Studying Nursing Online: Why Not Go Remote?

The global pandemic since 2020 has changed our lives in numerous different ways. Not only do we work and socialize differently, but many of us also study from home. While there is no longer an emergency need to withhold direct contact or face-to-face meetings at present, the convenience of being able to study and work from afar has really taken hold over the past two years. It’s certainly not unheard of for some to study for full, professional degrees and accreditations from the comfort of their own homes.

But, what about nursing? Healthcare is a complex industry that demands in-person flexibility. Due to this demand, it’s reasonable to expect studies and training to take place physically too. This is certainly still the case all over the world, but nothing is holding you back from starting your nursing studies on the web either.

If you’re considering getting into nursing and/or healthcare in general but could benefit from the convenience and flexibility of studying online, don’t worry. Plenty of remote opportunities are open to you – let’s dive in.

Studying for your BSN online

A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is the modern, professional standard for nurses and healthcare professionals who wish to progress in various roles within hospitals and care facilities throughout the US. Compared to equivalent degrees and courses, BSN degrees command higher salaries on average, and those who graduate can expect more job opportunities than those who study elsewhere.

This is largely thanks to the fact that BSN degrees offer a more intensive scope than most. You’re not simply learning how to interact with and treat patients by studying for a BSN degree. You’re learning about the science of medication, how to plan for efficient, effective care and how to balance growing workloads across a busy hospital floor. In many cases, you’ll be able to move into nurse educator positions, which means you can effectively make a living from teaching other nurses and prospective healthcare professionals more about what they can expect in the long run.

Studying for a BSN doesn’t have to take place in person. There are some workplace elements to this type of degree. Even an online course may require you to take part in a professional residency or internship to apply your skills in a ‘live’ scenario. However, you’re otherwise free to immerse yourself in nursing knowledge from the comfort of your own home, or even on the move.

Studying online may help you graduate efficiently

When studying for a BSN degree, you may generally expect to graduate within four years of starting your course. This, however, comprises both general study and on-the-job training. When studying online, however, you may expect to complete the equivalent level of experience in a more efficient time window.

For example, the Rockhurst ABSN includes 60 credit hours, in addition to a total of 546.5 clinical hours and one 10 day campus residency. There’s no need to be on-site beyond this, and you can expect to graduate with the same knowledge and qualifications you’d otherwise receive through a full on-campus course.

Studying online cuts down on the time spent intensively attending campus and therefore having to sacrifice work or other life commitments along the way. Those who are working for a living can enroll in an online degree to fit around their own timetables. In the current day and age, flexibility and convenience are everything. Thankfully, those who want to study for a BSN degree don’t have to sacrifice much of their everyday lives to gain the qualifications they desire.

Naturally, putting time and effort into your qualification is a must. Studying online simply condenses the modules into a more flexible setup to ensure you can digest knowledge at your own pace.

Online degrees open all kinds of doors

Online nursing degrees have quickly emerged as comparable to on-campus courses when it comes to eventual opportunities. Hospitals and healthcare providers will look for legitimate BSN qualifications, and the distinction between a fast-track course and an in-person approach won’t impact your employability. You can expect a wide array of international opportunities to open up to you once you graduate.

Online BSN degrees are designed to offer the same breadth of knowledge and opportunities to build upon experience as the full, four-year in-person degree. You’re effectively learning from the same material, graduating with an online diploma that makes you just as appealing as other candidates – if not more so.

Any misconceptions regarding online degrees competing poorly against in-person studies are just that – they are false. You’ll still have the opportunity to practice your skills in person and attend some campus scenarios, however, and it’s here where you can demonstrate to recruiters that you have applied everything you’ve learned to legitimate cases.

BSN degrees are popular as they are widely accepted across all kinds of nursing roles and aren’t restricted to US positions. If you’d like to travel and work as a nurse in Europe or further east, BSN qualifications are commonly welcomed, providing you have an appropriate visa to travel and work simultaneously. This applies to online degrees too, so you’ll be able to apply your skills virtually anywhere you wish.

Time is of the essence

Given the ever-increasing demand for qualified, talented nursing professionals, it’s unsurprising that healthcare providers are open to online graduates. More and more hospitals and providers are encouraging BSN graduates over those with related qualifications. Much of this stems from the fact that BSN degrees cover a wider range of specialties.

Hospitals and healthcare providers want to hire nurses and graduates with proven experience in the industry in as many areas as possible. Few outlets offer this coverage in the same depth as BSNs, and students can therefore expect competition to increase too. There’s never been a better time to study and graduate as a nurse, but at the same time, efficiency is a must.

The quicker you graduate as a nurse, the sooner you can take full advantage of opportunities around the world. With some hospitals shifting to an 80-20 model of hiring BSN graduates over others, and with the gap closing even further, the market may become saturated. By enrolling to earn a BSN degree now, you can ensure you’re ahead of much of the competition before the rush begins.

Despite this, such a course should not be rushed. Nursing takes genuine care and passion to study intensively – and at a fast pace, you’ll need to immerse yourself in your studies whenever you can.

Technology is advancing too. With healthcare apps ever-evolving and new research methods being developed, now is the time to accustom yourself to the latest trends.

Get more out of your career sooner

Not only will studying for a BSN degree online open up a wider variety of career doors, you’ll also have the chance to progress further in your career, sooner than you may expect. While you may otherwise expect to spend four years studying for a complete BSN equivalent, an online degree may only take you a year and a half or two to achieve depending on your existing education and the program you choose.

This is highly attractive to motivated students who want to advance in their careers. It’s particularly appealing to mature students who wish to change careers or ascend the healthcare ladder faster. Some people may not necessarily wish to spend much more time in education or in training, and to take immediate steps.

Universally, students want to graduate as soon as possible to spend more of their lives building their careers on the job, instead of extensively learning. There is certainly nothing wrong with learning and educating yourself to do a great job, but we all have limited time throughout our lives!

Online nursing degrees, especially those offering accelerated programs, mirror the fast-paced society we live in. While you’ll still need to apply yourself fully to your study and will need to practice what you’ve learned in a physical setting, you can graduate within two years of taking a course and start seizing opportunities sooner rather than later.

Long term, this allows you to progress in your career quicker too. There are many opportunities for nurses to scale up and grow in various specialties. A BSN degree is a crucial backbone to future education or work experience you may choose to take on years down the line, and the sooner you graduate, the sooner you can start growing and unlocking further doors.

What do you want to do?

Nursing is a very broad career choice — you can specialize in different areas of healthcare, different types of patients, and even where in the world you’d like to work. As mentioned, you may choose to use a BSN degree to help get into triage or community care. Alternatively, you can specialize in a complex area of care that demands a particular level of sensitivity and knowledge.

For example, upon graduating with a BSN degree, you could choose to study further in midwifery, where you can support gynecological units and assist in pre and post-natal care alongside specialist doctors and other experienced midwives.

BSN degrees achieved online can also help you specialize in pediatrics, whether on a physical or psychological basis (or even a blend of both). Pediatric nurses require a specific level of ‘bedside manner’, as do nurses specializing in adult care!

If you’d prefer to assist patients with mental health or even neurological disorders, an online BSN will help to guide you in the appropriate direction. It’s important to remember that a BSN degree will provide you with a basis for a wide range of roles, though you may need to gain specific work experience and/or additional education along the way to progress in the field of your choice.

Many graduates choose to specialize, as doing so can prove highly rewarding. In addition, you’re likely to find salaries are highly competitive when you discover your niche.

Alternatively, you don’t have to know which niche you’d like to get into when you first start studying nursing. The huge benefit to studying for a BSN degree online lies in the fact that you can build upon your experience in any way you wish and at your own pace.

Access help and guidance whenever you wish

Another major benefit to studying nursing online lies in the fact you can access guidance and support from mentors and tutors wherever you may be, and whenever you wish. Accessing an online nursing degree and any coursework you must complete is as easy as logging into your laptop, your home computer, or even completing supplementary reading on your smartphone.

The same applies to accessing tutor support. In many cases, you’ll be able to access online chat to raise questions with qualified mentors. The shift towards digital learning during the pandemic has made remote learning even easier for people who can’t meet in person, and there’s no need to worry about interrupting your mentors or tutors during office hours.

You can also access video content, streamed or recorded, to keep up to speed on your module work. This effectively replaces attending in-person seminars or lectures unless dictated as part of your course. Therefore, all you may ever need to do is log into your course dashboard and stream the necessary sessions so that you can get up to speed.

On-demand support may vary from course to course and from establishment to establishment. However, online learning is built to support distance learning in all forms. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a qualified mentor if you’re having difficulty understanding a specific part of your course.

You can develop interpersonal skills from afar

While nursing is extremely interpersonal, and much of the skills you learn will revolve around how you approach and communicate with people, you can still develop these skills and techniques from afar. Video conferencing and on-site seminars, for example, will still make up a large portion of your course.

You’ll be communicating with fellow students, mentors, and educators throughout your course and will have access to a wealth of knowledge relating to patient relationships and communication skills. You’ll have the chance to practice these skills in person and to apply what you’ve learned in literal scenarios along the way too.

Some people may worry that studying online can take away some of the interpersonal aspects of nursing education. However, this really isn’t the case. The way we all communicate has changed massively over the past few decades, and online learning and communication have followed this pattern. Don’t worry about missing out on the social aspect by studying to become a nurse online.

You can develop new skills even years on

You may already have some experience in healthcare or may already have an alternative nursing degree or qualification and want to brush up on your skills to improve your hiring prospects for the years to come. In this case, choosing an online degree, with an accelerator or fast-track boost, may help you to get to where you’re going quicker.

Alternatively, a BSN degree online may help to broaden your skillset. As mentioned earlier, you’ll have opportunities to get into different areas of nursing that revolve around specific demographics of patients, roles within hospitals and the healthcare industry, and even those that extend abroad.

Crucially, it’s worth remembering that studying for a nursing degree online can be just as beneficial to those who already have experience and those who want to grow further in their careers. These courses are not exclusive to undergraduates or new students. In fact, it’s recommended you seek at least an associate’s degree alongside a BSN qualification if you intend to progress further in nursing.

Is studying online better than studying in person?

Certainly, studying for a nursing degree online holds many benefits that not all prospective students may have considered. While the quintessential ‘student experience’ takes place on-campus, you’ll receive the same training and knowledge you’d expect from a long-term, in-person qualification. What’s more, healthcare bodies are avidly hiring graduates with online degrees alongside those studying in person.

Studying online is on par with in-person training, and accelerated programs are great for people who want to focus on completing their degree in the shortest time possible, while extensive four-year programs offer lots of opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in ‘live’ healthcare scenarios.

Whether or not studying nursing online is right for you depends entirely on what you intend to get from your discipline and where you intend to take your career in the years ahead. You may wish to study for a BSN degree online to increase your knowledge, or you may be just starting out. In any case, there’s no legitimate reason to overlook online study. Why not explore what’s available and add to your skill set?