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There is quite a bit of data out there that shows that the healthcare field is one that is not only stable, but one that is growing.  And while you might be interested in working in this field, you don't feel that becoming a registered nurse would be a good fit for you.

Have you considered a Medical or Health Services Manager?  As a manager, you plan direct and coordinate medical and health services.  You might manage an entire facility or a specific clinical area or department.  Some also manage practices for groups of physicians.  

And while the majority of these jobs are located in a hospital setting, you can also work in long term healthcare facilities or even insurance companies.   You will be working with physicians and surgeons, registered nurses and possibly medical and clinical laboratory technicians.  

So, what is entailed in becoming a Health Services Manager?  You can work through The College Network to obtain your Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration from Regis University.  Because of the convenience of an online education, you can continue to work and gain professional experience at the same time.

This program also requires an internship at an approved health care facility of your choice.  When you graduate with your Bachelor's degree, you will have practical experience and the comparative knowledge that you need to be successful.  There are many exciting options available to you with your degree.

Please reach out to us today at (800) 39-LEARN to find out more about your future in Healthcare Administration.   

I read a fantastic article on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website that I wanted to share with readers of The College Network nursing blog. Healthcare professionals from metro Atlanta were asked to answer the question of what makes a great nurse. The article also points out that nurses have topped the Gallup poll of the most trustworthy professionals for 12 of the past 13 years.

A few of my favorite quotes appear below. The rest appear in the article, which you can read here.

“Every great nurse I know has the following characteristics: caring nature, detail-oriented, emotionally stable, great judgment, physical endurance and extraordinary communication skills.” - Elaina S. Hall, director, Grady Burn Center, Grady Health System

“The technology has changed and our patients have more complex illnesses, but the one thing that hasn’t changed since Florence Nightingale started the profession is caring. A great nurse sees the patient, not the tubes. She sees someone who could be her mother, her father or her child, and she cares for them as if it were so.” - Sheyla Desir, nurse manager, acute care services, Atlanta VA Medical Center

 “When I think of what makes a great nurse, I’m reminded of the quote from Mahatma Gandhi: ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ A great nurse has to be selfless.” - Karen B. Seagraves, program director, Marcus Stroke & Neuroscience Center, Grady Health System

There seems to be a strong stereotype that follows the Nursing profession around. People tend to think of nurses as women and men are not prevalent in the field.

While in the past it may have been common to see very few men in the field, it seems as if that is all about to change. In an article that I recently read, it explains how with increased lay offs more men are now finding themselves gravitating towards the steady, secure field of healthcare.

While many may find the transition to a new career/new field of study to be very daunting, it certainly is not impossible. There are many accelerated LPN programs that will allow you receive your license as a practical nurse within a year. While any nursing program is not going to be easy, these courses at least allow you make the change as quickly as possible.

For most men transitioning from a labor intensive job, not only does the nursing field provide a secure career but in most cases a significant pay increase follows as well. In the article, a former warehouse employee receives a $20,000 pay raise!

Not only is the switch beneficial for the men, it also appears to help the whole department. An administrator, LaKeshia Bell is quoted as saying "At 5 feet 9 inches tall and 220 pounds, Mr. Edwards lifts patients as easily as he stacked boxes."

So while males are still not abundant in the nursing field, it is definitely a growing trend that seems to benefit everyone involved.

So whether your a male or female interested in finding out information about RN nursing programs that provide you with self-paced education and training, give us a call today!

Ein Peck

(800) 307-1006 ext 4786

In my last blog post, I discussed the flexibility of our distance nursing programs where different kinds of people and learners are able to complete their degrees using the example of the Mario Kart video game series.  I'd like to continue using Mario Kart as a reference point to show how things you have already done, things we at The College Network can help you with, and things you can do to avoid obstacles in preventing you from finishing your degree program.

In Mario Kart, each character/kart can obtain different bonus items to help their cause in winning the race.  Some of these items are mushrooms (speed boost), turtles shells (wreck the opponent near you), banana peel (make someone spin out), and lightning bolts (shrink your competition).  Each of these can draw a parallel to helping you overcome obstacles in your program.

Mushrooms - a speed boost.  First off, with our Comprehensive Learning Modules, we streamline the test-out process, but we also offer other services to help as well.  Now, for certain prerequisite and general education classes, we offer online testing via a webcam proctor service to help you schedule and complete courses much quicker than a traditional testing center.  Also, by financing your exam fees with the rest of your learning modules, you do not have to wait to budget out test costs, we've done that for you!

Lightning Bolts - shrink the competition.  For those of you that have previous college credit, the good news is that it will most likely transfer in to the program if it is from a regionally accredited school.  By transferring in those credits, you can shrink the size of your program, and save time and money!

Turtle Shells - knock out the competition.  Each of our learning modules arms you with a turtle shell to knock out the opponent (the courses you need).  We guarantee you will pass each exam by using our modules, so whenever you shoot a turtle shell, it will be like a red one that finds the nearest competitor to knock them off.  Use the practice exams in the modules to help make sure you are prepared for your actual exams at the testing center or in the online webcam tests.  All in all, the modules will lead the way to finish your program and each one is a turtle shell to knock off your competition along the way!

Banana Peels - in case you slip.  Banana peels are notorious for being slippery, and the same is true in Mario Kart.  In life, and in these programs it is easy to fall behind, or slip up every once in awhile.  This is why we offer our Academic Support team to help you stay on track.  They are there to help you with curriculum questions, scheduling exams, obtaining exam fee checks, navigating the online resource center, and making sure you properly enroll and complete your top online nursing programs with one of the schools we partner with or recommend.

We at The College Network enjoy serving you to help you complete your education and lifelong goals.  Mario Kart is a great game on all platforms of Nintendo video game systems, and although it may not be the first thing you think of when completing your education, maybe now you can see the parallels between your education and having fun with a game.  So go out, run your race, complete your program, and come away in 1st place!

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or needs.  Have a great day!

Kevin Burton, Program Advisor, kburton@collegenetwork.com, 1-800-307-1006 Ext. 4734

So you want to become a registered nurse. But how do you do it? It seems like it might be an impossible goal. You work, take care of your family--when are you going to find time to go to school?  Here are 10 easy ways you can become an RN with help from The College Network.

1. Call the The College Network to learn more about online nursing degree programs.
2. Set an appointment to meet with one of our Program Advisors. They can answer all your questions and set you up with a program that is right for you.
3. Make the decision to move towards your goal of becoming an RN and get started in your program.
4. Take our Learning Styles Survey to find out how you learn best. 
5. Complete your Academic Guidance call with our customer support team to review your learning style and develop a study plan for your Comprehensive Learning Modules.
6. Start studying.
7. Schedule your first TCN Exam.  Then go ahead and schedule the rest of your exams on your calendar.  This will help to keep you on track and give you a timely goal to work towards. Keep studying and passing your exams. 
8. Enroll with the university and complete any other requirements for your program.
9. Graduate! Plan to walk with your fellow nurses in the graduation ceremony.
10. Take and pass the NCLEX exam and receive your new RN License!

It really be done in these 10 steps.  You just have to make a commitment, set your goals and take action.  We are here to help every step of the way.  Call us today at (800) 39-LEARN and check your first item off your to-do list.  

It's not every day when you can relate one of your favorite childhood (who am I kidding - current) games to furthering your education, but today I'd like to use the series of Mario Kart games to show you that completing your education is as easy as navigating a track named Rainbow Road.

At The College Network, our goal is to allow customers to complete distance nursing programs within the confines of their own goals and abilities. This is very much like choosing your own character/driver in the Mario Kart games.  Some characters like Mario and Luigi are well rounded - they have good speed, good acceleration, and good steering. Customers with these attributes can study in many different ways and at a steady pace to complete their program of choice with our Comprehensive Learning Modules.  Others are like Donkey Kong or Bowser, where they may start slow, but have a great high-end top speed.  Some customers are like this as well, where they have trouble starting, but once they do, they are able to knock their courses out very quickly.  Another way to study would be to do things in quick short bursts - much like the high acceleration of Princess Peach or Yoshi.  And some folks really like to control their own destiny, and keep things very orderly, consistent, and take the most efficient way around the track to finish their program or race, much like Toad or Koopa Troopa.  

Any way you look at it, all of the previous methods can work.  You just have to choose the right path for yourself and know your strengths and weaknesses.  At The College Network, we offer our Academic Guidance Planner and Academic Support Team to help you set goals, find out what learning style is best for you, and give you study tips on how best to be an independent learner.  Basically, we fit your Mario Kart driving style to your perfect Kart and character that drives it!

In my next post, I'll look at how the The College Network helps you navigate your program by using all the extras and resources that come with this type of program.  Watch out for that banana peel!

Kevin Burton, Program Advisor, kburton@collegenetwork.com, 1-800-307-1006 Ext. 4734

Nursing homes, a stronghold of LPN jobs, may become progressively less so. Illinois, for one, is attempting to instate a new law requiring 20% of nurses in nursing homes to be RNs. The change would cost the state $122 million annually, but Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, as well as local advocacy groups, are pushing for the change because they believe that care from RNs prevents hospitalization. This information comes from an article on the Progress Illinois website.

If you are an LPN and you want to take action now to avoid worries about job security, do not fret. Give The College Network a call at 1-800-39-LEARN to find out how you can work towards obtaining RN status while continuing to work full time as an LPN through our online programs from top universities. 

Rise and shine.  It's time to wake up.  

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?  Some people believe what you do and what happens when you first wake up will determine how your whole day will go.  I tend to agree with that and believe that by managing expectations and expecting the best to happen, you can change your whole mindset and succeed day-in and day-out.

Something I've learned in the past couple years is to be realistic, but set lofty goals for yourself.  If you believe you are capable of doing something, your mindset and drive can help you complete tasks you thought previously were impossible.

If you wake up and EXPECT to have a good day, EXPECT to make work, school, or life fun, EXPECT to be the best you can be everyday - you'll find this attitude will cross over from all walks of life - personally and professionally.  Once these EXPECTATIONS become a habit, good things will continue to happen and finding success will be much easier than ever before.

Obviously there will be setbacks.  Everyone has those days where nothing goes right.  That is okay.  If you make those days the exception, and EXPECT good results every time you do something, you'll find your life improves daily.

The point of all this is because at The College Network, our self-paced education and training programs, namely the nursing independent study programs, require students to believe in themselves and have the want, need, and drive to finish their programs.  Creating GREAT EXPECTATIONS for yourself can mean the difference between finishing your degree, or not.

Kevin Burton, Program Advisor, kburton@collegenetwork.com, 1-800-307-1006 Ext. 4734

I recently read an article about a high school in Ohio paying students to go school.  While at first I was doubtful of rewarding students for what they are supposed to do anyway--the more I thought about it, the more I could see the benefits of it.

We start out from a young age going to school.  Whether or not you want to, or feel like it, you go to school. Once we graduate, we go to work.  School--work.  And for some, especially pursuing online higher education,  we work while we are in school. The high school students that I mentioned are being paid for school--as if they showed up for a job everyday.  Just as they will upon graduation.  And, they are also making the commitment to their education and being rewarded for it.

For those of you in a degree or certificate program, mabye your Associate Degree in Nursing or a Lean Six Sigma certificate program, you are being paid for going to school and you will be rewarded for it as well.  It might not seem that way now but once you obtain your degree or certificate, your employment opportunities are going to change.  You are going to be able to command a higher salary for your level of education and expertise.

So, while you can think about it as a deferred reward--it is definitely there for you--waiting.  And, if you have been thinking about expanding your opportunities and like the idea of being rewarded for your education, give us a call at The College Network, (800)39-LEARN.  We can help you find the right program for you so you can move ahead in your career and reap the rewards of your education.  

Many nurses in the Kansas City area are finding more ways to help other people, even outside of their occupation. Despite their hectic schedules, many nurses in the area are volunteering with the local Meals on Wheels program, delivering nutritious and affordable meals to senior citizens at their homes. For some senior citizens, the Meals on Wheels volunteer could be the only person they have contact with in a given day. Thus, volunteers are occasionally the first ones to discover that a meal recipient is in need of medical attention. This was the case for Evelyn Grill, a retired RN who has been volunteering for 39 years: she once followed a meal recipient’s voice to the bathroom and discovered that the person had fallen. She was able to call for help right away.

Nurses such as Evelyn Grill embody the spirit of nursing in their ceaseless desire to help other people, whether in medical settings or in the community as volunteers. The College Network supports Kansas City area nurses’ efforts in the community, and it is an honor to feature their story on the nursing blog. Story originally appeared in Kansas City Nursing News.

As the nursing career field expands, the niches nurses fill expand in turn. The number of nurse researchers present in hospitals is increasing as of late. Establishing best practices and improving standards of patient care are key tenets of nursing research programs. The research topics are relevant to nurses working in the field because they often come directly from nurses curious about certain areas of inquiry. "It's nurse-driven," said Pam Ginex, RN, EdD, OCN, a nurse researcher. "[The nurses] come up with ideas or problems they want to look at and work collaboratively with members of the team to address a specific problem." Findings are published so that data can be shared with other healthcare providers.

When considering the nursing career field, opportunities such as this make becoming an RN seem even more appealing because they provide alternatives to the traditional role of a registered nurse or nursing manager. Growth within the career field of nursing is occurring not just in numbers, but also in responsibilities and opportunities. Information obtained from an article on nurse.com.

 

“I have always wanted to be an RN,” says Alecia Howard, who is a customer of The College Network and working toward her Associate of Science in Nursing degree program. For Alecia, earning an advanced degree means increasing her knowledge base as well as her earning potential, but her biggest inspiration is her family.

“I needed to secure our future a little better,” says Alecia. “Our kids like seeing me study because they see that grown ups have to study to learn too. They do not whine about doing their homework anymore because they know that even adults do things that they don’t want to.”

Part of Alecia’s recipe for success in the program is finding the right balance between studying and her other responsibilities. By doing this, Alecia doesn't have to sacrifice work or family time.

Read more of Alecia's success story, or call 1-800-395-1014 to find out more about convenient online degree programs that can be earned from leading universities with the help of The College Network.

Like many LPNs, Holly Ashley wanted more opportunity for her career. She knew the only way to achieve her goals was to earn her RN, which is why she enrolled in an online Associate of Science in Nursing Degree program with help from The College Network.

Holly found great success when using The College Network's Comprehensive Learning Modules. "It’s a great way to break down hard to study textbooks. It’s like someone took the notes from the textbooks for you. I love actually being able to have it in print to take wherever I need to, to study,” she says.

Holly admits she had some fears about going back to school as an adult learner, but thanks to the friendly support team with The College Network, her fears subsided. Holly has been successfully passing her exams and is enjoying being back in school.

To find out more about Holly's experience and how she is successful in her online degree program, click here.

An unexpected life event is what led Karen Burns, customer of The College Network, to earn her Associate of Science in Nursing Degree through an online program. “I was in a traditional associate program when I had a medical issue happen,” Karen says. “At that time, I needed to find a better way to become an RN after missing too much time in school.”

Karen has a passion for learning and for reading educational material, so for her, an online degree program was a perfect fit.  “I am the kind of person who only reads educational material because I love to learn, so I figured what better way to do this than to read material towards my degree,” says Karen.

Karen tried the traditional classroom approach to education, but found that to be more intimidating than online education due to all the different age groups and personalities. She really likes The Comprehensive Learning Modules that The College Network provides.

“My favorite part about The College Network material is that it’s already broken down for you. It is more straight forward than being in a classroom and having 13 nursing books in which you have to go to different chapters and read hundreds and hundreds of pages," says Karen.

Read more of Karen's success story here.