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Online programs like those offered at SUNY at Stony Brook provide an alternative for RNs seeking higher education without disrupting their lives.

Distance learning is a contradictory term. Whether the school is nearby or far away, the classroom is literally at your fingertips. When Matthew Massaro, RN, MSN, NP, assistant director of nursing, neonatal ICU, at Stony Brook University Hospital, decided to pursue an advanced degree to become a neonatology nurse practitioner (NP), he had two alternatives — he could commute to take classes in a traditional program, or he could travel no distance at all and enroll in the distance-learning program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. “There are not many NP programs in neonatology, and I had heard good things about the program at Stony Brook,” Massaro explains. “However, they offered neonatology only in the distance program.” So, without traveling a distance, Massaro remained close to his place of employment, close to his home (and his wife and children), and graduated this year with a master’s degree from a long-distance program that was almost next door.

Distance was the deciding factor for another graduate of the Stony Brook program. “I live in upstate New York, and when I did my BSN program, I drove two hours each way to class, two to three nights a week,” explains Susan Walsh, RN, MS, FNP-C, an NP with the Veterans Medical Center in Bath, N.Y. “I wasn’t ready to do that again.” After checking out several graduate programs, Walsh eliminated the need to travel by enrolling in the Family Health Distance Learning Program offered at Stony Brook. “I was impressed with the longevity of the program and the credentialing of the faculty,” she says. “Stony Brook’s School of Nursing has a very good reputation.”

Jennifer Burfield, RN, BSN, CDN, the charge nurse in dialysis services at Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira, N.Y., has just finished her first semester in the same long-distance program. Prior to enrolling, she also faced a two-hour commute to the nearest family NP program. “I heard about Stony Brook’s program from one of my patients whose daughter went there,” Burfield says. “I had had some previous experience with online classes — some of which didn’t turn out so well — so I went into this with many reservations. I knew it would be better for me not to have to commute, but I wondered whether I would get the kind of education and experience I was looking for.”

Why distance learning?

According to Pat Bruckenthal, RN, PhD, ANP, clinical assistant professor at Stony Brook, the distance-learning program in the School of Nursing at Stony Brook began in 1993 as a program for nurse-midwives, with funding from the N.Y. State Department of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “From there we added graduate programs to train NPs in adult, child, family, neonatal, perinatal, and community/mental health,” she says. The program also offers post-master certificates and, for the past five years, has offered an RN-to-BSN program.

The diversity of the student body would challenge most international studies programs, with students from throughout the U.S. and the world, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Hong Kong, and Germany. “Students from foreign countries are either from that particular country or may be U.S. students who are there living, working, or serving in the military,” Bruckenthal says. “Because we are one of the few schools that offer a neonatology program, we get many students from Canada for this particular program.”

Geography, however, isn’t the only consideration for students choosing a distance-learning program. These programs also offer flexibility, which is ideal for many students with demanding schedules. “A program like this is extremely flexible,” says Massaro. “You don’t have to drive to class, and you can do the work at any time.”

But with that freedom, comes the biggest challenge of distance learning — staying on task. The program helps by providing an outline of the course and requiring weekly assignments that are completed in groups with a faculty member. “The assignment reflects the weekly lecture and may include a worksheet or clinical task,” says Bruckenthal. But students must still be careful not to fall behind. “You have to be extremely disciplined,” Massaro adds. “It is too easy to blow it off by doing something else at home. You don’t have those little reminders to get your work done that you have in the traditional classroom setting.” And because the students are completing classroom work at home, it may be necessary to set boundaries for family members. “There were some conflicts initially with trying to work at home, but we worked it out,” says Walsh, who had teenage children at home while going through the course. Massaro says that he couldn’t have done it without his wife’s help. “If she knew I had work due, she would get the kids out of the house, or I’d go to the library,” he says. “This is a grueling, vigorous program with an intensive amount of work. It would be hard to do it without the support at home.”

Long-distance groups

To navigate through the coursework and develop an atmosphere of sharing and support, students in the distance-learning program must establish study or work groups. “The students come to the campus at the beginning of the program for a three-day orientation,” Bruckenthal explains. “They take a one-credit course on computer use, learn how to use the computer program, and meet the faculty. They sign up for courses, and they divide into the groups that they will work with to complete assignments.” For many students this can be a considerable concern. “I was really worried about the use of these groups,” says Walsh. “I couldn’t imagine how we would work together. Would I be able to rely on them? Would they care about the program as much as I would? Could I trust them to carry their share of the work?” Walsh, like most of the students in the program, found that her fears were unfounded. “It was an excellent experience,” she says. “Everyone worked together beautifully, everyone contributed, and everyone completed their assignments on time and expertly.”

Although she is only one semester into the program, Burfield has had the same experience. “The group work has been incredibly easy,” she reports. “Everyone in my group has the same commitment to excellence. We have varied backgrounds, diverse work experiences, and different family responsibilities, but what we share is a desire to do well.” Burfield believes that this commitment stems from the example of the faculty. “They use their knowledge and experience as nurses and pass on that culture of caring,” she says. “I feel like they definitely have a vested interest in me.”

Clinical hours for each program are determined by the certifying organization. “The students tap into clinical sites in their geographic locations,” explains Bruckenthal. “They may work with physicians, NPs, or physician assistants, but we want them to have at least one rotation with an NP. Once the student finds a preceptor, our clinical placement department does the legal paperwork.” Through the program alumni, the school has developed a database of potential preceptors whom students can access. “I had no trouble finding preceptors in my area,” says Walsh, “The reputation of Stony Brook’s program certainly helped.”

What you need to know

Long-distance learning is not easy. “You have to be the right type of student,” Bruckenthal asserts. “You have to be self-motivated, organized, and focused. You must be able to set aside time to do the work, and your family has to understand your commitment.” The graduates agree. “This program is not for everyone,” says Walsh. “You must be mature and self-motivated, and be able to complete your assignments on time.” Massaro says that students truly have to want to succeed. “I have always been the student who sits in the front seat and asks the questions,” he says. “I relied on that instant feedback from my professors, so I had reservations about going into this program. The group study aspect is definitely a positive experience; it reflects the real world and what we’ll be doing as NPs — collaborating with members of the health care team. The group work helps you to develop trust.”

For distance-learning students who stick with the program, the pass rates for the certifying exams at Stony Brook are the same as for those in traditional programs, and by doing their clinical work in their own geographic locale, they have the opportunity to make important connections for future career opportunities.

Communication

Can communication work when students and professors are linked only through their Internet connections? It not only works, but it often works better. Having served on an AACN task force on distance technology and nursing education, Kathleen Potempa, dean of the School of Nursing at Oregon Health Sciences University, writes that distance education “Fundamentally changes the relationships between student and faculty, student and school. Once content is modularized and paced, activities determined, and the curriculum set, the teacher becomes the coach, rather than the ‘sage on stage.’”¹

Surprisingly, distance learning is not easier than traditional classroom learning. Most likely, it is harder. It requires a great amount of self-discipline, understanding friends and family, some computer knowledge, and a reliable Internet connection. But for these graduates, who were willing to try, the challenges of distance learning were worth the effort. The rapport with their professors, the support system with their fellow students, and their own growth as self-learners, provided an education that was unlike any they’d experienced. Jennifer Burfield is eager to continue. “I am so excited about where I can go with this,” she says. “I am ready to embrace the whole adventure.”

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Carol Nelke Dunbar, APRN, is a contributing writer for Nursing Spectrum.

Reference

1. Distance learning is changing and challenging nursing education. Available at: AACN Issue Bulletin (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Publications/issues/jan2000.htm), January 2000. Accessed 07/25/2005.