Medical assistants work closely with other healthcare personnel to handle a variety of tasks. These might include anything from answering the office phone and making appointments to obtaining patient vital signs and setting up the examination room for certain procedures. Those who want to jump right into the job will benefit from a diploma or certificate, usually completed in less than one year; those who want to expand their horizons can go for the associate degree, which provides a potential stepping stone to a higher degree in the future.
The pharmacy technician assists the pharmacist by verifying and preparing prescriptions, dispensing prescriptions to patients, handling customer service and more. To that end, students can expect courses that focus on medication safety, pharmacology, and measurements and calculations.
Nurses work directly with everyday patient care. They might work anywhere from walk-in clinics to offices of physicians to emergency rooms, trauma centers, schools and nursing homes. Options for qualified nurses are booming, with 16 percent job growth through , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nursing support occupations, such as that of orderly or nursing assistant, are growing just as quickly. The vast majority of these occupations begin with a diploma, certificate or two-year degree. Training to become a certified nursing assistant usually takes less than six months of intense study.
A strong mix of classroom and hands-on training is a must, and all programs prepare students to hit the ground running upon graduation.
Students can expect to learn the fundamentals of caregiving, including taking vital signs, assisting with movement, feeding and dressing, and in some areas, learning how to properly administer basic medications. Becoming a registered nurse requires a great deal of hands-on experience under the watchful eye of experienced supervisors.
However, some classes can be taken online, especially for those who plan to enter a support position before furthering their education to become a registered nurse.
Students can expect that some classroom-suitable courses, such as lecture courses, will be available entirely online, but that many courses will require in-person education in a healthcare setting.
Since most technology careers have a strong focus on computers, it makes sense that several technology certificates, diplomas or degrees can be earned through strictly online means.
In some cases, a student never has to set foot in a classroom or perform hands-on training, which makes technology programs particular appealing to those who have extremely full schedules.
Those who want to jump into the world of information technology can do so through online schools and programs, where they should expect to learn the fundamentals of IT. These include introduction to various programming languages, spreadsheets and databases, security, warehousing, system development and much more. In some cases, an associate degree in IT can be earned entirely online. Potential jobs include support clerk, computer technicians and applications programmers.
Web developers design and develop websites and associated applications. Just as with IT programs, web development programs can often be completed entirely online. Students can opt for a diploma, certificate or associate degree to get the basics down, then go further with specializations that target a particular area of web development and design. The Internet changes by the hour, which means that web developers are always learning — the pursuit of a certificate or diploma in a specialized area will continue on a regular basis throughout the career.
Those who enter the skilled trades are signing up for a lifetime of rewarding, hands-on work. Though skilled trades require a significant hands-on component in order to fulfill educational requirements, students might be surprised to find just how many courses can be taken entirely online. This often serves students well, because they can take online classes during their downtime while still focusing on working in their chosen profession, thus building up that vital hands-on experience.
Online courses can teach aspiring contractors about financing, design, cost estimating, green building, leadership skills and more. The hands-on component is very important, and usually consists of work on a construction site. Those who want to specialize in a particular area can seek out a certificate or diploma that enhances their resume. Flip a switch and the light comes on? Thank an electrician for that.
Electricians might work in homes or businesses, or might work outside on the lines themselves, helping ensure the power is on for millions of people every day.
In addition to the obviously heavy hands-on component of the job, electricians must also have an in-depth, working knowledge of electrical codes and safety rules. They must stay up-to-date on materials, designing of systems and more. Electricians can learn what they need to know through both hands-on experience and online classes that focus on rules, codes, design, theory and the like.
Online study has seen a boom in recent years, thanks to ever-growing plans by colleges, vocational schools and other institutions to make online education much more accessible.
There are a few tools that make it all possible. From robust management systems to working agreements with local facilities, more online vocational studies are possible than ever before. Online learning platforms, such as Blackboard or WebCampus, are dedicated to a smooth educational experience for all users. The systems include discussion boards, chat rooms, instructions for submitting assignments, video streaming of lectures and more.
Online education loses its luster if classes must be attended at a certain time, because most students need more flexibility. Asynchronous learning is the solution. Asynchronous courses allow students to explore the coursework, watch lectures, and complete homework at whatever time is most convenient for them, with milestones in place to keep them on track for graduation.
Students who opt for online courses might find all their textbooks and other informational materials on the Internet. However, some schools understand that having a physical textbook in the field can be helpful, so they will send books and other information in hard copy as well.
Anyone who has solid internet access and an up-to-date computer can take online classes. Sometimes other technology is required, such as a webcam or chat programs that can be downloaded for free. Each class will provide a list of technology requirements. Most vocational careers require a wealth of hands-on experience before a person is considered adequately trained for the job. Online programs facilitate the hands-on experience through arrangements with local employers or facilities, which then allow students to complete their required training and approve the completed work.
Just as financial aid is available for students who attend traditional schools, online students are eligible for the same — provided that the school they attend is accredited. Federal financial aid, aid on the state level, scholarships and grants are all available for those who seek them out. Scholarships are offered by a wide array of organizations, companies, civic organizations and even small businesses. Some scholarships require students to meet specific criteria, such as a certain grade point average or extracurricular interest.
Applications for scholarships should be submitted well ahead of the school enrollment deadline so students have a better idea of how much of an award, if any, they will receive. These scholarships are examples of what is available for students who intend to pursue an online program in vocational studies. Federal financial aid is provided on the federal level for students who meet certain criteria for need.
One of the key benefits of online education is the flexibility. Students who are unable to sit in a classroom at appointed times often find that online schools allow them to achieve their educational goals without putting the rest of their lives on hold. Here are a few groups of students that greatly benefit from the online school option.
Those who have chosen to serve our country have numerous responsibilities, and their work comes first — if someone in the military is deployed in the middle of a semester, for instance, their studies may take a backseat.
With online schools, however, those in the military may still be able to complete their studies and stay on track. Those who work rotating shifts, even if they work part-time, might have a great deal of trouble making it to all the classes required by a traditional school. Through online learning, a student can attend school from anywhere, and they can complete their education in a way that makes life much easier for them. But by taking courses online, students can fit the educational pursuit in during those hours when they have some down time — thus keeping their job and their education on the right track.
Students who live in remote areas might find that driving to school every day is quite the challenge, and public transportation is probably not available to them. Those who live in remote areas can attend class online as long as they have a good internet connection.
Programs that require a hands-on component can be arranged with local facilities, so students can complete their work even if they are in the middle of nowhere. Those who have children often turn to online education to pursue their dreams.
The pivot to distance learning has exacerbated equity issues among the American student body. Where students are located also presents connectivity issues, with kids in rural areas unable to connect to mobile hotspots and cellular service from their homes. Even when there is stable coverage, some families simply lack the laptops, tablets, or other devices required to log online.
In the days leading to citywide school closures in New York City, Brooklyn-based language arts teacher Simone Rowe said she and her peers rushed to identify students who did not have access to Wi-Fi or laptops at home. Though they were able to lend more than laptops to students, they still struggled with making sure students could sign on and teach themselves the necessary digital classroom software to access learning materials.
Even with her school providing devices, Bay Area high school science teacher Allie Sherman says that class attendance has dropped to 60 percent since the move to distance learning.
Many of the students are sharing devices with several siblings, including ones home from college, along with parents trying to do full time work at home on limited internet bandwidth. Broadband access has been an American problem long before the pandemic, with limited competition, high prices, slow speeds, and a simple lack of coverage affecting communities nationwide. About one-quarter of Americans lack broadband internet service at home, and that gap disproportionately affects those with lower incomes and education.
Access also largely affects those living in rural areas of the country where little to no broadband coverage is available, making these households less likely to have multiple devices to go online.
For Rowe, that digital divide means some students have been completely out of touch. In the past, she says her school would make house visits to students who are logged as absent for more than a week. Sometimes the efforts lead to phone numbers of guardians who kids have been temporarily placed with while their parents continue to work government-approved essential jobs. Some kids take all of their classes online. Other kids take some classes online and some at a brick-and-mortar school.
Some kids with learning and thinking differences may thrive in online classes. But some kids may not get the support they need to succeed in online schools and blended learning programs.
Learn more about these alternatives to traditional schools—and what you need to know before deciding to enroll. Online schools have virtual classes that students can take from home or a library or a coffee shop or anywhere else that has an Internet connection.
The teachers work remotely and have a structured curriculum for their online students to follow. Some kids take only one or two fully online classes. Other kids take all of their classes online. Online learning is sometimes called distance learning. You may also hear online schools referred to as virtual schools or cyber schools. Online classes and full-time online schools are often provided by local school districts, charter schools and state education agencies.
There are also some private online schools. Online schools can be a good fit for some kids with learning and thinking differences. Getting to choose which online classes to take may be especially helpful for twice-exceptional students who are bored by the course offerings at their brick-and-mortar school.
But not all students have the structure or supports they need to complete their online courses. High school students who take all of their classes online are less likely to graduate in four years. Fully online students graduate on time at nearly half the rate of all public school students.
More than half of all high schools offer classes that are taught entirely online, according to a survey released in by the National Center for Education Statistics NCES. Online-only classes are less common in grade schools and middle schools.
Nationwide, 21 percent of all public schools offered at least one virtual class in —, according to the NCES survey. Online public schools have to follow the same laws as charter schools and traditional public schools.
This includes following the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This can lead to kids falling through the cracks. Get details on what the school does to help keep struggling students from falling further behind.
Kids who go to online school full-time are supposed to spend several hours a day in front of a computer. Online courses may have some offline activities like filling out worksheets or doing science experiments.
There may be some group activities too. For example, online high school students might use a Google doc to work together on a group project.
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