Online nursing degrees are growing in popularity as more people rush to enter the lucrative, highly in-demand field of nursing.
Some of the main benefits of an online degree include being able to take classes at whatever time fits your schedule best, being able to hold a full-time job while studying for that degree. You also get to save a lot of time and money on transportation expenses as you can take classes right from the comfort of your bedroom. Or using your laptop, it is easy to study your coursework, take tests, and submit assignments, even while on the subway, at the beach, or in a coffee shop.
However, online nursing degrees do have their limitations.
For a start, you’d need to have a prior healthcare degree or certificate to qualify for online nursing studies. Yes, there is currently an online program that caters to students without any healthcare experience, but this school — the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh — is an exception rather than the rule. They take a limited number of students, they require you to have a previous bachelor’s degree, you must have completed a number of science and other prerequisites, and they grant an accelerated second bachelor’s degree. Most of the program is online, but you must go to the campus in Oshkosh several times, AND not every state offers the clinicals that are required for the program.
The more common types of online programs are those which enable an LPN or paramedic to “bridge” to the more advanced Associate’s Degree in Nursing, which can help you achieve a registered nurse status. Some of the more popular online nursing schools are the Chamberlain College of Nursing, the Excelsior College, and other nursing schools as well.
Once you have your associate’s degree in hand, you can opt to proceed to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, which can also be taken online. A BSN degree may open more career advancement opportunities for you such as supervisory or managerial positions, and therefore, higher income.
Online programs for masteral degrees in nursing are offered as well.
If there are still prerequisite subjects you need to take such as English, Psychology, Nutrition, and others, these are offered online as well. LPN to RN bridge programs often require several of these courses.
For additional resources and links to a bunch of great online nursing degree programs, click here: http://nursingschoolprograms.com/online-nursing-degree-programs
IMPORTANT NOTE: Not every state accepts these online nursing programs. For instance, in the state of Florida, Excelsior College’s Paramedic to RN program is not accredited so if you earned your degree via this program, you won’t be able eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam in Florida. You must check with your state board of nursing before you sign up with the online program, because you do not want to spend all that time and money and find out that you are not eligible to sit for the NCLEX, which is the test that you must pass in order to be licensed as a nurse.