LVN Programs Online

• Enforce compliance with immunization requirements
• Disaster preparedness and emergency protocols
• Manage the care of students with chronic medical conditions
• Health education of students and staff

New reports are now becoming available that are validating what many of us have been seeing firsthand and have long believed: online learning is rapidly becoming more accepted and , in some cases, the preferred way to learn. The non-profit group Project Tomorrow has just released new figures from its 2011 report that show online learning’s new place in modern learning:

•  More than 40% of students now indicate online classes are an essential part of their learning experience
• The number of high school students with access to online learning has tripled and the number of middle schoolers with access has doubled
• In the last two years, five times more parents have indicated that online learning should be part of the ideal learning experience

Not only are more people having the ability to participate in online learning, but attitudes are rapidly improving. "Online learning is transformative. We are starting to see a generation rising through middle schools that demand online learning and have a clear insight into how it can change the future of education,” said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow. “These students are moving online learning beyond the basic learning paradigm and taking ownership in their learning process—creating an engaging, personalized, and collaborative learning environment.”  We at The College Network are proud to have been allowing our adult learners the opportunity to take part in our own innovative and transformative online programs, including Indiana State University's online LVN to BS in Nursing.

New LPN/LVN to BS in Nursing ONLINE

Norma is an cheerful lady full of enthusiasm and passion for teaching nursing. A few years ago, Norma invited her local College Network Program Advisor to speak to her LVN graduates at her school in her rural community of Fresno, California about Indiana State University's online LPN to BSN program. While listening to The College Network's Program Advisor, she learned that The College Network has partnerships with a variety of leading universities from across the United States offering an eclectic mix of degree and certificate online programs. Upon learning that The College Network offers an online MS in Nursing program from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, she promptly enrolled.

Norma just finished all of the academic requirements and after doing so, received 4 job offers! She will attend graduation ceremonies (not required) on the campus of Regis University with her husband and daughter on 18 December 2010. She told me she wouldn't dream of missing it. Regis University has over 80 acres in Denver with the regal Rocky Mountains in the background. Regis University has been voted by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's finest schools in the West.

Helping nurses like Norma advance their careers is a very fulfilling experience for all of us at The College Network. To learn more about our degree program offerings, please contact The College Network online at www.collegenetwork.com/blog/msn or call 1-800-395-1014.

Amanda began The College Network's online paramedic to RN program a little over a year ago. She lives in the greater Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Amanda is a busy mother with one child and works full time. During her studies she also became engaged and is planning on relocating to Wisconsin. One of the amazing attributes of using The College Network to complete your paramedic & LPN to RN program is it's portability-the customer can move to multiple states during the program! The exams one needs to complete the program are offered at multiple testing locations in every state.

Amanda told me after taking her first exam and passing with a good grade, she was "floating!" She makes it a point to carry a printed version of a comprehensive learning module from The College Network in her back pack all of the time. The reason why she explained is when she finds herself with as little as 15 to 30 minutes, she takes this time to study.

The path to becoming an RN is not an easy one no matter what program the nurse or paramedic chooses. College degrees are not acquired by osmosis. However, the program offered from The College Network makes the dream of becoming an RN significantly easier for the LPN or paramedic than the traditional path. The Associate of Science in Nursing online program never requires any classroom attendance. If you are a paramedic or LPN/LVN and want your RN but would prefer to fit your education around your life instead of your life around your education, then contact The College Network online at www.collegenetwork.com/blog or call 1-800-395-1014 to learn more.

"I came, I saw, I conquered" are the words that Jim from Kyle, Texas uttered to me last Monday after I helped him begin working on his LVN to RN program. These words were uttered by Julius Caesar in 47 BC.  Jim's motive for earning his RN were out of the ordinary. 

Jim wants to create a legacy for himself, and give back to the community.  He knows that getting his RN is a lot of work, but he is ready to conquer this challenge.  He is a former Marine, and is used to challenges.  He knows what it will take, and is ready to get down to business! 

He was looking for inexpensive nursing degrees that would fit into his lifestyle, and came across the LVN to ADN program where he could also complete his nursing prerequisites online.  Jim had looked into other distance nursing programs, but also wanted something where he wouldn't have to deal with the pitfalls of a classroom-based education.  He was impressed with The College Network support, and is now embarking on his next mission on his quest to become Nurse Practitioner.  Good luck Jim! 

Not being fulfilled in your career can lead to problems that show up in other areas of your life. We spend the majority of our lives at work, and a significant amount of that time spent being unhappy can lead to a short temper away from work. Or it can result  in a short wave of anxiety on Sunday night when you think of work on Monday morning. It manifests in a variety of ways, even if it’s just an overall feeling of exhaustion. 

Certifications and degrees from The College Network's partner universities can counter the emptiness of being unfulfilled. There are a variety of options from Project Management Professional® preparation courses, LPN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs, and online paralegal certificate programs. A certification or degree provides achievement, recognition, and community. In effect, an overall feeling of serenity.

The designation change provided from a certification/degree is a reward for success. One example of a designation change that can be obtained through online classes for nursing is an LVN to RN program. The designation is more than just letters. It signifies to others that you can demonstrate the skills needed in that particular field. It is an achievement that you can proudly display in your home or office and on your resume.

According to the TechRepublic 2010 IT skills and Salary Report , the PMP Project Management Professional certification can lead to salary increases of 26 percent in the U.S. when compared to those without the certification. And according to PayScale.com, an LVN’s salary can increase as much as 27 percent to 29 percent when certified as a Registered Nurse. Salary is one type of recognition that an individual earns when they obtain a certification or degree. 

One of the most valuable aspects is the community an individual belongs to once a certification and/or degree is obtained. The community can provide a wealth of resources: encouragement, career suggestions, access to jobs, and growth opportunities are just some of the things the community of an individual’s certification and degree can provide.  

A certification/degree may be the answer to a feeling of lack of fulfillment. It provides achievement, recognition, and community. 

Unlike many nurses, Stefanie Nickles didn’t dream of having a career in the healthcare field her whole life. “I actually got a business degree in college and started out in the business world. I found I didn’t like it very much. My mom was a nurse and I’d taken some anatomy and physiology classes in college that I really liked, so I decided to make the career change to nursing,” she said.

First becoming an LVN, she quickly decided that she wanted more education. “Being an LVN was not sufficient in my area of work,” she said. After researching options that provided what she wanted, she decided The College Network was right for her. “I was looking for something online with flexibility—something I could do on my own time. The College Network gave me all of that. I found The College Network affordable and readily available to start my education right away.”

Stefanie urges future students to make a realistic plan and stick to it. “I planned out exactly what my goals were and as I was going through the program, I frequently assessed my initial plan and compared it to how I was doing year by year. At the beginning of my program, I sat down with a counselor from Indiana State University. I wanted to see what I could do faster and what needed to be done slower. I ended up sticking to my original plan pretty closely,” she said.

Since receiving her degree, Stefanie has moved from an LVN role to an RN role. She also has big plans for her nursing future. “I plan to continue my education by taking the BSN I’ve earned and turning it into a nurse anesthetist certification,” she said.

One of the reasons many paramedics and LPNs give me for wanting their RN is freedom. Freedom in having more choices. Freedom that more money many times can provide. More importantly, freedom that creates more time. For example, recently an amazing paramedic, Anne,who earned her RN by way of the paramedic to RN online program offered by The College Network, was working 40 hours a week as a paramedic. After earning her RN, she now works two days a week and makes the same and some times more money than she did working a full week as a paramedic. The RN has given Anne more time to spend time with those most important in her life - her new daughter, stepson and husband.

Anne told me that a traditional program would have never worked for her. She would have had to quit her job which she simply could not afford to do. Like the rest of us, she has to work. The paramedic to RN online program offered via The College Network allows the full time paramedic to work and fit their education around their life. Anne found the comprehensive learning modules of The College Network to be thorough and concise enough to pass the challenge exams at the Pearson Vue testing center.

With the RN, Anne is now enrolled into a RN to MSN program. She may be either a nurse practitioner, a teacher or a school nurse one day. Who knows? What we do know is with her RN, she now has more freedom of choices.

If you are a paramedic or an LVN who would like more freedom that the RN can provide, and don't have the time for a traditional campus based program, contact The College Network online or call 1-800-395-1014 today.