Since its founding more than 130 years ago, Chatham College has earned a reputation for providing its students with a high-quality learning experience at its Shadyside, Pennsylvania campus. Now the College is taking this same level of learning online by providing continuous education courses for students all across the country.
“For students in the health care field, online learning provides a great opportunity for professional development,” said Stephen Anspacher, vice-president, Chatham College School of Continuing Education. “Taking online courses enables students to put themselves in a position to move up in their careers or to explore other facets of the health care industry without having to leave their current jobs.”
Chatham College currently offers a number of online degree programs in the health care field, and is launching even more this fall. These include an RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Master of Arts in Wellness; Master of Arts in Gerontology; Master of Education in Health; Master of Physician Assistant (post-professional); Master of Health Science and a Professional Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD). While most courses are available to anyone with a bachelors degree, some, like the OTD, Physicians Assistant and RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing, require that students be licensed, and the OTD also requires a masters degree.
“One of the main things that differentiates our programs from other online graduate programs is our open-entry admissions process that makes it easier for busy adults to gain admission to the program,” said Anspacher. “There are no complicated applications to fill out or tests to take; in fact, students can often start within one day of applying.”
There are many benefits to taking advanced courses through an online program, according to student Joanie Campsie, who has been part of Chatham Colleges RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for nine months. “Because it is an accelerated program, I will be able to finish it in about half the time of a conventional program,” she said. “And because its online, I can continue to work full-time while Im taking it.”
Campsie says she most likes the flexibility of the program, which allows her to set her own parameters. “Another thing I like about it is that when you post your papers on the discussion board, you get a lot of feedback from other students about your work,” she said. “You wouldnt get this kind of sharing with your peers in a typical brick-and-mortars class, where the only person who would see your work is the professor.”
According to Anspacher, online courses are set up to offer the same benefits of traditional classes, including a small student-to-professor ratio of about 15 to 18 people. Instructors mediate the learning environment electronically, and courses require the same reading as their on-ground counterparts. Students are expected to log on roughly three to five hours per week, as well as work independently.
Campsie, who hopes to enter a nurse anesthesia program after receiving her degree from Chatham College, says that she believes online courses help to develop self-discipline. “People shouldnt think that this is just a correspondence courseit really isnt,” she said. “It requires a lot of independent learning, and you have to be motivated. Theres no one to push you but yourself.”
Most of Chathams health care programs take between 12 and 18 months to complete, and the cost per credit is the same as an on-ground course, with credits ranging from $583 each for an undergraduate course to $622 per credit for graduate courses. Most are three-credit courses.
“In addition to all of the advantages of taking an online course, such as the convenience and flexibility of working within your own schedule, students at Chatham can also take advantage of all of the other benefits of higher education, including financial aid, and bookstore and library support,” said Anspacher. “We make it easy to get back into the classroom.”
And easier to move up in the health care industry. “In the next 10 to 15 years, we are going to see a tremendous boom in health services occupations,” said Anspacher. “This is a great time for career professionals to get the training they need to position themselves for success.”
Since its founding more than 130 years ago, Chatham College has earned a reputation for providing its students with a high-quality learning experience at its Shadyside, Pennsylvania campus. Now the College is taking this same level of learning online by providing continuous education courses for students all across the country. 
