subject: Technology Helps Rns Earn Advanced Degrees Online [print this page] A recent report by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recently stipulated that all working nurses should hold a bachelor's degree. If you acquired your Registered Nurse license via an associate of science in nursing (ASN) degree program, you should find it relatively easy to find an RN to MSN program that meets your needs.
Many colleges and universities across the country offer these transition programs. Additionally, many RN to MSN programs are either fully or partially online. This flexibility of the curriculum provides opportunities for working nurses to achieve a degree while they continue employment.
As word spreads of a looming nurse shortage in the coming years, more and more people are interested in becoming a nurse. In fact, according to the Higher Education Research Institute, the percentage of college freshman who indicated they wish to earn a nursing degree rose almost four fold in 20 years, from 1.7 percent (1988) to 4.5 percent (2008).
In fact, the interest in earning an MSN has become so great, that many nursing schools have had to turn qualified applicants away because of a lack of nursing faculty, classroom space, clinical experience opportunities needed to train them.
To help alleviate the lack of classroom space many RN to MSN programs have started to think outside the box when it comes to ways to deliver their program's curriculum and have turned to the Internet. An Inside Higher Education article reported that of the 621 such programs in the country, the number of programs totally online rose almost 35 percent in just two years, from 96 (2007) to 129 (2009).
So if you're looking to earn your MSN, technology has made it very easy for you to do so. In fact, many RN to MSN programs also allow you to pursue the master of science in nursing degree either totally or partially online.
Technology has become so sophisticated that MSN programs now use handheld devices, videoconferencing and other high-tech means to train students. Some nursing schools, according to the National League for Nursing, use technology to help overcome the shortage of clinical sites for students, by using "simulated" clinical experiences.
There's really never been a better time to advance your nursing career and skills with a an MSN. Nursing colleges and universities are eager to provide RNs with higher education opportunities online and make earning a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing as easy as possible for Registered Nurses.
by: Jean Henshaw
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