What Do I Need To Take An Online NursingCourse?
All of the online nursing schools are different and in large
part this works to the advantage of the new student. Few people
realize that an online nursing degree is pretty much the same as
any traditional school. They offer all the same type of degrees
and variations of courses that the traditional schools offer and
they do it with a fraction of the cost of a traditional school
would charge for the same thing. This has made online schools so
much more popular. Not to mention the fact that these schools
can offer the better and up to date classes that the traditional
schools have a hard time keeping up on. Budgetary restraints are
more prevalent at traditional land based schools.
The first thing you need is a computer with an internet
connection. This is the most crucial part of any online school
as they cannot teach you other than through email and online
discourse. Many of the schools of this type ask that you have a
high speed internet connection such as DSL or cable broad band.
This helps the students to better keep up with all that is going
on and increases the download times many times over. This is
important, as many of the classes require software and
assignments to be downloaded over the time of the course.
Although if you do not have cable or DSL, dial-up is still fine
to use.
You may also need to purchase some books for the courses that
you will take. This is similar to a traditional school in this
respect. There is much more to the online nursing school than
just working with a computer. The work from the book is crucial
and sets up the base knowledge for most of the other courses
that you will be required to take to earn your degree. The books
are sometimes available locally but there are times when you can
also purchase them from a virtual bookstore through the school.
The prices of the books vary by course and school but most of
them can be resold to recoup some of the investment.
Some of the courses that are required through the online
nursing schools have prerequisites that need to be met before
you can take the class. The first one being a high school
diploma before you are even accepted to the school. After that
there are some courses that you will not be able to take until
you have taken lower level courses first. This is a common
practice even in traditional schools, as some courses require
some base knowledge to efficiently teach the course.
More important than anything, you will need a desire to work
hard and learn. Working with an online nursing school requires
personal dedication and forethought. The ability to work
independently is also crucial as the professors may not be
available at all times. This means that you will need to work on
your own and complete the required work without much guidance.
You will also need to choose a suitable land campus. While the
bulk of your degree in nursing can be completed online, you will
need to take part in clinicals, which take place in person.