So, you think online learning means you’re on your own without the same support you might get at a traditional campus? Think again. When you attend school at South University Online Programs, you have the best of both worlds – a world-class education, the convenience of the online format and all of the amazing support systems we have in place.

Here’s a look at 8 of them:

1. Graduation Teams
   From the day you begin to the day that you graduate, your graduation team will be there for you every step of the way. Consisting of an Admissions Representative to get you started, a Student Finance Counselor to help you figure out how to pay for school and an Academic Counselor to help guide your studies, you’ll have a support system like no other.
2. Connections
   It’s our own Social Network. Connections does just what the name implies – it keeps you connected to your fellow students and faculty outside of the classroom. You can join groups that interest you, participate in discussions, attend online events and webinars and find a whole host of other cool ways to stay engaged with your peers.
3. Career Services
   So, you’re about to graduate. What now? That’s where our Career Services folks come in. As you approach graduation and afterwards, they will work with you to make sure you’re prepared to pursue your chosen career with resume, job search and interview assistance.
4. Tutoring Center
   Going back to school as an adult can be interesting. Do you remember your math or algebra? I sure don’t! That’s why we have our online tutoring center open 7 days a week – to give you the on-demand, one on one help in areas like math, algebra, writing, physics and much more.
5. Online Library
   Whenever you need a resource, from books to academic journals or databases, it’s all right here at your fingertips, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in the online library. Of course, no library would be complete with librarians and they’re here too, answering your questions 7 days a week.
6. Tech Support
   Need help or guidance with technical issues? Our technical support team is ready to spring into action to help you solve your issues by simply calling 888-444-3404 or emailing technicalsupport@southuniversity.edu, Sunday-Saturday from 7am to 12am ET.
7. Counseling Center
   Available at no charge to all South University Online Programs students, our Talk One-2-One Counselors are licensed, experienced, and easy to talk to. They’re here for counseling for personal, family and marital problems including stress, anxiety and depression. Talk One-2-One offers confidential face to face or over the phone counseling sessions.
8. Disability Services
   We’re committed to providing qualified students with disabilities an equal opportunity to access the benefits, rights and privileges of college services, programs and activities. The Disability Services Office assists qualified students with disabilities in acquiring reasonable and appropriate accommodations to support their success.

If you’re a nurse who already has your Bachelor of Science in Nursing, you have a number of opportunities available to you to gain even more clinical skills through South University’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program.

The Family Nurse Practitioner specialization allows you to complete practicums in adults & gerontology, women’s health, pediatrics, and primary care. Another option, the Adult Health Nurse Practitioner specialization, offers practicums in adults & gerontology, women’s health, and primary care.

While developing the skills and knowledge to effectively treat patients in the clinical sense is essential in all of these areas, you should not overlook the importance of more whole holistic healthcare essentials, like bedside manner. Nurse Practitioners have the opportunity to greatly impact a patient’s experience in a variety of medical settings, so it’s important to keep a few key points in mind.

• Speak the Patient’s Language – More than likely, your patients won’t be familiar with the medical jargon you use on a daily basis, so it’s essential to be able to explain their prescribed treatment in a way that they will understand.
• Use Compassion - This is particularly important when dealing with patients that have serious illnesses, but should be used regardless of the situation. Having compassion for your patients will help you to put their minds at ease under difficult circumstances.
• Make the Patient Feel Important – In the fast-paced world in which we live today, it seems like medical professionals are spending increasingly less time with their patients, sometimes resulting in them feeling neglected. They may even be hesitant to ask any questions they have for fear that they’re interrupting your busy schedule. You can help combat this by making each patient feel like they’re the most important patient you have. Even if you’re feeling stressed or rushed, you need to make sure your patients never pick up on this.

The role of the Nurse Practitioner is an important one in both Family and Adult Health situations. Whether a patient is 9 weeks or 90 years old, it’s important to treat them with respect and make them feel at ease.

By Guest Blogger

Jen Suehr
Content Manager at South University Online Programs

When I found out that Nurses Appreciation Week was coming up, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to express my appreciation for the nursing community in general, and for the nurses in the PICU at Children’s Hospital of UPMC in Pittsburgh in particular.

Two weeks after my son was born, he was admitted to Children’s Hospital of UPMC with serious viral pneumonia and a staph infection. We spent about 2.5 weeks in the PICU, 2 of which he was on a ventilator. As a new mom, this was a horrific experience for me. Would my son be ok? Why was this happening to us? All I wanted was a healthy baby boy.

In this situation, I probably would’ve completely lost my mind if it weren’t for the hospital’s wonderful nursing staff. We had a new nurse every twelve hours, and all of them helped considerably to put my mind at ease.

One nurse, in particular, stands out in my mind. The morning after my son was put on the ventilator, we had a nurse named Philip. I think he could see how stressed I was after what transpired the night before, and he took care to answer any questions I had and to reassure me that he had seen many patients much worse off than my son who ended up making a full recovery. We had Philip as a nurse three days in a row, and by the time he left, my son was well on his way to recovery.

I’m happy to report that my son is now in perfect health. As I look back on our ordeal and wonder how I survived, I can point to the wonderful nursing care my son received. While they did an excellent job tending to his needs, they also did everything they could to make me feel confident and positive about everything that happened.

Nurses shouldn’t ever underestimate their importance, and I am forever grateful to them.

Did you know that taking a placement test could potentially save you money and time by allowing you to complete your degree faster? Placement Tests like those offered at South University Online Programs measures students’ knowledge and skills in certain subject areas before their academic schedule is determined.

If students receive sufficient scores on the Placement Tests, they might qualify to receive an exemption for a course, such as introductory math, thus reducing the time and money spent on the path to graduation.

Besides the benefits described above, Placement Tests can also serve to be beneficial to students in other ways, including:

• Placement Tests are a great way to get “back in the habit” of going to school.
• Placement Tests allow you to familiarize yourself with the user-friendly online classroom environment that you will use for all of your classes.

The tests are usually only 25 – 50 questions and the results at South University, Online Programs are automatically reported the school’s student information system, which can automatically update student schedules. There is no need to request scores to be sent to your school. All you have to do is enter the classroom and complete the tests!

To learn more about Placement Testing and to get started, contact an Admissions Representative at South University, Online Programs.

One of the best parts about being an online student is that your classroom is wherever you are.  That means, with over 14,000 students, South University Online Programs has classrooms all over the map! So today we are asking you to show us YOUR classroom – share a photo of your hometown and you could be featured on our Facebook page and win a $50 gift card to Amazon.com.

Here’s how to enter:

• Download/Print the Show Us Your Classroom PDF, which can be found in the Campus Common under Top Stories.
• Write in the name of the town you live in on the PDF.
• Take a picture that represents your town/city/area (don’t forget to include the image you printed out!)
• Write a brief essay of between 150 words and 350 words explaining how your photo represents your classroom.
• Submit your photo and essay to this site.

That’s it!

The best submissions will be featured on our brand new Facebook Timeline cover photo.

The three most creative submissions will be named winners by our panel of judges and will each be awarded $50 gift cards to Amazon.com. We will only be accepting submissions until April 26th – so get out and capture the perfect photo today!

Some helpful tips:

• Use things that are easily recognizable (“Welcome to [city/state]” signs, iconic buildings, sports stadiums, food items)
• Make sure your sign is readable in the photo – don’t take it from too far away and use a black marker to write in the town/city/area on the PDF image.
• Include yourself in the photo! 
• Don’t forget to follow the directions and make sure to fill out an electronic release on the submission site.

Good luck everyone!