There is a general feeling that nursing as a profession needs more of hands-on experience than pure academic knowledge. There is a reason or two there. We are known to laud the role of nurses who have excellent practical abilities and management or supervision skills.
But apart from the too-obvious hospital care jobs, nurses have definitive roles to play in many other healthcare functions, and even in stellar roles in the healthcare industry. It needs no telling that higher education in nursing is imperative for nurses to work in senior positions, many of which are suitable for none else than nurses themselves.

In practice however, there is lukewarm response among nursing students to pursue higher degrees, perhaps for reasons of convenience and cost. For example, though numbers of nurses having a BSN degree has increased during the last four decades, yet only about 44% of 2.7 million nurses currently hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Given the advent of advanced medical treatment and progressively longer lifespan of people, there is no denying that the nursing practice is set to undergo many changes in sync with technology and need.

Keeping this in perspective, in October 2004, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) agreed in a resolution to support the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) as a terminal practice degree. The DNP will be different from the PhD in that while the PhD has wider acceptance as being research-focused to supplant the master’s degree, the DNP is proposed to be for those nurses who want an advanced practice role, such as nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist. However, perhaps very few schools like University of Kentucky have embarked on this new educational path to offer the DNP degree.

A brief round-up of various advanced nursing degrees is provided below:

1. RN to BSN
   If you commenced your career in nursing with an associate degree or a diploma, you may consider attaining your bachelor’s degree. Many advanced nursing positions today are increasingly looking for a minimum of bachelor’s degree. The good news is that a number of distance learning courses has made this a viable option for quite a few of you who are working professionals. Besides, there are flexible programs in addition to distance learning that can be suitably timed around your work schedule. In some cases, universities are known to consider your work experience toward academic credit, which means your cost and time to complete your degree reduce substantially.
2. RN to MSN and beyond
   Positions in higher management, clinical positions and educational institutes require a master’s degree. When you pursue a master’s degree, you typically learn to focus on management and / or clinical specialties and if you so choose, you may prepare to teach nursing courses upon completion. Nursing educators are much sought-after in US, so teaching can very well enhance your career to help shape the future of nursing.
3. Nurses as “doctors”
   As discussed above, the top echelon in advanced nursing degrees belongs to PhD and now the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP). In recent years, more nurses are proceeding to go for a doctorate degree in nursing, and accordingly, many institutions too are expanding their basket of course offerings to appeal to more students and also to meet this growing demand. In fact, about a dozen institutes have added a DNP program in their curriculum, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and more plan to start in near future.  

   A doctorate degree in nursing is helpful to teach at university level, conduct research, and even work in clinical settings or hospital management.

4. Other optionsAmong other careers pursuable for advanced nursing degree holders while remaining in a nursing discipline, nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist must come first. In case of nurse practitioner, it is usually an offering of master’s degree, whereupon you will qualify to take the national nurse practitioner certification exam. A qualified nurse practitioner is able to diagnose and treat many common illnesses as well as to prescribe medications. 

   On the other hand, after attaining a master’s degree, if you are interested in becoming a nurse anesthetist, you need to pass a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) certification program. A qualified CRNA can be expected to work independently or in association with other anesthesiologists to provide anesthesia services in case of both surgical and obstetrical patients. A CRNA’s work may be patient-intensive during preoperative, intra-operative and postoperative periods.

As can be seen from above discussions, there is no dearth of career opportunities for advanced nursing degree holders. In fact, as experts opine, the advancement of medical technology will continue to enrich and enhance the requirement of nursing personnel who are equipped with one or more advanced nursing degrees.

Linda Raye - Staff Editor

by Garrick Banks

Online educations are just as good as ones traditionally obtained in a classroom setting, and there are many benefits associated with them as well. Just imagine the benefits and rewards of doing your degree online.Online learning isn't for everyone, but you should at least give it a try to see if it is right for you. One consideration you should make when choosing an online program is whether or not the program will be recognized after you graduate.CollegeandUniversity.net is one of the fastest growing online marketplaces for degree programs. The vast majority are recognized by the industries they are built for. The advantages of gettting an online education should be clear, but just in case, this article goes into all the juicy details.

1. Eliminate The Ride To School

You will be able to work more productively when you sign up for an online education. All of the time that you would usually spend going to and from school is instead used for studying, or better yet, spending some time with your friends and family. So spend less time doing nothing and more time doing the things you like!

2. Studies Work Around Your Schedule

Many professors can only teach during certain times of day. An online program removes this boundary - students can contact the professor anytime. You will get much more one on one instruction in the distance learning course because you can always contact your instructor by email or video conference.

3. Skip Material You Already Know

- Accommodates multiple learning styles and mediums
- Students can connect via email, chat rooms, or wiki pages
- Studies have shown that students actually perform better in online programs
- Skip over material you already know and focus on topics youd like to learn

4. Get A Four Year Degree In Two Years

Online learning will allow you to earn your degree faster than traditional courses. Most traditional courses are only taught weekly, but when you work according to your own schedule, you could do a class every day if you really wanted to, shaving years off of your degree and allowing you to use your degree to get a job much faster. You will be able to earn your own financial independence much faster than a student attending regular classes.

5. Online Learning Is Cheaper

The cost of online learning is constantly going down and there are even some free courses available. You may be mailed some materials, but the bulk of materials will be available off of the course website. You also won't have to pay for all of the associated costs of going to university - childcare fees, residence on campus, parking, and especially transit fees.

About the Author: For more great online learning related articles and resources check out http://learninginsider.info

Source: www.isnare.com

Online Nursing Degree

Keeping pace with today’s digital era, education is fast becoming a commodity that can be acquired online. This has paved the way for those students who wish to earn degrees, yet not in a position to attend regular classes in a university or a college. Online nursing degree programs have particularly gained prominence of late, because among other reasons, the demand for nurses is estimated to grow exponentially in the coming decade.

An online nursing degree program is aimed at preparing you for the mainstream job market while you retain the advantage of learning from a place of your choice and at a pace of your liking. Since nursing as a subject requires practical competence, many online nursing degree programs will only allow you to complete the non-clinical portion of your coursework via online classes, while arranging clinical lessons at a medical facility near your home. As you can imagine, there are no schools that allow you to fulfill clinical requirements online.

Let us now look at some important features of online nursing degree programs:

1. Compared to easy pacing of coursework by some programs, many others that are affiliated with traditional universities will require online students to maintain same quarter or semester schedule as on-campus students.

2. While some online nursing degree programs allow the students to commence the course at any time, there are many that are structured like traditional classes/degree programs, which means that students are made into groups and scheduled to go through together. In the latter case, there will usually be a designated start date.

3. Although online nursing degree students generally do not meet instructors and classmates in person, it is seen that communication via email or online discussions often proves equally rewarding. The other benefit in favor of online students is that they usually receive instructors' lectures in written form.

4. Online nursing degree programs commonly offered are RN to BSN and MSN degrees. Although some institutions do offer a variety of advanced degree and certificate options, but they are rather few. In most cases, only one or a handful of degree programs are offered online.

5. Students, who wish to receive credit for work experience while pursuing online nursing degree program, generally have one or two options depending on the institute they plan to attend. Many institutes now allow students to complete proficiency exams such as the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or the Proficiency Examination Program (PEP) in lieu of course-work in areas in which they have work experience or knowledge gained though independent study.

If you are planning to enroll in an online nursing degree program, you will be happy to know that there are certain distinct advantages associated with it, enumerated below, though not all may be available together for a particular program.

1. You will be able to complete your online nursing degree coursework quickly and conveniently.
   
   
2. Online nursing degree programs are less expensive than traditional programs. While the cost widely varies by school and degree program, students may expect to pay anywhere from a little less than $100 to more than $300 dollars a credit, with average tuition for online programs sponsored by public universities generally falling in the $110-170 range. In addition, registration or enrollment fees may also be charged, though out-of-state tuition is not typically charged. Overall however, online nursing degree programs cost less than their traditional counterparts.
   
   
3. Flexible online nursing programs allow you to work around personal commitments. This is especially true for female nurses who are would-be mothers or have home and kids to look after.
   
   
4. Your curriculum can be tailored to meet your specific goals and you may be studying an up-to-date curriculum that addresses the critical needs of the health care industry.
   
   
5. If you work hard, you may look forward to completing your online nursing degree in just 2 to 3 years, or even sooner if you have qualifying credits or prior work experience.

Linda Raye - Staff Editor

By Garrick Banks

The opportunity to get an education online has never been better. Don't assume that an online education will be any bit easier than a traditional one - you will still need to do plenty of studying and exams. Just like a traditional school, you will be able to apply for grants and scholarships. A great number of people have already completed their studies entirely through an online program - now you can too.

1. Spend More Time Learning

Not only is this a great opportunity to learn at your own pace, but you will be able to learn anywhere, even in your own home. Even if you spend only an hour or two going from home to school each day, that means you will end up spending several hundred hours each month just wasted in transit to and from school. Instead, you could use those hours productively!

2. Studies Work Around Your Schedule

Many professors can only teach during certain times of day. An online program removes this boundary - students can contact the professor anytime. You will never have to worry about office hours again - if you have a question, simply email your instructor and they will usually get back to you within a few hours.

3. Learn Better

- Accommodates multiple learning styles and mediums

- Fosters greater student interaction and collaboration

- Students vastly prefer online learning

- Skip over material you already know and focus on topics youd like to learn

4. Get A Four Year Degree In Two Years

It is possible for students to learn at their own pace - this means that some students will graduate from a 2 year program in 3 or even 4 years, whereas other students will graduate in 1 year, or even six months. Material costs are usually very low for online courses.

5. Costs Up To Fifty Percent Less

You can learn a class online for about half the cost of the regular course. Interesting materials such as video lectures, taped lectures, and such, may be mailed to you. You can have all your student loans paid off years in advance of your peers if you take advantage of an online education.

About the Author: For more great online learning related articles and resources check out http://learninghq.info

Source: www.isnare.com