The United States is currently facing a nursing shortage and some educators believe that online education is the solution to this problem. The News Observer reports:

"While the cause of the nursing shortage has been linked to an aging and disaffected population leaving the practice, a more fundamental cause may be the lack of nurse educators, according to David Hopkins, Ph.D., chief learning officer of distance learning provider Rue Education. These educators are unable to serve the growing wait lists of qualified nursing student applicants. In 2005, schools of nursing, colleges and universities turned away nearly 180,000 qualified applicants, due largely to the educator shortage.

"Given the growing need, we need to find more creative ways to educate the next generation of nurses," Hopkins says. "Many individuals lack the time and financial resources for traditional campus programs and are looking for more flexible options, better suited to their lives." He adds that alternatives like distance learning programs are helping to unburden the university system."

Like many hands-on sciences, nursing is a difficult subject to teach over the internet. However, new "virtual world" technologies make it possible for students to simulate the in-class learning experience. Some blended learning programs even combine traditional classroom time with online courses, making it convenient for students to study nursing on their own time while still having face-to-face interaction with teachers.