The decision to go back to school can be both exhilarating and terrifying. Deciding whether to stay at a local college, move to attend a school across town, across the state, or even Cross the county, or opt for a distance learning program can be one of life’s most daunting, and rewarding, choices.
Choosing between the various decisions for nursing schools is no different. First you must decide between the Bachelor of Science and the Associates of Science in Nursing. The toughest decision of all – what type of program do you want to attend?
Of course, there’s traditional 2 and 4 year college program where you attend class 5 days a week, usually without the time to work for income. You are stuck in a classroom all day, and to boot, when you head home at night you have hours of homework and studying left to do anyway.
One of the newer methods is distance leading, where you have no classes, and therefore plenty of time to work. However, you’re given a text book or tutorial and told to study until you’re ready to take your exam. The downside to not having a class to attend is that there is no teacher, professor, fellow student, etc. to ask for help if you get stuck on a concept. Sometimes, no matter how smart we think we are, just having a textbook to learn from is not enough. Sometimes we have to have outside help to understand.
The last option, the Blended Learning program, takes the best of both worlds. Classes are one day a week and usually 4 to 8 weeks. This gives the students the flexibility needed to keep their current job, possibly even full-time if they only do 1 class at a time. In addition, it gives students the academic and learning support of teachers and advisors as found in a traditional college, and the social support of fellow students to study with. And best of all, these programs only last 2 years or less, even when you only take one class per week.
Of course these are only the most basic differences between these types of programs, and more often than not articles that claim to discuss the difference only put down the non-traditional methods. They claim you’re incompetent, you don’t really learn anything, the degree is worthless or fake, etc. We’ve all seen these. What they don’t tell you is that it is a viable, and much more affordable, method to get your nursing degree.
I lucked out this week and stumbled on a really good article that does discuss the true pros and cons of the different program types available for LPNs and paramedics wanting to get their RN degree. Gone are the days of biased editorials!
This particular article appears to be written by someone familiar with the various methods of learning, and honestly discusses the pros and cons of each so that the reader can make an informed decision. It’s specific to nursing schools, and mentions an RN Bridge Program in Nashville, TN that is a Blended Learning Program but I think the information really applies to any academic curriculum as well. Topics include the price you can expect to pay for each type of program, the time in terms of years to complete and hours in the classroom each week that will be required, and various myths and potential challenges you may experience as you attend the programs.Â
If you have been trying to decide between traditional and non-traditional nursing schools, you really should read through this article. It will help you make an informed decision based on accurate, unbiased information.
The author is an Academic Coordinator at a Nashville Nursing School.
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