Worth a shot: Aspiring nurses explore Panola College's online program
Longview News Journal
Sunday, March 25, 2007
CARTHAGE — Panola College's FLEX online nursing program is not for everyone wanting to get an associate's degree in nursing, according to Dr. Barbara Cordell.
But for prospective nurses, like Scott Illingworth, 27, who need the flexibility of fitting course schedules around their need to earn a living while taking care of family responsibilities, the program could be the path to a new career, said Cordell, director of Panola College's associate degree nursing program. The program is for those who are highly disciplined and self-directed, she said
Illingworth of DeBerry in Panola County said without the flexibility of a program like the one at Panola College, his dream of a career in health care as a nurse likely would not have been reached. He is one of six students scheduled to graduate from the first FLEX class in August.
"It's been a godsend. It's really the only way I could have ever gotten my nursing degree," he said. Married with two children, Illingworth said he would not have been able to leave his responsibilities as father and provider behind.
He works full-time as a lineman for BellSouth in the Shreveport area. While he is on the home stretch of nearly completing the program, Illingworth said even with the flexibility of Panola College online program, there has been plenty of sacrifice.
"There have been lots of nights when I stayed up late studying, missing sleep," he said. "Then there are the times you want to be with your wife and kids but you can't."
Once he graduates, Illingworth is hoping to get a job in the Dallas area, perhaps with the Baylor Medical Center intensive care unit, so he can continue his nursing education by pursuing a masters degree.
He would like to eventually be a nurse anesthesiologist. Illingworth said upon graduation from Panola College this summer, his salary as a beginning nurse will likely be comparable to what he is making now. But the long-term picture for improving his salary situation after earning a masters degree should put him above the $100,000 a year salary range, he said.
Cordell said the program is ready to accept self-directed students who need the flexibility of such a program for the start of a new session. The college's FLEX program stands out in the state for the way it allows students to meet their educational and career objectives.
"When looking at nursing programs in Texas, most were Monday through Friday, eight to five," Cordell said. She was finding many prospective students could not take a traditional route to a career in nursing because of family and work responsibilities.
Panola College officials came up with the idea for the online training and kicked off the first class in 2005. That group of six is scheduled to graduate in August.
"After that we hope to start a new class again," Cordell said. The degree program, one of the first of its kind in the nation, allows nursing students to earn their degree while continuing to work full time.
The curriculum combines online classes with clinical experience at night and on weekends. Students who complete the program will earn their associate degree and be ready to take the National Council Licensure Examination to become registered nurses, Cordell said.
"Students in this program need to be very independent and be a self-directed learner," she said. "The traditional full-time program for nursing has not been very flexible for those who need to continue working full time."
Another advantage of the FLEX online program is that it is designed to be completed in 18 months instead of the 24 months it takes to get an associate's degree in nursing at Panola College.
In the FLEX program, nursing students take one course during an eight- week period allowing them to focus only on that one topic. There is a two- week break between sessions, and the classes include work during the summer months — which allows the program to be completed in the 18-month period, Cordell said. Because students in the program must be self-motivated, self-directed and highly organized, Panola College set higher standards for entry into this program than the regular nursing degree plan. Students in the FLEX Option must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average and must score an 85 on the entrance exam, Cordell said.
They must also have access to a computer with high-speed Internet access.
Not everything will be done online, though. Clinicals will be face-to-face during the semester and usually held evenings and weekends. All major tests will be done face-to-face.
Textbooks for the classes are either on a compact disc or computer chip the students can take with them for study wherever they go using a laptop or PDA, Cordell said. She added from the instructors' point of view the online FLEX courses take more advance preparation.
"But our instructors love the program and the type of motivated students we get," she said.
Call the Panola College Associate Degree Nursing Department at (903) 694-4000 or go to www.panola.edu and navigate to the nursing department page.
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