Can you really get a nursing degree online? The short answer is an emphatic yes! It is possible to get anursing degree online. You can earn a variety of nursing degrees online from Ohio State,ranging from a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to a Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Technology is changing and challenging what universities can do when it comes to higher education. Thanks to these advances, it is now entirely possible to attend nursing school online. At this point, you might be asking, “How?”Read on to learn more about how the expert faculty at the College of Nursing teach online nursing programs and reach out to us for more information about these nationally ranked programs.
The Ohio State University College of Nursing is atop nursing school,home tosome of the best online degrees in the country.In 2023,Ohio State's graduateonline nursing programs were named among the best online nursing degreesbyU.S. News & WorldReport,with the Master of Science in Nursing ranked No. 2 in the nation. The online RN toBachelor of Science in Nursing was also ranked among the top 10 programs nationally.
Learn more about Ohio State's online program rankings
We sat down with AliceTeall,an Instructor of Clinical Practice in the Master of Science in Nursing(Family Nurse Practitioner specialty), to learn more about what it's really like to attendnursing school online.
She broke down our question into four parts:
How do instructors teach online students to practicenursing?
Do online nursing students need to come to campus?
How doonline nursingstudents get theclinicalexperiences that they need?
How doinstructorsevaluatestudents'nursing skills?
How do instructors teach online students to practicenursing?
There are many misconceptions when it comes to online learning. One of those misconceptions is that online learning is an isolating experience.Teallcounters that bydeveloping an online communityin her courses where her students can actively learn together.
Students are separated into small groups at the start of the semester. Throughout the course, the groupscollaborate together online, usingCarmenZoom, to complete case studies and prepare for exams.Students can analyze and discuss nursing case studies together using discussion boards on CarmenCanvas, as well.
Another popular teaching tool is called abranching activity.In these modules, nursing faculty create realistic scenarios and ask students to choosean option that represents the best action for the nurse to take. Their choice either leads them to a correct answer, sends them back to make another choice if the answer isincorrect or, in some cases, takes them further along in the simulationto an outcome they really don’t want.
Teallalso demonstrates skills via webcam and encourages students to practice on a friend or family member, while she supervises. With therise of telehealth, the ability to utilize technology as part of patient care is critical for nurses.
Do online nursing students need to come to campus?
No, online nursing students do not need to come to campus. The College of Nursing offers distance learning degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’sand doctoral levels, as well as undergraduate and graduatecertificates. The vast majority of these online nursing degrees and certificates will not require any visits to campus. The handful that do, only require one or two visits throughout the whole curriculum, and students are provided these dates far in advance to help them plan.
Of course, all students are invited to campus for orientation at the start of your educational journey and for graduation at the end.
How doonline nursingstudents get theclinicalexperiences that theyneed?
Online nursing clinicals are not an option –yet.
While the majority of instruction in online nursing degrees can be completed online, some (but not all) programs require a clinical component. The clinical component is arequirement for nurses to gain experience in person and in the field.Programs that do not require clinical components build off students’existingclinical knowledge and work experience.
The College of Nursing’s placement office helps the students get connected to a clinic near them for placement. Each student needs to complete 675 hours with other providers togain hands-on experience in patient care.
How do instructors evaluate students' nursing skills?
Teallexplains that students in online nursing programs are evaluated withObjective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCE), just like students in on-campus nursing programs. Beginning OSCEs will usually involve having a friend or family member simulate the condition.Tealland other nursing faculty watch and record usingCarmenZoom, so the student can review themselves after the exam.As the student progresses through theironline nursingprogram, they will be evaluated using a telehealth station provided by Optimized Care Network.
The telehealth station allows the examination to happen inreal time. A ‘patient’ presents in front of the station in the on-campus lab, while the student virtually assesses and speaks with the patient from home. There is even a nurse at the telehealth visit that the student can guide. Teall logs in to a separate remote station where she can watch and record the student evaluation. In this video below, the patient is pregnant, and the student is performing a prenatal examination.
“In my 8 years as a clinical instructor in the online Master of Science in Nursing program, I have been amazed at all the things technology has allowed us to do in an online classroom,”Teallsaid.
Ready to learn more?Exploreonline nursing programs at Ohio State.
