Being a nurse can be demanding!
Maybe you are looking for a new opportunity to teach? Or, maybe you are hoping to develop your nursing skills? Or, you are possibly exploring a way to get promoted?
One way to develop your nursing skills, have opportunities to grow, and get promoted is to earn an online nursing education degree.
In less than 12 months, you can earn your MSN in nursing education.
To learn more about an online nursing education degree I interviewed Amanda Pitts, RN of Bakersfield, CA. She’s currently earning her online nursing education degree and has some awesome tips to share.
Is your nursing education program completely online?
My program is completely online. The only in-person activity I have to do is complete the practicum. This practicum is at the location of your choice, as long as it is approved by your institution.
When you graduate from your program, what degree will you earn?
I will get a Master’s Degree in Nursing Education.
What will your Master’s Degree in Nursing Education allow you to do?
Having a master’s in nursing education will prepare me for teaching at colleges and universities. I can also be a clinical educator at the hospital. A clinical educator can train nurses in the clinical setting or educate families, such as a Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. In my current position, it will help me promote to a position that includes writing policies and protocols and training school nurses within my large school district.
Which online nursing education program did you choose?
I’m attending Capella University, but my program is the Flexpath Masters in Nursing Education program. Flexpath allows you to work at your own pace. You pay a flat fee for tuition and books regardless of how many classes you take during that 12 week period.
How did you choose your nursing education program?
Western Governors University (WGU) has a similar program I considered as well. At a glance WGU and Capella are affordable. You pay a flat fee for 6 month at a time. Both universities are competency based and you are technically graded in a pass/fail format. Yet if an institution or your employer needs to see your grades for admissions or tuition reimbursement both universities will provide a GPA upon request. WGU will provide a 3.0 GPA regardless of how you did in your courses. Capella provides the actual GPA that the student would have had based on their graded work. So far I have received all A’s in my classes, so Capella would provide a better GPA for me.
Another reason I chose Capella University is because students can request a pause between paid terms. Yet, WGU only gives you one opportunity to pause if you are trying to complete your education in two terms. I want to do my practicum in the fall. With Capella I could pause my coursework during the summer and start my practicum term whenever I want.
Further reading: 12 month online family nurse practitioner programs
How have you been able to get ahead in your online nursing education program so you finish in 12 months?
In the nursing education program you set your own goals. I wanted to complete the whole program in 4 twelve week sessions. My program consists of 13 classes. Twelve of the classes have a similar online style and format, but the 13th class is a practicum. The practicum includes 100 hours of work towards a capstone project. My plan was to complete 1 class every 3 weeks to complete the 12 classes in 36 weeks. This would allow my final quarter to be solely devoted to completing the practicum project. This plan works out to about 1 assignment per week. Most classes have 3 assignments per course.
The first assignment is usually a research paper, the second is typically a powerpoint presentation, and the third is either another research paper, or a virtual poster on a specific topic. However, some classes only require research papers. One assignment per week is a reasonable goal.
When I had extra down time I tried to take advantage to get ahead. For example, during holidays. Also, on occasion some assignments would come easier to me because of my expertise on the subject. In addition, a couple of classes have the assignments build on each other throughout the class. Most of my research would be done on the first assignment and I could use that same research on the other assignments, which saved me time. So far I got 5 classes done in my first 12 week session. My sixth class was be completed in 2 weeks and I am on my 7th class now (I think today is the start of my 16th week in the program).
What is the cost of your nursing education program?
The fee is $2,900 for tuition and books each 12 week period. Instead of physical books, you have access to view books online. This makes it easy to study and research anywhere you go. I also have access to the books of previous classes taken, which can be helpful. I also do not have to store all of the books from the classes.
Do you save money by earning an online nursing education degree?
Since you pay per 12 week period instead of paying per credit, the faster you complete the degree the less you pay.
Is there financial aid or scholarships you can use for your online nursing degree?
Financial aid and scholarships are available. They take 20% off your first quarter’s tuition if referred to Capella University by a student or alumni. When enrolling you are directed to apply for financial aid and scholarships. I regularly get notified of when new scholarships are available to apply for.
How do you make time for work, home, and your nursing program?
I have an approach for each class that has evolved slightly throughout my 15 weeks so far. The instructor provides a list of suggested reading material. Some instructors provide just the essential things to read to prepare you for the assignment and others provide an extensive amount of articles. If the class is for my Education Specialty I read all of the material as I find it very helpful in preparing me for my future profession in teaching.
If the teacher provides an extensive amount of reading material, it is often because they have multiple sources on the same topic. So I try to select a variety of reading material to provide me with a broad enough exposure to prepare me for the assignment. As I read the material I take notes in a notebook. Each page of my notebook has the information for citing that source in case I pull material from my notes. Once I have read the material, I begin writing my research paper and possibly research more as needed throughout the writing process.
When I am on my lunch break at work, or waiting for my kids at sports or music practice I bring my laptop and notebook everywhere I go so I can always work on my class. Most of the time I spent reading and gathering information from the sources for my paper. I often find myself in the car or on the sidelines reading and taking notes on a specific subject. I also devote 3-4 hours of time on Saturdays after their morning games working on my assignments.
One problem I ran into recently is that my hotspot has a poor connection to do research at rugby practice, which is 4 hours per week. So I have started to print the articles or downloading the necessary chapters of the book to my laptop so that it is accessible even when I do not have an internet connection. I have a small binder with printed articles and the applicable information I need for the assignment highlighted.
What are 5 tips you’d give to someone interested in earning an online nursing education degree?
One important thing I learned is all teachers have different styles and expectations.
With every new teacher I don’t stew over my assignment too much. Sometimes I strive so much for perfection, I can waste time perfecting parts of the paper that the instructor will not even notice. So my first paper is very basic. Each assignment you have three opportunities to re-submit. Once I see my grade and the teacher’s comments, I correct the assignment and re-submit. I have never had to re-submit a third time. The instructor clearly states what changes are needed and it helps me recognize for future assignments what areas the teacher focuses on the most. This has helped me be efficient in assignments.
I always try to take advantage of downtime.
Even if I read just one article during my downtime. I always take my backpack with my laptop, binder, and notebook with me.
Planning ahead is important.
The practicum has many moving parts that need to be put into motion long before you start your class. Also, plan ahead by looking at your schedule realistically to identify weeks that you could potentially fall behind and where you could catch up, or get ahead. Once or twice I have had unexpected issues come up that interfere with your ability to get work done. But that didn’t stress me out because I knew I had days in my near future that I could make up for the week I fell behind.
When you enroll, you are assigned a coach. Take advantage!
I did a lot of research and made my whole plan before enrolling. Yet many people do not know where to start. The coach you are assigned is intended to help you plan this all out. So meet with your coach right away to develop your plan or receive guidance in case your plan is not realistic. My coach said just communicating with your coach has been proven to increase your likelihood of success.
Resubmit assignments until you have closed your class.
Sometimes people think that once they have moved on to the next assignment they cannot go back and correct an old one. For example, I got an A on the first assignment and a B+ on the second. I decided I would move on, and if it was needed, I could go back and correct the second assignment. I ended up getting an A on the third assignment and never went back to correct the second assignment because I got an A in the course. But, it’s always good to have that option.