The College Network

• 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

University of Maryland School of Nursing has renovated its Living History Museum, and possibilities are unfolding for new exhibitions that illuminate nursing history. The museum receives loans of artifacts, and also boasts an impressive collection built up by alumni of the school.

Current exhibition Angels of the Battlefield: Nursing During the Civil War is especially popular due to the high amount of military nurses who come through the museum.  Curator Dan Caughey remarks, "For humor's sake, a lot of visitors like Phoebe Pember, who was the head nurse at a (Confederate) hospital in Richmond and had a tendency to carry around a pistol with her to keep the doctors in line. I think nurses today kind of joke that they wish they could do that." 

Not all nursing schools show such a dedication to the history of the nursing profession. A Registered Nursing career today is vastly different than it was, say, during the Civil War! To learn more about the museum, visit their website. Information originally from nurse.com.

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.

Karen Walton from Saginaw, Michigan signed with The College Network in September 2009. While I was a new advisor and she a new customer, she trusted me enough to help guide her through her program. Although personal hurdles almost hindered her dream of attaining her associate degree in nursing, and at times she felt like giving up, she persevered and accomplished her goal. I asked that she let me help her, because I knew she would be able to complete her program. Through weekly and then monthly emails regarding her progress, assisting her with her content questions, and overall motivation and support, Karen was able to forge ahead.  Karen not only completed her program within 24 months, but she passed all 12 of her exams on the first attempt! Karen’s story demonstrates that anything is possible if you want it enough. I couldn’t be more proud of her.

It’s moments like these that inspire me and reinforce my decision to dedicate my professional life to the education of others. There is no better feeling in the world than knowing someone else has obtained the same dream I was able to attain, a college degree.

Congratulations again, Karen from not only myself but the entire TCN Family! I wish you nothing but the best in all of your future endeavors! 

Did you know that Indianapolis, IN will be home to Super Bowl XLVI? Did you also know that The College Network is headquartered in none other than Indianapolis, IN?

We've decided to get involved in the festivities leading up to the Super Bowl by sponsoring a great cause, and we hope you will join us.

Riley Children's Foundation of Indianapolis with support from the Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee is engineering the first ever Super Bowl host city service project that will reach nationwide, and The College Network has joined them in sponsorship of the event.

January 25 will mark the 31st observation of National IV Nurse Day. The theme for this year is "A Vital Role in Quality Healthcare--IV Nurses." 

According to Infusion Nurses Society (INS) CEO Mary Alexander, MA, RN, CRNI®, CAE, FAAN, "infusion nurses deliver the highest level of patient care due to their knowledge and expertise. IV Nurse Day gives us an opportunity to recognize the significant contributions that infusion nurses make in their patients' lives."

The US House of Representatives elected January 25 as National IV Nurse Day in 1980 "to honor and recognize the accomplishments of the nation's infusion nurse specialists, as well as the Infusion Nurses Society," according to the press release. 

Registered Nursing requirements are certainly great, and it is good to see the work of nurses that so often goes unnoticed receive official recognition on January 25. Becoming a Registered Nurse has its rewards!

While you may have successfully completed the act of reading, you didn't absorb the information at a level which would allow you to comprehend and retain the information. This happens quite frequently with scholastic endeavors which is why periodic assessment is paramount! 

The wonderful aspect about our Comprehensive Learning Modules located in our Online Resource Center is that they contain a variety of self assessment tools that learners can use to gauge their level of understanding. From an interactive-key term feature to end of chapter quizzes and comprehensive practice exams, our modules offer each independent learner the opportunity to determine how well they understood the material they reviewed versus believing they think they understood. Even having an internal dialog with yourself asking, “What did I just read?” periodically while reviewing your information can be most helpful in progressing with your studies.

As always, contact our amazing Customer Support team at The College Network by calling 1-800-634-1443 if you ever need assistance with your Comprehensive Learning Modules. 

We all have goals. Whether you formally write them on paper or daydream about them on your lunch hour, you have a goal for something you want to achieve. Perhaps your goal is to earn advanced nursing education and you've chosen The College Network to help you achieve it.

I encourage you to ask yourself the following six questions. Write down your answers and the next time things get tough, pull out that piece of paper and remind yourself why you are doing this.

1. What is your motivation for earning your degree?
   
2. Why did you choose self-paced education?
   
3. How will achieving this goal change your life?
   
4. What does it feel like to picture yourself holding your diploma?
   
5. Who do you want to inspire to follow in your footsteps?
   
6. Who will you share your success with?

As someone who has set a lot of goals for herself, I know that things don't always happen exactly as planned. You have to be prepared to stand up for your dreams and achieve them. Focus on your answers to these questions, and take action to achieve your dreams.

• Dental and medical appointments
• Create a list of things financial goals for the year
• Update my résumé and professional connections

This is a rather standard list of very basic tasks but you’d be surprised how many people don’t take care of their physical, financial, or professional wellbeing.

The medical appts probably don't surprise you and the review of financial goals probably makes sense to most people. But being proactive about your professional wellbeing is also one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. So, every January I take an inventory of where I am professionally. This is a practice one of my mentors taught me long ago. Some years I am more on top of things than others but I try to ask myself these 4 questions every January. 

1. What did I achieve in the previous year?
2. What did I learn in the previous year?
3. Am I on the right path to reach my professional goals?
4. Am I still pursuing my professional ideal?

The answers to these questions tell me if I need to continue on the same path or make changes in order to reach my personal and professional goals. This approach has worked for me for many years. I have even passed this approach along to those I mentor so they can use it as a tool to help keep them on track.

Take a few minutes and ask yourself these 4 questions. Consider the answers thoroughly and determine if you are on the right track to reach your professional ideal. If you find that you haven’t achieved what you’d like or that you didn’t learn as much in the previous year as you needed to reach your goals, consider a change in direction. That change may mean returning to school or earning a professional certification.­ The College Network can help you earn your Six Sigma Green Belt, a Paralegal Certificate, or one of many degrees offered by our partner institutions.

Give The College Network a call at (1.800.395.1014) and talk with one of our Program Advisors about earning the education that will allow you to achieve the answers to these questions that will take you where you want to be professionally. 

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