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Hospital Nursing Programs: Traditional Diploma

Why Study Nursing Online ?

With many baby boomers retiring, there is a large nurse shortage growing by the day. The demand for nurses will create over a million new jobs, and is already lifting nursing wages. Studying nursing online allows you to improve your career and salary with flexible hours that work around your current schedule.

TOP ONLINE COLLEGES

University of Phoenix - - Certificates, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, & Doctoral Degrees. Known as the leader in the online education space, U of P offers flexible online courses that help you work around your career.

Kaplan University - Certificates, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's Degrees. As one of the biggest names in education, Kaplan has taken their coursework and testing expertise and applied them to online courses, making degrees available in as little as 12 months.

Capella University - Bachelor's, Master's, & Doctoral Degrees. Capella is known for offering a wide array of graduate level online nursing programs.

Walden University - Master's and Doctoral Degrees. Walden specializes in post-graduate learning, offering a variety of Master's level education programs.

Three degree tracks to a nursing career remain popular and the diploma is one of them. Despite the decrease in nursing diploma programs, those still operational are booked solid with students. In fact the traditional nurse’s education was a diploma-styled hospital-based program.

How Is a Nursing Diploma Different?

A nursing diploma degree is usually a one to three-year course of study, depending upon the institution, which prepares a student nurse for entry-level nursing positions. Curriculum covers prerequisite courses prior to the start of the nursing coursework, the nursing-specific courses include:

clinical practice
basic pharmacology
nursing informatics
elements of patient care
introduction to patient care specialties
psych nursing
lifespan nursing concepts (infant, child, adult, family, geriatric)
psychology/sociology
and much more

Advantages to Diploma Program

Because a diploma program is hospital-based the emphasis in most cases is on patient or clinical practice and care. Keep this in mind when you’re shopping for a school. You will spend a great deal of time working in a position as nurse or nursing assistant while you earn your degree.

A common misconception is that the nursing diploma is somehow subordinate to an Associates degree or doesn’t carry similar weight. Again the institution determines the scope of the study, from one to three years, but in most cases you are adequately prepared and urged to take the NCLEX licensure exam for your Registered Nurse license at the completion of the degree program. AND you’re ready to hit the ground running in a variety of patient care settings as a working and skillful RN.

Admission to a Hospital-Based Diploma Program

The Nursing Diploma programs all have admissions practices not too unlike those of a traditional school. You may visit, contact Admissions advisors, ask questions, and complete an application just like any other school.

Paying for a Nursing Diploma Program

The Admissions and Financial Aid personnel attached to your school will have information relative to the options they extend. Use whatever federal aid you can. Chances are good the school will have a few student loan options, and scholarships that you may apply for, both need- and merit-based.