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Online nursing degrees by their very nature require the student to use, and preferably own, a computer. Regular, reliable access to the Internet and an email account are essential, plus the ability to troubleshoot occasional hardware and software problems (or know someone else who can). Read More...
RN to MSN Online:
A humanitarian profession, modern nursing was said to have been pioneered by Florence Nightingale. And if truth be told, nursing is still one of the most lucrative professions in the entire world today. This piece is to provide you with the basics of ascending your career while you’re still in employment and taking good care of your personal life. Read More...
Online Nursing Degrees
Online education is the logical format for the future of learning because it allows students to minimize their need to travel and gives them access to an ever-widening field of expertise. However, learning through the Internet is not an easy option. Without either the stimulus of the physical presence of fellow students, or the obligation of immutable timetable commitments, it is tempting to procrastinate and thus become totally disorganized.
The discipline demanded by an online program through which a student sorts out their own timetable, making necessary assessments as to how quickly they will be able to complete a given assignment, is clearly a useful skill that can be transposed to the work environment. Familiarity with relevant sources of information on the Internet, and knowledge of computer techniques and resources, are also invaluable at any level of operation.
Some professions are resistant to the general trend in favor of online education. Engineering is one and Medicine another. Perhaps surprisingly for such a practical vocation, the field of nursing does not fall within this category and online nursing degrees are widely accepted. However misinformation exists and can be a powerful negative force in job-seeking, so as a measure to counteract any prejudice with which an online nursing degree might be treated, it may be advisable, where possible, to find a ‘brick and mortar’ (campus) university or college which offers online programs rather than an institution which only deals in online education. In many cases, the degree obtained from a ‘mixed’ institution does not include a statement that it was earned online.
General impressions of a nurse’s role, gleaned perhaps from being a patient in a hospital, are that the majority of the time is spent doing routine tasks such as measuring temperature and blood pressure, applying and changing bandages, and keeping records. As with many professions, the visible part of nursing conceals the underlying theoretical knowledge which has had to be learnt and which, while not perhaps used every day, enables understanding and appreciation of the bigger picture.
Basic courses in nursing typically include Nursing Management, Nursing Administration, Health Policy Issues, Health and Disease Management, Research Methods, Nursing Theory, and so on. Course programs frequently purport to explore the relationship between person, environment, health and nursing, and in this context invariably cite the Neuman Systems Model. This model was invented by Dr Betty Neuman in 1970 as a means of teaching an introductory course to nursing students. Its goal was to provide a holistic overview of diverse aspects within people – physiological, psychological, socio-cultural and developmental. Simply put – and it is not a simple matter to understand – it brings together aspects which are often either disregarded, or treated as unrelated, and examines the dynamics between different forces or stresses, and corresponding defenses.
Nursing is traditionally one of the most physically and emotionally demanding of professions and yet, at the same time, one of the most rewarding. As the bias within online nursing degree programs demonstrates with its multiplicity of doctoral programs, it can also be intellectually challenging.
