Here’s a look at what you can anticipate in your first few months as an online nursing student at ANU.

1. A Supportive and Structured Learning Environment

While online learning offers flexibility, that doesn’t mean you’ll be navigating it alone. From the moment you log in, you’ll find that ANU’s virtual campus is designed with student success in mind. You’ll be introduced and have constant access to:

• Your student services advisor – someone who will help you plan your courses and answer questions about program requirements. Many students find success for the support they receive from these individuals. “I always, no matter what I ask her, I understand [when] it’s on a weekend or close to Friday or something, I don’t expect her to respond. But she is on her game at all times. Any time that you need her, she will respond,” ANU student, Amanda Bailey, about her student services advisor.
• Your instructors – experienced nursing professionals who guide you through course content, assignments, and clinical preparation. Most of our students agree that our professors give them the skills they need to succeed while giving them the support to keep going. “She’s very well rounded and knows a lot of things! She makes you think deeper – you’re kind of rewiring your brain… like in our discussion posts, she’ll ask you questions on your discussions. Just the way you have to think about it, like I want to think like her! She brings such great knowledge to the classroom,” says ANU BSN student, Kylie Jett-Brown.
• Your peers – other nursing students just like you, forming a built-in support network through discussion boards and group projects. Our nursing students build a close-knit bond together. “It’s been really great, I feel with ANU you’re really not just a number. I feel like it’s a tight knit group of people, and they make you feel really welcome, too! I went to a different college before, and it was bigger, and there’s a huge difference,” says ANU student, Jimma Hall.

2. Key Courses and Core Curriculum

During your first term, you’ll typically take a mix of general education and nursing-specific courses. These may include, but is not limited to:

• Introduction to Professional Nursing
• Human Anatomy and Physiology
• Medical Terminology
• Nursing Informatics
• Health Assessment Fundamentals

These courses lay the groundwork for everything you’ll do in later terms—from clinical decision-making to patient care planning. Expect reading assignments, recorded lectures, quizzes, interactive simulations, and discussion forums.

3. Learning Time Management and Self-Motivation

One of the biggest adjustments for new online students is managing your own schedule. At ANU, coursework is designed to be accessible 24/7, but that doesn’t mean it’s self-paced. Deadlines still apply, and planning your week is key. Your education will be dedicated so that you learn the skill to be an outstanding nurse in the field. The good news? You can structure that time around your personal responsibilities. Tip: Set a regular study schedule early to build healthy habits.

For more time management tips and tricks, check out our blog on the subject!

4. Gaining Confidence with Technology

If you’re new to online learning, the first few weeks may feel like a tech crash course. ANU’s learning platform is intuitive, but it may take time to get used to features like:

• Course navigation
• Submitting assignments
• Participating in forums
• Attending live or recorded virtual lectures

Don’t worry—help is available. ANU offers technical support and student orientation tools to help you get comfortable quickly.

5. Preparation for Clinical Experience

While clinicals don’t typically start in your first term, you’ll begin preparing for them early. You’ll learn how the clinical process works, what requirements to meet (such as background checks and immunizations), and what to expect when it’s time to apply your knowledge in a real-world setting.

This foundational knowledge helps reduce anxiety and ensures you’re ready when hands-on practice begins.

6. Balancing Life, Work, and School

Many students at ANU are working adults with families and have busy schedules. Your first term is a great time to experiment with balancing your responsibilities. Create a dedicated study space, involve your support system, and communicate with instructors if life throws a curveball.

One of the biggest benefits of ANU’s online nursing program is the ability to learn on your terms—without putting your life on hold. Learn more about how you can keep this balance in our blog here.

Online Nursing at ANU

Your first term as an online nursing student at American National University will challenge and inspire you—with every lecture, assignment, and discussion helping you grow both academically and personally. While you’ll be adjusting to new routines and expectations, you’ll never be on your own. From expert instructors and personalized academic advising to flexible course access and a supportive peer community, ANU is built to help adult learners like you succeed. By the end of your first term, you’ll not only have a strong grasp of foundational nursing concepts—you’ll also gain the confidence, discipline, and momentum to thrive throughout the rest of the program. If you’re ready to take control of your future without putting your life on hold, check out American National University’s online BSN program and take that first bold step toward becoming the nurse you’re meant to be.

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The Unique Places a Nurse Can Work

If a nurse is seeking a different environment than a hospital or medical office, then they can find it in even the most unsuspecting places.

• Cruise Ships: While cruises are thought of to be fun, there can always be causes for accidents or mishaps. Nurses can be aboard these ships to provide a wide range of medical care to passengers and crew. Carnival cruise ships employ nurses to “act as first responders” or “provide individualized outpatient, inpatient, and ICU care for guests and crew.”
• Theme Parks: Theme parks are exciting and fulfill a need for adrenaline and adventure. These situations can also call for emergency medical staff to handle anything from minor injuries or critical situations. An example of this would be something called a “Disney Nurse” – those RNs that are on site for those in the parks and hotels.
• Schools and Universities: Every K-12 student has interacted with a school nurse during their tenure of education. If those students continue into higher education in person, they can go to a nursing office there as well. These nurses can handle things like allergic reactions, address student health, promote wellness, and handle emergencies.
• Correctional Facilities: Those incarcerated are entitled to healthcare just as anyone outside of prison. Nurses can work within these facilities – where they can mainly deal with assisting prisoners with chronic conditions. They are also there to help assist in emergencies for both prisoners, officers, and administration alike.
• Forensic Nursing: When violent crimes happen, nurses that are sensitive to these situations are needed to care for victims. According to the International Association of Forensic Nurses, forensic nurses “provide specialized care for patients who are experiencing acute and long-term health consequences associated with victimization or violence, and/or have unmet evidentiary needs relative to having been victimized or accused of victimization.” They can also provide testimony for civil or criminal cases in this field, whether that is from the care they’ve given or their opinions in these cases.
• Military Bases: Military bases need nursing care for the men and women who lay their life on the line to defend our country, their spouses, and their dependents. Those who have served can be military nurses or civilian nurses can work within these bases to provide care.
• Midwifery: These nurses specialize in women’s reproductive health and childbirth. And they can provide care from adolescence to when women hit menopause. Some of their scope of duties, according to the Mayo Clinic, include providing prenatal and postpartum care, providing education for new parents on how to care for their newborns, supporting new parents with breastfeeding, and performing preventative healthcare through screenings and tests.
• Telehealth: Something that started to grow and boom during the Covid-19 pandemic is telehealth. This has allowed nurses to do remote work in a field that is mainly seen with nurses in person. In this profession, nurses provide care through mainly video conferencing to remote locations that may not otherwise have access to such care.

Nursing is far more than a job confined to hospitals and clinics—it’s a dynamic career that offers endless possibilities to make a meaningful impact in unexpected places. Whether it’s navigating patient care on a cruise ship, providing expert legal opinion, helping those who serve our country, or working remotely, nurses have the power to shape lives in so many different ways. Nursing is a career that is flexible and bends with society’s needs – so opportunities are out there in ways many may never guess. And with technology advancing, society developing, and people changing, nurses are needed more than ever to meet the medical needs of all people. Joining the ranks of nurses who help people on their health journey isn’t out of reach! With ANU’s bachelor degree programs, people can become nurses faster and even remotely. To learn more, check out our Nursing Career Guide to find out if this career path is meant for you.

American National University – Be live, in class, from anywhere.

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Realistic Clinical Simulations

Traditional approaches relied heavily on theoretical knowledge and limited hands-on experiences in controlled settings. However, virtual reality is revolutionizing this paradigm by providing nursing students with an unparalleled leap into realistic clinical simulations with these key elements:

1. Immersive Learning Environments – Imagine entering a virtual hospital room where the ambient sounds, the arrangement of equipment, and the subtle nuances of patient care mirror an authentic healthcare setting. VR allows nursing students to immerse themselves in these carefully crafted environments, offering a level of realism that textbooks and traditional simulations struggle to emulate. Ubisim by Labster offers these simulations, offering scenarios of different types of situations nursing students will see in their profession, like acute anemia, depression, end of life care, postoperative pain, and more.
2. Real-Time Decision Making – VR simulations propel nursing students into scenarios that demand real-time decision-making. The ability to think on their feet, assess situations, and respond promptly is honed through these immersive experiences. Whether it’s identifying symptoms, prioritizing care, or coordinating with a multidisciplinary team, students are challenged to apply their theoretical knowledge in a dynamic and evolving context, fostering critical thinking skills essential for effective nursing practice.
3. Enhanced Communication and Interpersonal Skills – Nursing is as much about communication and interpersonal skills as it is about medical expertise. In the virtual world, students engage with virtual patients, practicing effective communication, empathy, and bedside manner. These simulations not only refine their ability to convey complex medical information to patients but also cultivate the humanistic aspects of nursing that are integral to patient-centered care.
4. Continuous Learning and Feedback – These simulations offer a platform for continuous learning and feedback. Students can revisit scenarios, refine their approaches, and receive personalized feedback based on their actions. This iterative process allows for ongoing improvement, ensuring that students are well-prepared for the dynamic challenges they will face in real clinical settings.

Enhancing Theory in Nursing

With the expansion of technology, student nurses today can put the theories and information they learn from classes and textbooks to the test without risk in a VR simulation. These simulations can allow students to take the time to put their skills to the test without endangering patients in real time, all while helping the future nurse refine their competency and critical thinking. Nursing students can engage in high-stakes scenarios without the fear of real-life consequences. Whether it’s responding to a sudden deterioration in a patient’s condition or making critical decisions during an emergency, the controlled nature of VR simulations ensures that mistakes become valuable learning experiences rather than potential risks to patient safety.

Nursing students can revisit scenarios as many times as needed, reinforcing their understanding of procedures and interventions. Whether it’s mastering the steps of a complex medical procedure or perfecting the technique of administering medication, the repetitive nature of VR simulations allows students to build muscle memory and confidence in their skills. And with technology from Ubisim, nursing educators are able to finetune scenarios so that their students are getting hands on experience in whatever scenario that may come up within their career. A description from Labster in their user guide, “designed with nurse educators in mind, anyone can edit, customize, or create a UbiSim simulation with the user-friendly editing tool even if they do not have technical expertise. Educators can select from a wide range of environments, patients, supplies, and assessment findings.” And every year, Ubisim’s scenarios are reviewed by expert nursing educators and put through peer review.

Li et al  explained how VR is transforming nursing education in their findings from their study, “Effectiveness of virtual reality in nursing education: a systematic review and meta-analysis”: “this technology propels students beyond the mere exercise of operational skills within virtual contexts; rather, it serves as a platform where they refine not only operational proficiencies but also their clinical reasoning, decision-making acumen, and aptitude for troubleshooting practical clinical problems.”

Virtual reality emerges not just as a technological tool but as a transformative force reshaping the landscape of nursing education. The immersive experiences offered by virtual reality propel students into lifelike scenarios, fostering a dynamic journey where theory seamlessly melds with practice. As nursing education embraces this new frontier, students are not merely learning; they are actively engaging, refining skills, and embodying the essence of nursing practice. Virtual reality is more than a trend; it’s a catalyst for a hands-on, experiential approach that equips the nurses of tomorrow with unparalleled readiness and competence. The future of nursing education has arrived, charting a course where the boundaries between theory and practice blur, and the journey is as immersive as the destination.

Learn how you can participate in VR simulations and earn your bachelor of science in nursing all from the comfort of your own home at virginia.an.edu.

American National University – Be live, in class, from anywhere.

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