Nursing Intensives: Connecting Virtually, Learning Actively

Online nursing students have the flexibility of pursuing their degrees from various locations, ensuring they can balance their education with family and work commitments. While virtual learning offers convenience, the value of practical, hands-on training remains crucial and a required part of becoming a nurse.

Students can experience the benefits of online learning as well as personal connection, networking and preparedness for their new roles through on-campus intensives.

What are Intensives?

Intensives, comprising short but immersive sessions typically lasting less than a week, provide students with invaluable opportunities to interact with their peers and professors in a classroom setting. Online students will generally travel to their school’s campus or a designated partner site to interact with and learn from professors in carefully designed, face-to-face experiences that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application to deliver a higher level of engagement. 

At Herzing University, students are required to attend three 2–4-day intensives throughout the program at a designated campus or partner site. These sessions serve as crucial skill and knowledge checkpoints to ensure students are on the right track. Students will have a skills introduction, skills checks, testing and faculty advisement during the intensive.

If you are currently enrolled in an online program that requires you to complete an intensive, you may be directed to our Herzing University Nashville campus.

What Happens During Intensives?

During intensives, students immerse themselves in a range of hands-on activities tailored to their program and specialization. For instance, students might engage in:

• Physical assessment practice with standardized patients
• Case presentations
• Simulation cases and procedures
• Wound management
• Primary care office procedures and office emergencies.

Students could also participate in workshops on curricular concepts such as scholarly writing, pharmacology, medical imaging and ethics.

Why Do We Need Them?

Intensives are a unique way for students to engage with their college community. While completing intensives, students also have an opportunity to explore their school's campus, utilize state-of-the-industry nursing equipment, and possibly attend on-campus events.

Intensives not only facilitate academic growth but also foster a sense of community among students. Unlike students who have regular in-classroom courses, intensives may be the first time some students meet each other. Many students find that intensives offer a unique opportunity to forge lasting connections with peers and faculty members, enhancing their overall educational experience. Not all students may be at the same point in their program of study, which allows students with clinical experiences to guide fellow students who haven’t started clinicals.

On-campus intensives represent an invaluable component of online nursing education, bridging the gap between virtual learning and real-world application. By engaging students as active participants in their professional development, these intensives pave the way for a successful transition into the nurse practitioner role and expansion to other career pathways, equipping them with the skills, confidence, and connections needed to thrive as healthcare professionals.