The health care industry is changing and one education system doesn’t fit all.  People can now have access to online courses and distance education taught by leading universities and higher education providers around the country.  Courses such as nursing, public health and health promotion can now be taught online.

Health care is by far one of the fastest growing industries out there and anyone choosing to enter health care is essentially future-proofing their career.  The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects meteoric growth at 22 percent through 2016.  That is twice the average for nearly all other industries.

In health care, your salary depends almost entirely upon education and training and an online education is often becoming the solution of choice for many people.  In the health care field, obtaining an online degree is now easier and faster than the more conventional means of attending a university or a registered training organisation.  For this reason, students are now flocking to online learning courses.  There are currently over 4 million students enrolled in online schools and universities and this number is growing by 30% per year.

So what is causing this evolution in health care training and why is it that students like online learning so much?  To answer this, it is important to understand the benefits of online training:

• Students can attend a course at any time, from anywhere.
• Online learning enables student-centred teaching approaches because every student has their own way of learning that works best for them.
• Course material is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• In an online environment, it increases student interaction and the diversity of opinion because everyone gets a say, not just the most talkative.
• Online instructors allow students to be exposed to knowledge that can’t be learned in books because the practical knowledge may be from any location around the globe.
• Using the internet to attend class, research information and communication with other students teaches skills in using technologies.
• Participating online is much less intimidating than ‘in the classroom’.
• Because online institutions often offer ‘chat rooms’ for informal conversation, there appears to be an increased bonding over traditional class environments.
• The online environment makes instructors more approachable.
• Online course development allows for a broad spectrum of content.
• Because everyone gets a chance to contribute, students are less irritated with those that ‘over contribute’ and can ask for clarification of any comments that are unclear.
• Online classrooms can facilitate team learning by providing chat rooms and newsgroups for meetings and joint work.
• Students often comment that online learning lets them attend in increments of convenient time blocks.
• Because there are no geographic barriers to online learning, students can find diversity of course material that may not be available to them where they live or work.

While ‘face-to-face’ training will never be eliminated, it’s easy to see why a growing number of health care facilities are choosing to train their care staff online.  They may be for reasons such as accessibility, flexibility or quality; all compelling and contributing to the attractiveness of this mode of learning.

Wellness & Lifestyles Australia is an example of a company that is embracing this concept and bringing the aged care industry into the 21st century with online education.  To find out more, visit http://www.wleducation.com.au, or call their head office in South Australia on 08 8331 3000.