The article ‘Online learning: anywhere anytime education for specialist nursing (Bromley, P., 2010)’ is a critical analysis if the American Nurses of College Association views in 1999 which suggested that nurse education would require a review in the next decade. This, according to the Association, would be occasioned by the need to have nurses who could manage information and technology while incorporating it with the complicated clinical judgment that define their profession on a daily basis. The article analyses this prediction from a point of view that the association had rightly predicted how the nursing career would change over time. The article analyses the challenges that nurses undergo during their service delivery. It then does a comparison of the scenario with the emerging need for increased education that would call for continued education while working. According to the article, online learning is the only effective method that can be applied in this scenario without compromising health care quality or deterring the nurses from lifelong learning. The article conducts an in-depth analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of online learning together with all issues around the issue. It further articulates that to facilitate easy learning for nurses, electronic resources, technical support and facilitation will be crucial.
Opinion-wise, lifelong education for nurses is a crucial requirement considering the contemporary world we live today. The emergence of a rapidly growing and innovative technological era calls for adaptation to new methods of service in all sectors of life. Sometimes the changes are so overwhelming that when implemented in the workplace, they prove a big challenge. Healthcare is a field that is extremely sensitive. According to Roberts, Brannan and White, offering the nurses a chance to further their knowledge while considering their aspects of their professional and family life should be a priority for all stakeholders involved. The flexibility of online learning when all required infrastructure is in place is the perfect platform to facilitate lifelong learning for nurses (Bromley, P., 2010).
While this has been seen as a step towards a new dawn, there have been contradicting issues regarding the quality of health care. Most issues have been grounded on the view that online learning creates a distance between the teacher and the student which. This view considers that the clinical expertise is not just about learning but also relating with the teacher and fellow students. This concern is legitimate in some way. However, it is important to consider that nurses who engage in online learning are involved in a working environment, and they can directly implement the knowledge gained through online resources at the workplace at an instant. Further, online learning helps the nurses view the teacher as a facilitator rather than an instructor. Biggs and Tang suggest that with such a platform, they can engage with them in a professional manner to acquire practical and relevant knowledge from them. The traditional method of learning imposes the teacher as an instructor thus offering little chance of practical learning which is crucial in healthcare (Bromley, P., 2010).
The need to move away from the traditionally didactic methods of learning perceived as passive is the motivation behind online nursing education. Similarly, the emerging technologies require that all professionals are well versed with the current trends. To improve healthcare, autonomy in learning in learning is key. Developing the infrastructure to facilitate this should be made a priority so that there is no compromise on quality of health care. Despite the concerns in regard to online learning, the research-based evidence from the article suggests that the associated benefits outweigh the risks. However, these concerns cannot be assumed to have no effect on the health care. In this regards, more research concerning not just the relevance of the concerns but also the practical solutions to these concerns needs to be conducted. This will in one way or another quality of healthcare.
References
Bromley, P. (2010). Online learning: anywhere anytime education for specialist nursing. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 13(3), 2-6. doi:1441-6638
Browne, M. N., & Keeley, S. M. (2001). English on the Internet: Evaluating online resources. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
