A class for becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is not that difficult to pursue in these days of advanced information technology. The rapid development has made it possible to pursue the programs from home as online classes.
If you are thinking to start your career as a nursing assistant but reluctant to go back to school, then the option of pursuing online classes is the right option for you. You don’t need to travel to school and get adjusted to the environment, but a computer with an internet connection can be the tutor for you.
CNA online programs have many advantages and disadvantages. In this article we are going to discuss each of them, one should decide how to take CNA classes purely on the basis of convenience and other relevant factors.
Pros of CNA Online Classes
The online classes not only help you to avoid the crowded classes and their misleading learning schedule but also have other advantages, Some of them are mentioned below.
Flexible Learning Schedule
The first and the biggest advantage of the online CNA classes is its flexible learning schedule. The learning schedules offered by these online classes are according to your convenience.
You can set your learning hours in the evening, in the morning, on weekends, and even during the holidays.
In addition to that, according to your availability and convenience, you can also join discussion forums, chats, and other such platforms helping to excel in the study.
These flexible learning schedules help you to study while continuing your work and thus it is becoming popular among working adults.
Flexible Payment System
Unlike traditional classes, online classes don’t ask you to pay the tuition fee at once, rather according to the payment mode you choose, you can pay on an instalment basis.
For example, if your total fee is 500 USD and your payment mode is a credit card, then the online school will deduct a certain amount from your credit card on monthly basis making the whole amount paid by the end of the class.
This allows lessening the economic burden of study and you don’t have to think to pay a lump-sum amount at once.
Extra Classes and Mock Tests
Through online classes, there always remains the opportunity of excelling in your study.
The internet itself is the vast resource comprising various learning material and only in online classes, you can get the mock test session helping you to prepare better for certification exams.
What can be a better idea other than preparing a certification test by doing mock tests?
Specialized Classes
If you wish to work as a specialized nursing assistant then online classes offer you specialization along with the routine training; specializations will help you in drawing higher salaries.
The basic responsibilities of nurse aides will not change but with specialization, you will have additional responsibilities as you will work in settings such as Long Term Care (LTC), Pediatrics, or Psychiatry.
Some of the specializations are as follows:
- Cardiology – You will work with facilities treating patients on heart disease
- Psychiatry – You will have to work under a psychiatrist in the mental department of hospitals
- Pediatrics – Work in child care facilities
- Geriatrics – Help the elderly people
- Long Term Care – Assist patients who need a long time to cure their diseases in LTC
The above-mentioned advantages are some of them. As you enrol in an online class, you can get more advantages. A study going parallel with work is a big plus point for earning adults, but it also requires hard work and dedication to get good grades.
Cons of CNA Online Classes
Getting an education on the desired subject has become much easier these days. The evolution of online education or say distance education that allows us to study from home had changed the methods of learning dramatically.
Nowadays, almost every university and college are available on the internet to provide distance education, and many students, especially those who can’t go back to school for continuing their educations, have been benefited.
There are many advantages to online schools; however, there are some drawbacks as well. If you are thinking to join an online school for becoming a CNA, then you must be aware of the drawbacks of such classes mentioned below.
Not Reliable Enough
The greatest disadvantage of online classes can be its non-reliability: The students should check out well for the reliability of the respective online course, for it can be deceiving. Online courses are hands-off training, but they cannot be beneficial as in case of hands-on training: Hands-on training gives the actual clinical work experience, while hands-off training fails to give the same.
Interactions with Professors
Since most of the online training classes follow the asynchronous process, the chances of having direct one to one interaction with professors and instructors become rare.
Some online classes may offer to provide chat discussion and other such forums for such interactions in certain time intervals but it cannot be guaranteed that those online interactions will be as helpful as the interactions have done at on-campus training.
The Correctness of Course Materials
It cannot be guaranteed that all the information and course materials provided by online training programs are correct. They can be misleading at times.
You can see a lot of online training programs following different course materials for the same course and chapters. It is also found that the websites may not be updating their study materials according to the amendment in state curricula.
Poor Performance
The majority of the trainees of the online classes are found giving a poor performance at certification exams.
Compared to the trainees of on-campus training, the trainees of online programs are provided with fewer chances of real interactions with professors and even with other classmates which subsequently results to land up with poorer performances.
Almost seventy per cent of online classes’ trainees fail to give better performance in certification exams that can harm their career ahead.
Bad Job Market
Many of the professional medical and health care institutions do not tend to consider those students who have accomplished their certified nurse aide training online, for the jobs available at their facility. Those students who have completed certified nursing aide classes through accredited schools or facilities are always preferred over those who have completed the classes online, for placement after certified nurse assistant certification
Your decision on the mode of the study should be well focused on getting a good grade. Deciding on learning structure is not so easy and if you are still struggling to decide upon the classes’ options to choose for your CNA programs, then you should consider the aforementioned points while thinking upon the merits. The online classes, of course, have many advantages and can be a good option for learning only if you can overcome its drawbacks for better learning.