To say the field of nursing is evolving is an understatement. Radical changes are taking place in the nursing profession in response to technological advances, an aging population and increased complexity of care. Given these changes, nurses today are facing unprecedented pressure to earn advanced college degrees. Many of them are nurses at the bedside who are being urged on a regular basis to complete their BSN. These dramatic shifts in the healthcare environment stem from the demand for better patient outcomes as more and more research suggests that having a higher percentage of nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level results in decreased complications of care and mortality.
For an increasing number of nurses, the answer to the pressures to earn an advanced degree is online education and all its myriad benefits, chiefly affordability, flexibility and convenience. That’s a big bonus in a profession marked by erratic schedules and long work hours. What’s more, nurses returning to school are generally non-traditional students, with many in the 45- to 55-year range or the classic “sandwich generation.” They make a unique student population as many of them face the added dual burden of raising families and caring for aging parents.
Incorporating technology in the actual online classroom provides nurses with a meaningful educational experience.
For example the RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University utilizes one of the most exciting interactive tools available, an avatar-based software program that takes students step by step through the most critical aspect of a nurse’s job: patient assessment. Students use the tool to hone their skills, accessing it to work with a simulated patient. In a real sense, they get to know the “patient.” Nurses learn how a question phrased one way might elicit a different response from a question phrased another way – and that bolsters communication and health literacy skills. For many nursing students this whole experience provides hands-on practice not traditionally offered in the online environment.
Through incorporating technology in the learning environment, nurses gain the confidence they need to meet the demands of diverse populations, have meaningful dialogue with the interdisciplinary team and thrive as healthcare professionals. In a field as dynamic as nursing, that’s the real value of an education and online education has the power to provide it.
