Healthcare Technology Featured Article

July 09, 2021

How to Manage an Online Healthcare Degree




Online learning is becoming increasingly popular. It makes sense – with more students having access to the internet as well as universities’ desire to reach more students, online degrees seem like the perfect solution. 

As an aspiring healthcare professional, you might consider pursuing an online degree, especially if you need the flexibility or do not live close to a university. While it provides plenty of benefits (including the chance to earn the necessary qualifications), it also brings along some challenges, such as less in-person communication and potential difficulties managing time. Don’t worry, though, as there are some simple methods for managing any online healthcare degree – here they are. 

Consider the Course Options 

Your first mission is to decide which online healthcare course you should pursue. Of course, that means knowing what career you want to be in. Do you want to work as a counselor? A nurse? A surgeon? Once you know your exact direction, then you can browse online degrees. 

If you have an interest in human psychology, an online human services degree is an excellent choice for expanding your knowledge and helping you become a social worker, counselor, or crisis intervention specialist. 

Invest in Fast Internet 

As an online student, your internet speed is everything, so invest in quality high-speed WIFI to ensure your studies never suffer. The last thing you want when in the middle of an online class is for your internet to slow down, resulting in you missing important pieces of information! 

Video Call Your Classmates 

The world of online learning has advanced thanks to recent technology. By video calling your classmates with little interruption, you not only ensure you are keeping up with the work, but you also increase your chances of making friends on your course (which is something many online students fear missing out on). 

So, to make the most out of your online experience, regularly meet up with your classmates via video chat. If you are doing an online human services degree, you could talk about all of your various career destinations, such as psychology, social work, or case management. It will be interesting to see where your classmates are heading! 

Use a Focus-Enhancing Space 

As an online learner, you do not have the benefit of a ready-made classroom to learn in. With the responsibility of creating study space, you must put the effort into ensuring it is as focus-enhancing as possible. To do this, remove distractions, add plenty of light, and invest in comfortable desk furniture. Try to avoid doing anything other than studying/working in this area too, so that when you sit down, your brain knows it is time for study. 

Consider decorating the area with your subject material for an even better learning environment. If you are doing an online human services degree, for example, you could hang up posters explaining different human behaviors and what they mean. 

Study On the Go 

While having a designated study space is crucial for excelling, it is also helpful to study on the go, especially if you have other obligations like family or work. For example, if you have an online exam coming up but you have a full week of work, you should catch up on any reading during your morning commute or your work breaks. By doing this, you ensure you make the most out of any time available, increasing your chances of passing the exams. 

Create a Study Playlist 

One of the biggest problems you might face during your years of online healthcare study is the absence of concentration. This is especially true if you are overworked in other areas of your life! Luckily, there are some simple ways of ensuring your eyes stick to the textbooks, with one of them being a study playlist

For many students, music helps them concentrate, so figure out what sort of genre helps you study best. Classical is a common one but some students work well with other genres, such as jazz. Whatever playlist you create, just make sure it helps you absorb all your online human services degree or online nursing course information. 

Use Your Mentor 

Many online healthcare degrees require you to do a field placement, where you will be assigned a mentor. During this experience, you must make the most of your mentor, as they will be the one person of influence that can guide you in real life. Ask them questions, watch what they do, and take all of their advice on board. If you impress them enough, they may even later recommend you for a job! 

Join Your Local Library 

Libraries are still as important as ever in the twenty-first century. While you can often find the information you need on the web, libraries provide a safe, quiet space to study when your home is too loud. This is especially handy for those with big families, as you can simply go to your local library and enjoy the peace there. Plus, you will likely find plenty of extra reading textbooks to bump up your knowledge and reference list. If you are doing an online human services degree, look in your library’s psychology and sociology section. 

Switch Off Your Phone 

When sat in a classroom, the temptation to take out your phone and check your messages minimizes. After all, doing so would be rude to whoever is teaching. At home, though, you do not have the same presence preventing you from scrolling through social media. It is important to switch off your phone during study sessions. It might be a challenge at first, especially if you are usually glued to it, but it is crucial for your learning. 

Manage Your Time 

As an online healthcare student, it is your responsibility to manage your time, which is not always easy. To make it easier on yourself, create a weekly schedule at the beginning of each week to ensure you get everything done. This is especially crucial for those working alongside their studies. 

If you are simultaneously doing an online human services degree and working a retail job, for example, you will have little time to spare. By scheduling your study hours and including your shifts, though, you will have a better idea of how many hours you can call your own, meaning you will make the most of them when you have them. 

Do the Extra Reading 

If you worry about missing out on any of the learning, one way to ensure you are soaking up as much information as possible is by doing the extra reading. Once you have completed the set reading, ask your tutor if there are other books that they recommend. Not only will this ensure you achieve higher grades on your exams and assignments, but it will also show your professors that you are passionate about your studies. 

If you are doing an online human services degree and you are curious about great psychology books, have a look at this list on Good Reads

Be More Disciplined 

When doing a traditional degree where you enter classrooms, you have the benefit of a schedule you much follow to pass the class. As an online student, however, you get to do everything from home. While this has plenty of benefits, it also makes room for more distractions. When you have four hours of study to do, but you know you can always do it later, you are more likely to push it back. The problem is this could become a habit and you might end up falling behind. 

For this reason, it is important to learn more discipline as an online student. By doing the work when you say you will, you ensure you keep up with your education. Your online human services degree is more important than catching up on the latest Netflix show! 

Buy a Great Computer or Laptop 

As most of your learning will be done from a computer, you must invest in a good one. Like with your internet connection, you must ensure it runs smoothly and quickly so that none of your education is put on hold. Don’t worry – you do not have to spend a ton of cash to reap the benefits of a quality computer, as long as you hunt around for a deal

Schedule Regular Meetings with Your Tutor 

You might think that you will not get the same amount of attention from your tutor as you would in a non-online degree, but you would be wrong. In fact with an online tutor, you will likely be given even more opportunities to schedule meetings, due to the ease of scheduling them online. Whether you are keeping up with the work or falling behind, plan plenty of meetings with your tutor. That way, you will always know where you stand in your studies. 

Take Excellent Study Notes

Your study notes will take you far as long as they are high quality. A scrawled note might help during an online class but later when you need to revise what you have learned, it will only serve as something for the wastepaper basket. 

To make studying easier on yourself, focus on improving your note-taking skills. It might take a little longer to write down while you are in an online human services degree class, but it will save you lots of grief in the future. Remember – the best notes are those that simplify great chunks of text, so keep them as succinct as possible so you can go over the information quickly. 

Give Yourself Enough Down Time 

While it is important to put plenty of effort into your online degree, you should also give yourself time to rest. After all, it is difficult to concentrate when you are overworked. If the pages ever turn blurry because your eyes are tired or your brain refuses to take in any more information, it is time to put the books down. Your wellbeing is just as important as your grades! 

What are the Benefits?

With the challenges that come with doing an online healthcare degree, you might wonder if it is worth it at all. The good news? It is. If you need convincing, here are some of the great benefits:

You Can Work Around It 

If you have a day job, there is no reason to quit it for your online healthcare degree, as the online degree allows plenty of flexibility. It means you do not have to sacrifice your earnings for education! 

Less Time Spent Travelling 

Time is precious to most people. If it is to you, then an online healthcare degree is perfect, as you will save plenty of it. Rather than spending hours traveling to and from a university, you can do all your studying from home. 

Fewer Costs 

Many people avoid going to university because they cannot afford it. Luckily, online degrees are often cheaper than traditional degrees, making it easier for you to pay your way through education. Plus, you will also save money on traveling as you’ll be studying from home. 

The Number of Options 

Due to the fact you do not have to travel to do an online degree, there are far more options out there. Want to do an online human services degree but no university nearby offers it? That’s OK, as you can do it all from the comfort of your home. 

Work At Your Own Pace 

Some people dislike classroom learning because it is either too fast or too slow. When learning from home, you do not have that issue – you can go at your own pace. If you need to spend over an hour on a single page because you cannot grasp it as quickly as other people, then you can! If you would prefer to rush through the parts that you find too easy, then you are free to do it. It makes your education more tailored to you. 

Choose Your Learning Environment 

One of the best things about doing an online healthcare degree is that you can choose where you learn. Whether you like to learn in your home office, in a café, or a park, it does not matter – you decide. 

While online healthcare degrees come with their challenges, there is no denying that they provide lots of aspiring healthcare professionals with the chance to pursue their dreams.



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