Hwang Keum-Ok

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Medical Schools With A Distance Education Option

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Medical schools with a distance education option are a great choice for people who want to get their degree but still want to stay at home. Some people who take advantage of the medical schools with a distance education option, however are doing so because it is the only way they can do it. There are advantages and disadvantages to these types of special medical schools, or more so getting your degree this way, not so much the curriculum.

Some advantages of medical schools with a distance education option are that you can stay at home using the online learning curriculum, even work full time, and still go to school. In many ways this is a great way to go because it frees up a lot of your time. These types of schools often have a great plan for giving you the lessons that work a lot like how you’d do it in a traditional school setting. One example is using the Internet for the classroom. You can actually watch real taped classes and follow along in the books. This way you get the same education and training as those who go to the school itself (physically) will get.

The disadvantages of taking your courses from medical schools with a distance education program is that you will have to become your own discipline moderator. In schools your teacher is there after class, during class, before school and after school to talk to you if you get stuck and need help. With distance learning you don’t have this option, although you can probably call in and speak to an educator you miss out on the interaction during class that many students find very helpful.

The other thing about attending medical schools and using the distance option is you don’t get the benefit of other people in the classroom debating and even asking spin-off questions from yours that you didn’t think of. Studying with other people in your class is certainly helpful and makes things easier, but often in distance learning settings you are on your own other than the schools' support sites, phone numbers, and reading materials.

The advantages often come at a price of having to work harder, and discipline becomes harder but in the end I think that this makes you a stronger person in those areas -- something you will need in the medical field. You can also go to schools with a distance education program part of the time, and attend the actual school the other part.

For example if you need to attend the school after a year because you can't move out to the school yet, but want to take that year to still get started on your degree, (maybe you have a baby and need to be at home with the baby so your family can help while you study) you can opt for the online learning curriculum that first year then in the second sign up to take your classes in the actual school setting.

I believe that there are also ways to take part of the classes online while taking the others in the school if time management and obligations are an issue. Each way you learn the same things but in different ways, and there are some wonderful opportunities that this opens up for you, allowing you to manage your time and personal life around your schooling.

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