Online Nursing Degree: A Wide Open Opportunity

Online Nursing Degree: A Wide Open Opportunity by Elizabeth Whitesmith

The past few years has seen the need for nursing in the United States reach a critical level. By the time of retirement for the majority of the baby boomers there will be a shortage of the medical professionals needed to care for the aging population. This shortage has been beneficial to some, however, as those who are interested in the profession have seen the average salary increase consistently over a period of 15 years.

Many people, however, are unable to quit their day jobs just to go back to college. They need to be able to find an educational opportunity that works for their lifestyles, without hampering their abilities to raise families. One of the best ways that people can enter the nursing profession and work as they are studying is to enroll in an online nursing degree program.

There are many distance based programs that also offer online nursing degree programs. Among those that offer this option are Regent's College of New York, Walden University, and University of Phoenix. Some of them offer entry level programs, but the majority of them are bachelor degree programs online for those who are registered nurses with an associate's degree.

Many colleges that claim to let you earn bachelor degree online may not be properly accredited, which would render the degrees that you would earn useless. If you are thinking about taking courses for an online nursing degree, make sure that the school offering the courses is fully credentialed. No one wants to spend a lot of money and time working on a degree program and then find out that their efforts have been wasted.

How to pay for one's degree is another major concern. Nontraditional students might find it difficult to receive government loans and federal grants. So, these students will need to discover new and creative ways to pay for school. Most trustworthy institutions will have financial aid specialists to answer questions about these nontraditional avenues.

Persons who are interested in pursuing an online nursing degree must be up to the challenge. Financing may be somewhat problematic, and these individuals must learn to balance the demands of work and family with the discipline of studying on their own. Those who are able to balance these challenges, ultimately completing their degree and working as a professional nurse, may find that their success is even that much more gratifying.

About the Author
If you're interested in a career as a nurse and are looking for an educational opportunity that won't interfere with work or family time, enrolling in an online nursing degree program might be the best way for you to go.

Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=794340