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Distance Education Offers Solution to Nursing Shortage: Rue Education Provides Real-World Options
Monday, November 19, 2007
Although Cathleen Schneider wanted to become a registered nurse for many of the 27 years she spent as an LPN, family obligations and the commitment to her job didn’t allow her to enroll in a traditional college nursing program.
Schneider, of Cape Coral, Fla., is part of a growing population of adults using distance education to become RNs. Studies on college level distance learning published by the U.S. Department of Education found that student enrollment has more than doubled every three years since 1994-95.
“I am finally an RN,” said Schneider. “And, I couldn’t have done it any other way.”
While the cause of the nursing shortage has been linked to an aging and disaffected population leaving the practice, a more fundamental cause may be the lack of nurse educators, according to David Hopkins, Ph.D., chief learning officer of distance learning provider Rue Education. These educators are unable to serve the growing wait lists of qualified nursing student applicants. In 2005, schools of nursing, colleges and universities turned away nearly 180,000 qualified applicants, due largely to the educator shortage.
“Given the growing need for nurses, we are investigating more creative ways to educate the next generation of nurses,” Hopkins says. “Many individuals lack the time and financial resources for traditional campus programs and are looking for more flexible options that are better suited to their lives.” He adds that alternatives like distance learning programs are helping to unburden the university system.
Jacquelyn Wright, a former Rue client from Plantsville, Conn., who is now an RN adds, “Distance learning is not an easy way to become an RN, but it is very doable with dedication, hard work and sacrifice. I now have a beautiful RN license number in Connecticut and I write those two little initials very big on everything I sign,” she says.
Hopkins acknowledges that educating adult learners is not without challenges. “The first 120 days are critical. Many of these students must learn how to learn again. Once they get a taste of accomplishment, their chances for completion increase dramatically.”
With an eye toward retention, new technology and student-centric approaches to distance learning are being developed. When adult learners register with Rue Education for instance, they immediately speak with a master’s degree level educator to discuss expectations from the program and questions. Within 48 hours of receiving their books, ASN students are called by an Academic Advisor to discuss short- and long-term goals.
As important as the personal element is, perhaps the biggest advancement has occurred in technology. One example is Rue’s introduction of tutor-led online learnign systems that are facilitated by master’s-level or PhD tutors. These learnign systems, part of Rue’s new Learning Management System, include “stopgaps” to evaluate learning at various stages. If ASN students do not log back on after an assignment, the tutor contacts them with encouraging text messages, e-mails or phone calls asking if they need help.
Even online practice exams have become more interactive. Instead of marking responses with a “right” or “wrong,” Rue’s system explains why wrong answers are wrong and offers hyperlinks to related readings. If students elect not to participate in tutor-led learning systems, they can choose the self-paced traditional learning systems.
“Over the past four months, our clients have had a 94-96 percent pass rate for standardized CLEP exams, with about 150 exams taken a week,” says Hopkins. “We anticipate that the extra support offered through our tutor-led learning systems will not only maintain our high pass rate, but also increase the frequency with which our clients take these exams.”
Looking forward, Rue is focusing on additional partnerships with healthcare providers, universities and nursing associations. “We believe these will allow us to reach even more individuals interested in advancing their nursing careers, as well as have a major impact on patient care and the nursing shortage,” adds Hopkins.
Rue Education (www.rueeducation.com), a Clearwater, Fla.-based firm founded in 1989, is the country’s largest provider of independent study systems for nurses. Rue has helped more than 65,000 adults with associate and bachelor level degree programs.