Can you get a nursing degree online? Yes, partially. There are many benefits of online learning, and you may be able to complete nursing coursework entirely online. However, you'll need to visit the campus to develop nursing skills in experiential learning components and complete clinical rotations.
Many degree programs are now available with online courses; others require a hybrid approach of online and in-person classes. This begs the question: Can you get a nursing degree online? The short answer is no. Because nursing is a hands-on profession, receiving a high-quality, comprehensive education solely online is impossible. However, that does not mean there can’t be online components in a nursing degree track.
At Concordia University Texas, we proudly offer online nursing coursework to students in our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) track. With an online component, you can complete your nursing degree more conveniently and flexibly. While you can’t technically earn a nursing degree online, you can still experience the benefits of online coursework while earning your nursing degree.
How long is nursing school in Texas? Get the answer here.
How Exactly Can You Get a Nursing Degree Online?
Now that you know the short answer to the question, “Can you do nursing school online?” it’s time to look at the process. If you choose to enroll in Concordia Texas’s ABSN track, you won’t have to go to our physical campus to complete coursework.
While you will still need to be present on campus to take exams and other activities, nursing theory coursework will be completed online with our intuitive digital learning platform.
This digital platform allows you to access all your course materials, including readings and instructional videos, complete interactive learning activities, and use the discussion forums to discuss nursing concepts with fellow students. You can also chat with your instructors.
Online coursework requires self-determination and critical thinking. There may be times when you must look elsewhere through other materials for information. This is an integral part of the learning process that establishes the groundwork for autonomous clinical judgment, an essential aspect of nursing.
In addition to completing nursing theory coursework online, you’ll visit our campus for the experiential learning activities in our labs. Here, you’ll learn to perform nursing tasks like placing intravenous (IV) lines. Additionally, you’ll complete clinical rotations at area healthcare facilities, where you’ll become familiar with providing direct patient care.
Top 5 Benefits of Online Learning for Future Nurses
Why take a hybrid approach to earning a nursing degree? Here’s a look at some of the top benefits of online learning for nursing students.
1. Convenience and Flexibility
Perhaps one of the most talked about — and obvious — benefits of online learning is the convenience factor. Rather than rushing out the door to get to class on time, online learning lets you complete your coursework from the comfort of your own home.
This provides the freedom to set your study schedule that accommodates deadlines. You will also need to consider your ABSN commitments, such as clinical rotations, as you create a structure that meets the ABSN track’s demands.
2. Accommodates Different Learning Preferences
Can you get a nursing degree online in a way that accommodates your preferred learning method? While you can’t pick and choose which learning modalities you’d like to interact with, you will engage with various modalities intended to improve student engagement.
Our online coursework is carefully designed to be accessible to a wide range of students, so you can expect to interact with many different modalities that will expand your knowledge and skills.
Through our online coursework, you will engage with:
- Video and audio lectures conducted by your instructors
- Interactive activities, learning modules, and knowledge checks
- Traditional course assignments (to be uploaded for grading) and textbook readings
- Virtual office hour chats, video chats with nursing tutors, and discussion boards
Of course, nursing is a hands-on profession, and kinesthetic learners — those who learn best by doing — will have plenty of experiential learning opportunities.
3. Interactive Activities Online
It’s one thing to read about assessing a fetal heart rate; it’s another to hear and evaluate it yourself. Likewise, reading about the stages and risks of pregnancy is not as compelling as following along with a case study in which you have to make assessments based on various data.
Students can see and hear internal processes thanks to Concordia Texas’s ABSN track’s interactive online activities.
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4. No Missed Information
You know the moment: your instructor just said, “That’s probably the most important point I’ve covered today,” only you were too busy taking notes to hear what was just said. With online learning, you don’t have to worry about missing concepts because you can stop and return anytime. In fact, you can replay any recorded interaction with faculty or activity as many times as you need to feel comfortable with the content.
5. Educates More Future Nurses
There is a nursing shortage in the U.S., making the education of new nurses of critical importance. At many nursing programs, qualified students are stuck on waiting lists due to a limited number of instructors and nursing school seats. Hybrid nursing tracks like Concordia Texas’s ABSN are helping to educate more future nurses faster.
How Does Online Learning Work?
When online learning debuted, it typically consisted of what were essentially PowerPoint slides you clicked through, along with some multiple-choice exams and knowledge checks reflecting the extent of the interactivity available at the time. Courses were often text-heavy and subjected to slow internet speeds. Today’s improved technology means online nursing courses can include rich visualizations along with video and audio elements.
Still, anyone who says you can’t learn to become a nurse with just online classes is correct. Nursing requires learning concepts and skills and putting them into practice. The result? Concordia Texas has created a blended learning experience comprised of three distinct components:
- Interactive, online coursework that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, so you can set aside dedicated study time when it’s most convenient for you, provided you meet deadlines and adequately prepare for labs and clinical rotations.
- On-campus experiential learning components designed to provide hands-on practice in a risk-free environment. You will use high-tech medical manikins that can realistically simulate various conditions.
- Clinical rotations at some of the area’s top healthcare providers.
Earn Your Nursing Degree at Concordia Texas’s ABSN
Ready to pursue a career in nursing? If you have a non-nursing college degree or at least 60 college credits and can meet the other admissions requirements, you could earn your nursing degree and graduate prepared to sit for the NCLEX in as few as 16 months. Fill out the form to request more information and determine if Concordia Texas’s ABSN is right for you.