Benefits of Online LPN Training
Becoming an LPN has always been a rather straightforward process, however, with the advent of many accredited online LPN programs designed to help out those with existing full time jobs, or who have family obligations. While online training makes things easier for prospective nurses without much time, online LPN training also has several disadvantages as well.
Let’s first get into the benefits however. For starters, online LPN programs allow students to study and take tests online in a self paced manner, which offers extreme flexibility. Students decide when they study, how long they can study, and when they are ready to take the tests. However, not everyone has the discipline necessary to carry out a responsibility like that. Students must possess a high level of discipline. And if you’re already an LPN, there are several LPN to RN programs available.
Benefits of Online LPN Programs
- Students control their time and can study whenever they want, and how long you can study each day.
- Typically, online programs are much less expensive than physical classes.
- Flexibility. These courses allow you to decide where and when to take your exam courses. You can also keep your day job if you have one, to continue paying the bills, while working to get ahead at night.
- Location – It doesn’t matter where you study, I’ve studied in coffee shops, my home office, at friends houses, in the library, anywhere with an internet connection basically.
Of course, nothing is perfect, and online LPN programs have their fair share of disadvantages.
Here are several of the more obvious drawbacks to these flexible programs that most people haven’t even considered:
- There is a lack of student teacher interaction. Even though email and video is great, there’s nothing like one on one interaction, especially for those students that need after office hours help.
- As with the lack of teacher interaction, students don’t have an interaction with other students, study groups, and the like. While many students enjoy studying on their own, most students like to have study partners or groups and feel this is more effective for learning. This is not possible through online LPN programs.
- There is a delayed response when you have questions that need answering. Email of course is not real time communication, so having to wait for a teacher to respond is a real drag.
In conclusion, online LPN programs are great for the highly motivated individual who just has a lot going on with their schedule and needs the flexibility, but it’s not for everyone.
The good news is that these programs are relatively short, allowing students to get jobs and earning a generous LPN salary within mere months, as opposed to 4 years like a registered nurse.
