Congratulations to Nicole who graduated from the Psychiatric Nursing Program! We thank her for her hard work on the blog and wish her the best of luck in her new career. Questions and comments will now be disabled. Please watch out for a new Psychiatric Nursing Student Blogger in the near future!
Hi Everyone!
Semester 2 is wrapping up for my cohort, and we are all ready to have a little break! It has definitely been challenging balancing five full-time courses, and for seven weeks, practicum as well. Most of us have jobs, families, and other aspects of our lives to fit into our already busy schedules, so school definitely requires a huge commitment!
The main reason I chose distance education was because it allows me to keep work and family/social life amongst my priorities. I take school seriously, but I also consider my jobs and my family and friends very important. Distance education lets me donate a bit of time to everything that matters in my life. I love not having to go into a classroom for eight hours a day, five days a week. The other day, I took my textbooks to the beach! That sort of thing is just not possible when you’re in a classroom all day.
I was a bit concerned when I first started the program about how isolated I would feel throughout this online learning process. During our orientation weekend back in October, we were connected with people from our area, and I became fast friends with one of the girls in my cohort. We talk just about every day, and provide each other with support when we’re feeling stressed, and school help when one of us needs it. Having practicum also really helped to connect me with other people in my program. Although practicum is over for this semester, I have made more friends along the way who I keep in touch with regularly, which is great!
Online learning is not for everyone, but it is a great choice for people who are willing to make a serious commitment to their studies, and do not rely on the process of getting up each day and going to class. One disadvantage that I can think of is the fact that it sometimes becomes quite tedious to do so much work on the computer. A method I use to try and get off the computer a bit is at the beginning of each week, I print out my homework instructions from the teachers, and do quite a bit of work the good old fashioned pen-to-paper way! Once I have completed my textbook readings, picked out necessary quotes and jotted down some points, then I go on my computer and start typing.
Distance education is becoming increasingly popular, and for good reasons! I feel so lucky to be able to keep my jobs at the hospital in Penticton, spend time with family, and see my friends, all while getting a great education. It is definitely something for people to consider and it is doable! There is some skepticism around online learning because people worry that they will not have the motivation to get the work done on their own at home. I will tell you all that it is absolutely possible. If you are passionate about what you are studying, you can do it!
