Check that the program is accredited, make sure that there is a system in place for you to receive your clinical hours, and consider the attitude of the staff before you enroll as a student.

About the Author
Grant Eckert is a freelance writer who writes about topics concerning the nursing profession such as Nursing Uniforms

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=789130