Health Affairs recently reported that the U.S. will have 260,000 fewer nurses that it needs by 2025. Online career training can help you train for a job that’s expected to be in high demand in the coming years. Check out the top reasons to get an online degree in health care.

1. Online Education Fills Training Shortages

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports that U.S. nursing schools turned away 49,948 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2008 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints. With campus-based schools scrambling to fill the training need, online nursing programs offer an alternative to the crowded classroom.

2. Get a Primer on Health Care Technology

Whether you’re looking for a career in nursing or in medical assisting, dental hygiene or medical records, technical know-how is a big part of your job description. Use online career training to gain a basic understanding of computers and technology.

3. Prepare for Growing Health Care Careers

Physician assistants, skin care specialists, physical therapist aides, and dental hygienists made the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ list of fastest-growing occupations between 2008 and 2018. Train for a career with high growth potential.

4. Enjoy Career Training Options Online

Unlike the limited options available at your local community colleges, online education offers a wider range of health care career training choices. Explore distance learning and find out what you’re missing in the traditional classroom.

5. Connect With Health Care Pros Nationwide

Another one of the benefits of online learning is the access you get to students across the country. Interact with other health care students across the U.S. when you enroll in an online health care degree.

Starting in the fall of 2007, the University of North Carolina will begin offering all of their online degree programs through one unified system. According to NBC17.com:
The website is a one-stop shop. It offers more than 130 online degrees, certificates, and licenses offered by the 16 UNC campuses.
It also offers special sections with information tailored for community college students and military personnel and their dependents based in North Carolina.
This collection of online degree programs is one of the largest in the United States.
More that 1,000 online courses will be available this fall to qualified students.
Initially, the website will offer more than 90 online degree programs, 35 bachelor’s degrees, 55 master’s, 2 doctoral, more than 40 online certificate and licensure programs.
UNC hopes to compete with big-name … | Read the rest of this entry »

Many students that are considering earning their degree through an online college wonder whether, upon graduation, their degree will hinder their chances of getting the job that they want. However, as the number of institutions that offer online degree options continues to rise, so does the way that employers view potential online-degree holding job candidates. Consider this information from CNN Money:
More often than not, employers are fine with online degrees from either for-profit or nonprofit schools, agrees Forrester Research analyst Claire Schooley.
“In most cases, they’re more concerned about being comfortable with the skill level of a person after they complete a degree online,” she said.
Schooley says a lot of how well a person’s academic background registers with employers depends on perspectives of human-resources … | Read the rest of this entry »

Unfortunately, just like in every other business, there are colleges out there that begin with one goal in mind: offer a mediocre education and charge high fees. These “diploma mills” will give you a diploma, for a heavy fee, and confirm your diploma with potential employers. However, the learning you’ll receive will be sup-par at best, and you may find that you’re horribly unprepared to enter the workforce in your field.
In order to avoid diploma mills, consider this advice from CNNMoney.com:
Experts and program administrators at some of the most well-known and largest online programs say you should check to make sure a school is properly accredited. That means credits can be transferred fairly easily between most major higher-education systems.
One way of double checking a … | Read the rest of this entry »

Many students that are considering pursuing an MBA ask themselves this question prior to enrolling in graduate school: is the cost of an MBA worth the end-result? In part, the answer depends on how hard you work, what type of program you enroll in, and the state of the economy upon your graduation. However, many studies show that MBA graduates earn significantly more than their non-MBA holding business professionals. Consider this advice from Hobsons’ MBA Central:
At a time of global economic uncertainty, MBAs from the best schools are the most attractive to employers. During a boom, almost any MBA is employable.
As for earnings, most full-time MBAs who pay their own way and attend a good school can reasonably expect to recover their fees, subsistence … | Read the rest of this entry »

Finding sources of paying for you college education can be a nightmare. There are hundreds of grants and scholarships to apply for, and, even when you get the financial aid you need, it’s not always enough to cover your living expenses. Therefore, it’s important that students know how to stretch what little money they have. Consider these money-saving tips from CollegeScholarships.org:

Get a free checking and savings account. The bank will nickel and dime you on dumb stuff like too many ATM withdrawals, too many checks written, or a funds transfer. Shop the town for banks catering to students. Make sure you can access online banking, pay bills and manage your account without attached fees.
If you have to have a credit card, make sure you get … | Read the rest of this entry »

As the baby boomer generation had aged, the demand for qualified healthcare providers has compounded. The result has been a boom in healthcare jobs as well as those interested in the field of healthcare. Colleges that offer online degrees have noted this phenomenon with the high enrollment numbers in their online healthcare programs. According to USPRwire:
With the continuing shortage of qualified professionals in the news, health care programs remain at the top of the list for students seeking an online education. The government estimates that medical careers will continue to mushroom in popularity for decades in order to fill a very real need.
Stan Banks, president of Virginia College Online, notes, “We offer two-year associate degrees in some of the most important medical careers. For … | Read the rest of this entry »

While tuition costs are the number one concern of MBA-seekers, there are a lot of other costs that students must plan for when considering enrolling in an MBA program. Cost of living, textbooks, and software costs are just some of the other expenses of students in an MBA program. Students who are not going to work need to know all of the possible funding sources available to them. Consider these sources listed at MBAMap.com:
MBA Loans
There are a number of loan programs available to MBAs. Check to see if you are eligible for government-subsidized loans. Also, the GMAC has started the MBA LOANS program.
Scholarships
MBA programs have scholarship monies available for applicants fitting particular profiles.
Employers
Sometimes employers can be convinced to help support the costs of MBA programs. … | Read the rest of this entry »

After raising the number of online degrees they offered and becoming accredited by a nationally-recognized accrediting institution, the University of Minnesota at Crookston has recently seen a huge hike in enrollment numbers. As students flock to earn their degrees online, the colleges that are catering to this demographic are those that are getting the students. According to the Crookston Daily Times:
Online credit hours at the University of Minnesota, Crookston are up 41 percent over summer semester 2006. The increase is being attributed to the U of M, Crookston accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), along with two additional bachelor’s degrees available entirely online.
“As a working adult, I knew that the traditional on campus college degree was not an option for me,” said Tony Decembrini, … | Read the rest of this entry »

As online schools have risen in popularity, so has the integration of technology in the workplace. The result is that certain online Internet courses prepare graduates more fully for their post-graduation jobs than traditional college courses. According to HotJobs.com, the following fields of study have taken on new significance since the advent of online education:

Forensic Nursing
Game Art and Design
Holistic Health and Nutrition
Natural Resource Management
Digital and Graphic Design
Criminal Justice
IT Networking and System Management
Homeland Security
Information Technology Security
Executive Coaching

Students interested in entering any of these fields should seriously consider training for them in an online environment. An online degree in these fields of study can earn you the technological abilities that you’ll need to score the job after graduation.