Sage

OK, so I've been thinking about getting my CNA- Certified Nurse's Assistant. I know that there's online universities that let you get nursing degrees, which would work easier than actually going to a community college to get my certificate. My question is- would people laugh in my face if I applied for a CNA job with a degree from an online university? I've always wondered if online universities are taken seriously at all. But it definitely would be easy on me if I could do the coursework online in my free time instead of driving somewhere and sitting through a class every week.

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pavel_lishin

When I see commercials for "online universities", I think diploma farms.

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eribrav

CNA's are relatively unskilled care providers. I don't think anyone will care where your diploma is from if you show up on time every day, with a good attitude, ready to work hard.

feelgood

Online universities have a shaky reputation, especially with all those stories about degree/diploma farm where anyone can simply purchase it and call it the product of 4 years of hard work. At this time, potential employer may question the validity of online degree/diploma/certifications.

Be sure to carefully choose which online school you pick.

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Antikarma

I am not sure where you live, but I have heard tons of great stuff about one of the online universities in Alberta, Athabasca University. I haven't researched it myself, but some of the people I have spoken to say that its just as good as a university degree in that they can transfer 90% of the credits to U of A.

Something for you to look at, at least, I can't speak to the truthfulness of it.

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Anexkahn

another option is to look at the course requirements for your program from your community college and see which classes you could obtain from online classes from any number of universities and then transfer the credits. There would still be a certain amount of classes you would have to take at the local community college to meet their degree requirements, but you could supplement those with classes taken online to reduce the actual amount of time spent on campus, and you would still end up with a degree from your comm college instead of an online university.

I'd say its pretty specific to your career area if it is taken at face value or questioned because it is online. I'd guess tho that in the CNA field they're looking for the fact that you've been certified and dont really care where from as long as it is a legit program.

The_Jazz

To specificially answer your question - or rather point you in a direction where an expert could answer it - why don't you ask your local job center what they think of online degrees. Check your phone book under government services and give them a call.

Practically speaking, I think that you'll find that CNA's are in very high demand, with one reason that there's such high turnover at most facilities. They end up doing the worst jobs on the nursing scale (as opposed to orderlies) and have the lowest pay, although it's usually enough above minimum wage to survive. I'll warn you that I've heard that working in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and recovery centers can be soul-sucking. But I've never worked in the industry, so what do I know.

Good luck!

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highthief

I am attending Athabasca and it is excellent. It compares very favourably to the "live" Univeristy I attended in Montreal, namely Concordia.

There are several good ones that I know of: Athabasca is one, University of Leicester is another (which also has an in person option, I think). It is without doubt, the wave of the future as greater and greater demands are made on people to obtain and update their learning while still working, raising a family, etc. That's my situation - I work 40-50 hours a week and raise a family. No chance to go to York every Tuesday and Thursday night, and no reason I should when distance learning does the trick.

But each university is different - there are some who effectively "sell" you a diploma and these are not recognized accreditations. You have to research each one individually.

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shesus

I got my Master's degree through University of Phoenix-Online. While some people do have an unclear view of on-line degrees, it worked for me and I haven't heard any complaints about it being on-line. Actually, I don't even have to specify that it was received on-line until an interview and then I can defend it if need be.

The workload was unbelievable and I learned a lot more by taking it on-line than I would have going to a ground campus imo. It was self-directed for the most part. The classes were 2 weeks for one credit hour so it was intense and fast-paced, but I really enjoyed the experience.

Good luck with whatever you choose. If I were you, I'd definitely pick a more reputable on-line school that has a ground campus with it. That way you can say you went to a ground campus and then later specify on-line if you have to. Although if this is you first college experience, I would recommend a ground campus. I really enjoyed my time in undergrad school having the face-to-face interaction and making new friends to hang out with. The on-line program could be very overwhelming because you do not have much support to keep you on-track like the ground campus offers. I don't know, that's a tough choice. The reason I chose on-line is because I knew I'd be moving in the middle of the program and didn't want to mess with transferring credits and having to pay out-of-state tuition.

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snowy

There are TONS of traditional universities and community colleges out there that offer distance classes. Just poke around a bit, I'm sure you can find a traditional program that has an online certification piece. I know at my university you can practically do your whole damn degree online, and when you're done, you get a regular ol' diploma from Oregon State University.

You might end up missing one vital piece, though, by doing a degree online for your CNA. The program at my local community college corresponds directly with the recommended course of study for the CNA exam in my state. Will yours? It also includes labs and 75 hours of clinical experience. Will yours?
What are the requirements where you live? Will the program meet those requirements?

Sure, someone might not look askance at an online degree. But if you don't feel like you know what you're doing in a highly practical field, is it worth it?

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Lucifer

My undergraduate degree is available totally online, and it's from an established university. Most of the people in my program have never been to the campus. Find a good physical university and investigate their distance options.

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Cynthetiq

Online is no different than the Distance Learning courses offered by traditional universities years ago.

It's just much faster and there are interactive aspects such as live lectures and question answer/discussion sessions.

If you have a hard time with self-discipline well you may have a hard time with this.

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maleficent

this may be none of my business... but.... you've already got a college degree with nothing to do with nursing... while it's not unusual for someone to switch careers-- that generally happens after they've been working in the career for a bit...

Are you contemplating this change (which in the short run, doesn't seem like it's a career move, in the long run, if you were to pursue nursing (an noble profession that is begging for people to make it a career choice) as a career, down the road it's be a stepping stone.

Not that there's anything wrong with being a CNA, if it's what you want to do, but why not aim a little higher for yourself... you've talked about going to grad school - why not pursue that via distance learning...

/me going back to minding her own business...

In answer to your question... those corresponce course that sally struthers shills for offer a CNA program -- that might not be as respected as say... something from your local community college....

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superiorrain

I'm sure there is nothing worng with online degrees but half the fun of doing a degree is meeting people with similar interest and whole world of different experiences. You'll learn more about everything meeting people, plus you'll make some great friends along the way, who turn into excellent contacts.

Doesn't really help answer your question, but hopefully it asks another one.

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JustJess

CNA's aren't even required to be certified in New York. Most of the programs we see come through are only quasi-college level at all. So I wouldn't worry too much about where your certification is from.

On another note... if you actually would like to be a nurse... RN's start with a 2-year Associate's degree, making up to $55-60 walking out of school. BSN's (bachelor of science in nursing) obviously make more and are more in demand. There's a nursing shortage - if you think you'd like it, it's a really solid career to choose with a multitude of possibilities.

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Sage

Hokay

Yes, I already have my neat and tidy little degree in Multimedia in my back pocket. Will I ever do anything with it? Who the hell knows? I might go to grad school for Graphic Arts, I might go for Psychology. But, as Martel and I both really like Asheville, and we don't wanna just go jumping right off into grad school, I'm looking for stuff that can be more sustainable right here, right now.

I say CNA because I don't really want to be a nurse, not right now anyway. The nursing programs around here have a waiting list out the ass anyway. The job that I'm in right now as a Home Healthcare Aide would offer me a step up on the pay scale if I got my CNA. NO working in depressing nursing homes or anything like that. So I'm interested in being certified quickly and cheaply. As far as I can tell, I already know 85% of what CNA's are required to know- I've talked with a few, and they all say being a CNA is very basic, common sense stuff.

Yes, RN's make a lot of money, but every RN I've ever seen has lost her soul... they're like 4th grade teachers, they burn out very, very quickly and end up fat and bitter before their time. This CNA thing is just something I'm bouncing around in my head, thinking about... testing the waters sort of speak. Thanks for your input guys- shesus, your post in particular was good to hear! Keep the cards and letters coming!

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JustJess

Ah, I understand more where you're heading now!
Yes, an online program would be fine for you, especially since you already have most of the hands-on part down. The hands-on experience is what's going to get you the next job, and the CNA cert is just icing on the cake.

As for RN burn out... you're not entirely wrong, but it's not quite that pervasive. Those people are victims of poorly managed careers, letting themselves stay in soul-deadening places. But that doesn't matter, as this is just a temp thing for you! /end threadjack

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