Using Online Education in Nursing to Advance Practice

We are at a crossroad in education today.  The development of online nursing communities has transformed nursing practice and education.  Online learning is being used by more and more educational institutions to provide both degrees and continuing education. The world is changing and so is the way we deliver nursing education. Online education has opened a world of opportunities to students and faculty members. Distance education involves learning that takes place when the teacher and the student are in two different settings, learning and teaching at two different times, perhaps even in two different countries and certainly with different aspirations in mind. Many DNP and PhD programs are offered online and offer the same course content that a campus based program would offer. There are benefits to pursuing a PhD in Nursing or DNP online. Online learning provides students with flexibility, students have the opportunity to continue with their nursing career while completing their education and students will find that the interaction with other students and faculty via the internet is much more enhanced as compared to campus interaction. Distance education can place nurse educators in a position to develop curricula that addresses healthcare information technology (IT) uses that will prepare the nurse to meet the Institute of Medicine’s core competencies, the National League for Nursing’s call for an increase in informatics content in curricula and The Joint Commission’s national patient safety goals.  The speaker will address the spirit of innovation in online education and the need to raise awareness of out-of-the-box models of nursing education to prepare faculty and intrapreneurs.