Monday, October 26, 2009

Things to Note About Online Nursing Degree Programs By Tannie Lewis

If you are thinking about pursuing a degree from one of those online nursing degree programs, you will probably have a lot of questions about exactly what you can expect if you were to sign on the dotted line.

Hopefully, we can shed some light on some of these commonly asked questions for you now.

One of the first questions many people have is whether one can become a Registered Nurse (RN) by pursuing an online degree?

Well, you'll be pleased to know that the answer is a resounding "Yes." Many online programs enable you to pursue an Associate's degree, and this qualifies you for the RN licensure.

As expected, you will need to do both clinical and non-clinical work during the course of your study. The non-clinical lessons are usually done totally online, including the submission of any homework and tests. But obviously, you cannot do the clinical portion online, so this portion of the course is usually done at a conveniently located medical facility.

For the non-clinical portion of the course, your lecturer will typically upload the course notes and class assignments to a password-protected Web site, and this is where you can also interact with the rest of your fellow students through some sort of online forum. This forum is where you will post questions for the lecturer, and it's also how you can discuss lesson-related problems with your course-mates.

All your assignments are sent back to the lecturer online, and many tests and exams are also conducted via the same way.

That's why a lot of online nursing degree programs have no requirements for you to attend lessons on a campus physically.

In terms of the costs involved, online degree programs typically cost less than their full-time offline counterparts. Of course, the total costs are different depending on what program you want to enroll in, as well as from which school they are from. But thankfully, there are many financial aids still available to you even though you are pursuing an online degree.

If you academically-inclined, you can also make full use of the many scholarships offered to students. Again, online students are also eligible for these scholarships as well, unlike what many people think.

And if you have some work experience under your belt, you may also be able to receive credit for your hard-earned work experience. Depending on the school you are enrolling in, you can either sit through a proficiency exam in lieu of the usual course work, or the school may ask you to submit a report of your work experience for them to review and allocate credit if it meets their relevancy requirements.

For answers to even more frequently asked questions, see what the experts have to say at: online nursing degree programs

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