Advance your career on-line

Nurse Practitioner, 2002 by Zaidel, Lisa Brusman

PROFESSIONAL ADVANCEMENT is as close as your computer! The number of distance-learning graduate programs and certificate courses for nurses continues to increase, largely because of the method's many advantages. You don't have downtime commuting to school because you complete courses at home or work, usually at your own pace. All you need is a computer and modem.

On-line courses save you money and enable you to interact with colleagues worldwide. You get the same educational credibility and stimulation as you would by attending classes on campus. Although only a few schools offer a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNSc) or a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD), you'll find more options for earning an on-line doctorate in a related field such as health services, health sciences, education, or psychology. You can earn certificates on-line in home health nursing, legal nurse consulting, gerontology, holistic nursing and wellness counseling, nursing administration, nursing education, family nurse practitioner, psychiatric-mental health nursing, transcultural nursing, forensic nursing, and other specialties.

Distance-learning delivery

Universities and colleges deliver distance learning using different methods. All rely heavily on the Internet, but most use other methods as well. For example, Athabasca University, in Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, offers a home health nursing certificate program that uses the Internet, multimedia on-line activities, print materials, E-mail, CD-ROMS, computer software, audioconferencing, videoconferencing, audiotapes, videotapes, television, and radio. Schools may use one, several, or all of these methods.

Travel to school on the information highway

How does an on-line course work? Canyon College's program, in Caldwell, Idaho, offers on-line certificate programs in legal nurse consulting. After registering, students get instructions for accessing the "cyber classroom" for their course. Here, they receive reading and assignments, access to the instructor, and other information they need, such as case studies for analysis. Students complete the assignments for each module at their own pace and then take an on-line test. Students must pass each module test with a score of 70 or better, although they can retake the test if they don't pass the first time. After passing the test on the first module, students move on to the reading and assignments for the second module, take the test, and so on until they complete the assignments and tests for all modules.

Different schools use different formats. For example, at the University of Tennessee (UT)Memphis, where the College of Nursing offers more than TO(100 on-line courses, students can take a class that uses a virtual clinic. It's an innovative, interactive CD program that presents patients with various symptoms and asks students to make a series of decisions, reach a diagnosis, and provide a treatment plan.

Take your time

Degree completion requirements vary with each school and program. Some schools expect students to complete a program within a certain time. For example, Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Va.) offers a 4-year course of study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy in healthrelated sciences. The DNSc program at UT-Memphis is a 3 1/2-year course of study. Canyon College gives students 18 months to complete the legal nurse consultant course-which is formatted for 90 hours of self-paced study-but they can finish faster if they choose.

Other schools don't restrict students' time frame. Touro University International (TUI), in Cypress, Calif., allows students to complete all degree requirements at their own pace. If the student has a master's degree in a related field and takes a fulltime load at TUI, it's possible to complete the coursework for the Doctor of Philosophy in health sciences in 15 months. Candidates can even skip one session per academic year, if needed. Although the university materials note that students could complete their dissertation in a year with dedicated effort, they can take as much time as they need. Students, however, must pay for 2 semester credits each semester until they finish their dissertation.

Going the distance

Most, but not all, distance-learning degree programs require some time on campus. Virginia Commonwealth University, for example, require students to be on its Richmond campus 7 to 14 days during June to July and December to January to attend lectures and seminars and interact with faculty and students. During off-campus seE sions, which last 5 1/2 months, students continue their studies at home or work. UT-Memphis requires students in its DNSc program to be on campus for classes four times a year for approximately 1 week. TUL on the other hand, has no residency requirements for its PhD in health sciences. Students must orally defend their doctoral dissertations, but they can do this in person or by teleconferencing.

Some programs, such as the DNSc program at UT-Memphis, require students to complete clinical courses with a preceptor in their community. The school's faculty helps students find appropriate facilities. Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh, Pa., which offers a PhD in nursing, requires each student to take an internship. Make sure you'll be able to meet the residency requirements for a program before application.