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Introduction
Nursing has become an increasingly popular career choice due to the current level of demand for competent nurses in a wide variety of different fields (ex: dialysis). One way in which colleges have attempted to increase the number of applicants to their nursing courses has been through the implementation of online and blended learning options alongside their traditional classroom lessons. By making lessons more convenient and easily accessible, this would make students more amenable to enrolling in particular colleges that offer this option (McCutcheon, Lohan, Traynor, & Martin, 2015).
The advantage of this method for nursing students lies in its level of convenience and versatility since it enables them to learn at their own pace. Working students and individuals with children find this learning option more appealing since it gives them a significant amount of free time to handle activities outside of academic work. Despite the advantages of this method of earning a nursing degree, there have been several criticisms regarding the quality of education that nursing students gain from this type of learning experience. [Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]
Riley and Schmid (2016) helped to summarize the arguments involved by stating that nursing requires a more practical than primarily academic approach. While it is true that nurses do require extensive background medical knowledge, this should be backed by extensive hands-on training. Failure to do so results in nurses that are medically knowledgeable but lack the necessary experience to be considered as technically competent in implementing proper medical procedures on a patient (Riley & Schmidt, 2016).
It is based on this that this paper will explore the various issues surrounding blended learning and online learning environments for nursing students to determine the pros and cons of each method of teaching and determine their capacity to create technical competence and practical expertise. It is the assumption of this study that a learning environment that is centered primarily on online education is unable to produce the necessary technical and practice knowledge needed to create a competent nurse.
Statement of the Problem
This situation involving blended and online learning environments showcase the current gaps in understanding when it comes to the quality of education received and the type of nurses that graduate from such a program. While it is true that people should have the option of a more convenient method of learning, it should not come at the cost of the quality of nurses that are to work in many of today’s hospitals. Due to the nature of nursing, practical and technical experience are important facilitators of developing a nurse’s capabilities. Medical knowledge can only go so far when it comes to enabling a nurse to operate efficiently and effectively within a hospital environment. [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
As such, the current ambiguity of the quality of nursing education has created a problem wherein many hospitals do not trust the skills of nurses that graduate from particular programs. In this study involving nurses and long distance learning, this issue plays out and creates this situation where students graduate from an online nursing program only to find out that they are not being accepted into programs of many hospitals due to their perceived lack of practical and technical skills.
Guiding Questions
1.) Does a blended learning or primarily online learning environment produce the necessary levels of technical expertise and competency needed from a nurse?
2.) What are the measures of skill and technical ability when it comes a nursing graduate of a traditional learning environment?
Research Strategy
To research this topic, I will draft an outline of the different parts the paper should contain, what arguments should go into each aspect and determine what sort of academic resources I should get to justify the claims that each argument makes. One of the strategies that I will employ to locate the necessary research materials is to utilize the online search function of the college’s library to find any relevant books or previously submitted works that the library may contain. The second strategy will use the university’s subscription to online academic journal databases such as Jstore and EBSO to find academic journals that have examined the issue. By using both methods, I am likely to find all the information I would need to complete the paper.
Justification Behind the Research
Based on what has been presented so far, it is necessary to examine how online and blended nursing programs operate and determine which programs are more likely to be accepted by hospitals. Through this analysis, potential long distance learning nursing students will be able to know what sort of programs they should enroll themselves rather than blindly enter one only to be disappointed with it after they graduate. [Click Essay Writer to order your essay]
Reference List
McCutcheon, K., Lohan, M., Traynor, M., & Martin, D. (2015). A systematic review evaluating the impact of online or blended learning vs. face-to-face learning of clinical skills in undergraduate nurse education. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 71(2), 255-270.
Riley, K., & Schmidt, D. (2016). Does online learning click with rural nurses? A qualitative study. Australian Journal Of Rural Health, 24(4), 265-270.
