Poets&Quants' third annual ranking of the top online MBA programs in the U.S.

For all the hand-wringing over the decline of full-time, two-year MBA programs, the online versions of the most popular credential in business continues to grow. Hardly a month goes by without yet another business school launching an online MBA program.

This fall alone, the University of Michigan, UC-Davis and Southern Methodist University are among the newcomers who have welcomed their first cohorts of students. Many other programs have yet to graduate their first students, including Rice University. In less than four years, the $22,000 iMBA from the University of Illinois Gies School of Business has boosted enrollment to more than 2,500 online students from an initial cohort of just 114 students.

The growth speaks volumes about the continued interest in an MBA and the benefits of doing one online. You can, after all, keep your job and the paychecks that come with it when you do an online MBA. You can more easily fit it into your personal life. And you can immediately apply the benefits of your education at work, making you an immediately more valuable manager or executive.

And while not all of the online options are exactly cheap, there are many more affordable versions of the MBA in the online space than there are in on-campus options. Whats more, you dont have to settle for doing an MBA at a local or regional business school. Since its online, you can get the bigger, national or global brand wherever you are.

So who is doing the best job in delivering an online MBA? At PoetsandQuants.com, we recently published our third annual ranking of the top online MBA programs in the U.S. Proving perhaps that you get what you pay for, the very best online experience is being delivered by Carnegie Mellon Universitys Tepper School of Business which ranked first for the second time in three of our rankings.

The schools part-time hybrid program actually includes more in-person classes than any other online option, with live online sessions, in-person weekends, and traditional online course structures. Thats why it is also the most expensive online program in the world with a $137,200 price tag. In fact, three of the top five online programs are all priced in six figures, including No. 3 University of Southern Californias option at $106,197 and No. 5 University of North Carolinas MBA@UNC which costs $125,589.

Following Tepper in second place on this years list is Indiana Universitys Kelley Direct Online MBA program, which rose up one spot from its third-place finish last year. Kelley consistently finds itself at the top of numerous rankings and this is the second time the schools KelleyDirect program has ranked in second place. With a price tag of $74,520, the Kelley program seems like a bargain, particularly for a business school whose full-time MBA program is consistently among the top 20 in the U.S.

But then there is Lehigh Universitys College of Business online MBA which captured fourth place and is the most affordable of the top five this year at just $39,600. In all, 35 of the best programs were ranked and several of them came in with price tags even below Lehighs highly reasonable cost.

More importantthan the actual ranking, however, is the trove of data collected to compile the ranking. Two-thirds of recent graduates at Louisiana State University say they received a promotion directly because of their online MBA more than any other school. At Carnegie Mellon, nearly nine out of ten (88%) say they received a salary increase after completing the program, again, topping every other school in the ranking (seeBest Career Outcomes For Online MBAs).

When alumni were asked to appraise the overall quality of their professors, no other school scored better than the Jack Welch Management Institute, which notched a score of 9.78 out of a possible 10 points (seeOnline MBA Programs With The Best Student Satisfaction Scores). That outcome will come as a surprise to many academics but the former CEO of General Electric has made student evaluations of faculty a key driver of who gets to teach in the Institutes program. Online MBA alumni from the Rochester Institute of Technology scored their school best on the amount and quality of teamwork available in the program, with an average of 9.63.

Asked about their satisfaction in immediately applying classroom learning to their jobs, both RIT Saunders and the Jack Welch Management Institute scored a highly impressive 9.75 on the ten-point scale. As for a programs flexibility to allow students to manage their professional and personal lives while earning an MBA, alumni from the University of Cincinnati rated their school best with a score of 9.88.

When it came to admissions acceptance rates, the toughest school for the 2018-2019 academic year was RIT Saunders, which accepted just 30.8% of its applicants (seeAcceptance Rates At The Best Online MBA Programs). Next was the Jack Welch Management Institute, which accepted 1,253 applicants from a pool of 3,103 for an acceptance rate of 40.4%. With an average of 700 students, professionals enrolling at the University of North Carolinas Kenan-Flagler Business School reported the highest GMAT score, even though a mere 6% of UNCs students submitted a GMAT, down from 11% a year earlier. Carnegie Mellons Tepper School had the next highest class GMAT average at 660, with more than 80% of the students submitting a test score.

Bottom line: If you have ever considered getting an online MBA, now is a good time to do so. Many of these programs are offering scholarships to accepted students, and many students are able to get some form of financial assistance from their employers. At the University of Illinois, for example, roughly half the students are getting some money from their companies to offset the tuition bills.

See the original post here:
The Top Online MBAs: The Best Options Now On The Market - Forbes

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, U.S. The GEAPS/Kansas State University Distance Education Program will offer 32 courses in 2020.

Whether you are new to the industry, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest safety practices, our online program has you covered, said Chris Blair, regional manager for NEW Cooperative, chairs GEAPS committee that oversees distance education. Courses are available on their own, or you can pursue all six courses to earn a credential.

Every course required for the credentials in Grain Operations Management and Grain Processing Management will be available over the course of the year. Registration is currently open for each course.

Courses consist of peer-reviewed online narrated PowerPoint presentations, assignments and quizzes. Courses combine GEAPS members on-the-job experience with KSUs academic expertise. Each course is self-paced, allowing participants to proceed at their own rate over five weeks.

The 2020 course schedule is as follows:

Jan. 7 Feb. 11

Registration closes Dec. 31

Feb. 18 March 24

Registration closes Feb. 12

March 31 May 5, 2020

Registration closes March 25

May 12 June 16

Registration closes May 6

June 23 July 28

Registration closes June 17

Aug. 4 Sept. 8

Registration closes July 29

Sept. 15 Oct. 20

Registration closes Sept. 9

Oct. 27 Dec. 8

Registration closes Oct. 21

Courses cost $700 for GEAPS members, and $965 for non-members. Registration for all courses is currently open on the program website.

GEAPS offers a volume discount program to make training groups of employees more cost effective. The program allows participants to save up to 20% on the member rate for courses by purchasing blocks of 10 or more courses at once. Blocks can be used to register any member of a company for courses, whether they are a GEAPS member or not.

GEAPS and Kansas State University provide online, peer-reviewed continuing education unit (CEU) qualified courses taught by grain industry leaders and faculty members. The program helps participants improve job skills and become more valuable to employers through exposure to issues, standards and best practices from across the industry.

Original post:
GEAPS, KSU to offer grain-based online courses in 2020 - World Grain

Women all across the nation are using tennis as a way to pay for a college education that has risen in cost by 55 percent in just the last decade.

Tennis is traditionally a country club sport that is played for leisure. Although, the sport provides exponential opportunity for those who choose to take up the game competitively. Over 314 schools in the United States offer money for female student athletes to compete for their school. 2,512 division one scholarship athletes currently compete in NCAA division one tennis. That money amasses a total of 560 million awarded to just women. Its vital for some student athletes because without the sport it would be nearly impossible to attend college. Junior tennis athlete Haleigh Porter spoke on how tennis opened doors that she didnt think were options before the game.

Before recruiting I didnt realize how far tennis could actually take me If a student excels on the court and in the classroom, it can provide them with opportunities that they wouldnt have had otherwise, she said.

For some athletes the game is their passion that in turn results in benefits like a full ride scholarship. For others, the game serves a larger purpose all together. Programs throughout the country recruit younger players with the intent of assisting them to potentially get a scholarship in their sport. Sophomore tennis player Adrienne Clayton was recruited by her mentor at an early age, which she said made all the difference. The program was rigorous but gave Clayton the exact result that her mentor had intended for her. Clayton spoke on the purpose of her tennis training program.

The program was in Nashville, Tennessee. Its called the Halle Park Junior Tennis Development Program. And that was their goal. To recruit kids and help them to get to college and receive a scholarship for playing tennis in college.

The game also provides a structure to student-athletes lives that prepares them for the hectic schedule that academics can throw at you. Porter, a broadcast journalism student, spoke about how tennis mentally prepares her for the classroom.

If I can compete in a two-hour tennis match, if I can mentally grind through that, and do it at a high level. Then I can go into the classroom and focus and give it my all for a couple hours.

For some tennis is merely a past time or fun, but for student athletes it could be the difference between life with a college education and life without one.

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Tennis offers route to free education - Famuan

Global K-12 Online Education Market report analyzes the current trends, through the historical data of various segments and obstacles faced with the competitors of the industry. This K-12 Online Education report was prepared to analyze the results and outcomes of the industry over the forecast period to 2025.

The K-12 Online Education market report examines the economic status and prognosis of worldwide and major regions, in the prospect of all players, types and end-user application/industries; this report examines the most notable players in major and global regions, also divides the K-12 Online Education market by segments and applications/end businesses.

Request for Free Sample Copy at: http://www.researchreportcenter.com/request-sample/1224689

Ambow Education, CDEL, New Oriental Education and Technology, TAL, Vedantu, iTutorGroup, EF Education First, Chegg, Knewton, Tokyo Academics

Global K-12 Online Education Market insights cover traits, growth, and size, segmentation, regional retreats, competitive landscape, market shares, trends, and plans. The attributes part of this K-12 Online Education report defines and explains the growth. The K-12 Online Education market size department gives industry earnings, covering the historical growth of this and predicting the long run. K-12 Online Education Drivers and restraints with the variables affecting the growth of this market. The segmentations divide the essential K-12 Online Education sub-industries that form the market.

North America, China, Rest of Asia-Pacific, UK, Europe, Central & South America, Middle East & Africa

Get Discount on this Report: http://www.researchreportcenter.com/check-discount/1224689

The K-12 Online Education analysis incorporates historical data from 2014 to 2019 and predictions until 2025 helping to make the reports a valuable resource for industry executives, promotion, product and sales managers, advisers, analysts, and different people trying to find vital K-12 Online Education industry data in readily accessible records with clearly exhibited tables and charts.

Customization of the Report: This report can be customized as per your needs for additional data or countries.Please connect with our sales team (sales@researchreportcenter.com)

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K-12 Online Education Market Expand Their Businesses Worldwide to (2019-2025) - All Times Tech

There are so many of them that it can be difficult to know which are the best to opt for. Here are just a few tips to ensure that you choose the right one.

Regardless of what career you want to follow, you will find much information online about what qualifications you need. You will find guidance about the best courses to choose, and how to get experience in the work you want to do. It is worth spending the time doing some research into this to ensure that you do not waste time completing the wrong courses.

private student loans smart option loan private financial aid college academic course

Quick View

You need to look at the content of the course to make sure it teaches the sort of things you need to know and that you can get help with planning the best way forward.

Every course explanation will tell you what is involved, and it really is important to get this right. If you are unsure about it, contact the university or college you are looking at.

They all have people that are there just to deal with problems such as this and to guide students in the direction of the correct courses.

Once you know what courses you need, it is time to find out what colleges or universities offer them. Most educational facilities give you the option of completing their courses in a classroom or online, and that is something else you need to consider.

Look at what past and existing students have to say about your preferred option, such as the Everglades University reviews. Other students opinions matter a great deal, as everywhere will tell you how good they are, but do their students agree?

Location does not matter if you have chosen an online course, but of course, it has to be a consideration if you decide to opt to be classroom-based.

This really depends on your situation and how self-disciplined you can be. If you are already working full-time or have family commitments, online courses can be ideal as they will fit in with any lifestyle. You do need to be self-disciplined though, to ensure that you carry out the work in a timely manner. They also have other advantages such as cheaper course fees, more starting dates, and being able to work at your own pace.

Is Online Education Right for You?

Five Myths Preventing You From Obtaining an Online Education

However, online courses do not suit everyone, and it could well be that you would rather go and sit in a classroom with other students. Only you can make that choice but consider it carefully before you decide.

The key to the success of finding the right course for you is to research all aspects of it. What course, do you need to do, where is suitable or should you co it online? Gather all the information on the options and only then can you make the right choice.

Image Credit: college academic course by Pixabay

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How to Find the Right College Academic Course for You - SayCampusLife

As Pueblos education leaders, it is our responsibility to foster welcoming learning environments in which all students can thrive. This mission is at the heart of each of our organizations.

Equity in education requires putting systems in place to ensure that every student has an equal opportunity to succeed. Creating those systems requires us to understand the unique challenges and barriers faced by our students, as individuals and as populations.

The fact is that there is an imbalance in our education system. Although Colorado has one of the highest education attainment rates nationally, we also have the largest disparity between white and Latino residents when it comes to post-secondary education: According to the Colorado Department of Higher Education, 64 percent of white residents have completed some form of education beyond a high school diploma, compared to 29 percent of Latino residents and 40 percent of African American and black residents.

Any failure to address this inequity has consequences, such as leaving many underrepresented students stuck in low- and middle-wage jobs. Technology is rapidly changing the workforce. In fact, the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimates that automation could replace 44 percent of jobs in the United States by 2030. Jobs held by those with only a high school education will be hit the hardest.

We must equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to drive the economy in our ever-changing world. This requires helping underrepresented students overcome barriers that can hinder them from advancing to the next level of their education. Some examples:

Access Education at all levels must be approachable and easy to navigate. Our schools must invest time and resources to make sure that their work forces reflect the diversity of their students and have the communication skills needed to build relationships. Additional support such as success coaches also can be a valuable component of a students successful education.

Affordability We need to be resourceful and innovative in the development of new financial aid models, working with foundations, scholarship organizations and government agencies to help our students pay for college. We must find ways to place students in jobs that align with their academic and professional interests so they can earn college credit and get important on-the-job skills.

Policy and procedure We must adapt our policies and procedures to meet the realities of our communities. For example, allowing more flexibility with college tuition payments and late fees may be the difference between a low-income student dropping out and being able to complete a degree.

We must get past talking about equity and start addressing it directly, even if some discussions are uncomfortable and difficult. Only by discussing race frankly can we build a shared idea of our expectations a critical step toward closing achievement gaps for Pueblos K-12 and college students.

We can encourage a larger conversation that includes more voices most importantly, the voices of our students and continue this discussion together so that all of our young people have the tools to create lives of purpose and impact.

Patty Erjavec is the president of Pueblo Community College. Charlotte Macaluso is the superintendent of Pueblo School District 60. Timothy Mottet is the president of Colorado State University-Pueblo. Ed Smith is the superintendent of Pueblo County School District 70.

Continued here:
Creating more diversity within educational system - Ag Journal

Harvey Bischof, president of Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation.SunMedia

Ontarios public high school teachers are expected to be in a legal position to strike or stage work disruptions around Nov. 18.

The union representing the teachers as well as some support staff has asked for a no-board report from the conciliator in the fractious contract negotiations. Issuance of the report triggers a 17-day countdown to a legal strike position.

The Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) is one of the major education unions engaged in contract negotiations that have become a battleground over the Progressive Conservative governments plans to increase class sizes, cut per-pupil funding and keep wage increases to one per cent.

Mid November will be crunch time.

Unions representing public elementary and Catholic teachers are also conducting strike votes and expect to have results by then.

Strike votes are a common pressure tactic in negotiations and dont mean there will be job action. Being in a legal strike position doesnt guarantee there will be one, either, although its one step closer to the possibility.

About 55,000 education workers represented by CUPE began working to rule earlier this month as soon as they were legally able to do so. They also planned to strike a week later, which would have closed hundreds of schools across the province, including at the Ottawa Catholic School Board. A tentative deal was reached at the last minute.

Any work disruptions by OSSTF would affect both high schools and elementary schools. The union represents high school teachers at English public school boards and some support staff at various boards. At the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, for instance, OSSTF represents school secretaries, janitors, early childhood educators and educational assistants, among others.

While negotiations are conducted separately for the high school teachers and the support staff, the OSSTF has requested a no-board report for both, said president Harvey Bischof.

Its time to demonstrate our seriousness, he said in an interview Sunday.

The union doesnt control when the conciliator releases the no-board report, but Bischof estimates that members will be in a legal strike position by Nov. 18. A strike vote by members will be complete by Nov. 15. In the meantime, bargaining dates are scheduled.

A key issue is the governments plan to increase high school class sizes from an average of 22 to 28 over the next four years. That would eliminate about 10,054 teaching jobs and is a key component of the governments goal of reducing education spending.

Class sizes have inched up to an average of 22.9 this year, with some schools cancelling courses.

Last week Education Minister Stephen Lecce suggested the government would consider only raising class sizes to 25. That idea was rejected by OSSTF, which said it came along with a proposal to eliminate all the class size caps now contained in local collective agreements.

As negotiations with all the teachers unions head into critical stages, all sides are looking for public support.

Education workers have rallied behind the slogan Cuts hurt kids, staging rallies last week and launching social-media and advertising campaigns.

Lecce created his own version of the same message, tweeting on Friday that strikes hurt kids and stressing the importance of getting a deal.

He has emphasized he wants to avoid the cycle of anxiety parents face during each round of contract negotiations with education unions, wondering if there will be a work disruption.

But his governments plans for education have met fierce resistance from unions, as well as some students and parents who say the quality of public education is under attack.

Also controversial is the governments plan to require high school students to take four of their 30 courses online.

The government has asked OSSTF to take wage increases of one per cent a year, the target it has set for all public-sector workers, according to the union.

OSSTF has proposed a wage increase equal to the cost of living, currently around two per cent.

jmiller@postmedia.com

Twitter: @JacquieAMiller

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Ontario high school teachers pull trigger to be in legal strike position by mid November - Ottawa Citizen

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) -- The Hilton Omaha Hotel turned blue Saturday in a 2020 tune-up for Nebraska Democrats.

The National Democratic Training Committee choreographed the event a daylong immersion in party politics with candidates, volunteers and local party leaders participating in classes geared toward next years elections.

Jo Giles, running for the District 7 Douglas County Board seat, said, It's great that this training can come here, where we get national expertise that's free and we can just come and learn. And get ready for 2020."

Approximately 100 people attended Saturdays training event.

The organization has been around since 2016 training Democrats on all levels of government how to run for public office. But it's not just for those wanting to run.

Assistant Director of Life Training, Jocelyn Hunt, said, We have a group of candidates and potential candidates. A group of staff volunteer leaders and then our local party leaders."

The three groups were divided based on how they identified and then they participated in four different courses, in fields, communication, digital and fundraising," Hunt said.

Those are important skills to Giles.

"Having a training like this, that can bring you together with other candidates that are feeling the same things that are new to this process, that are learning. It's game-changing for us. To actually have the tools to be able to run an effective campaign to get our message out and to hopefully earn some votes."

If you couldn't make it to the training but still want to learn what it's all about you can participate in online training at traindemocrats.org.

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Democrats bring election education camp to the metro - WOWT

Commuting can be annoying and tedious yet many of us do it twice a day. Research has found that commuting can lower mood, heighten stress levels, and have a spillover effect. In other words, our commutes can impact how we perform and feel at work, at home, and in other facets of our lives. Its no wonder employees are seeking out more flexible work schedules or, at the very least, ways to make their morning and evening journeys less irritating and more productive.

We asked members of the Thrive community to share their tips for optimizing their commute time. Their strategies may even make you want to take the long way home.

Take a trip down memory lane

I dont have long commutes every day, but on the days I do, I like to scroll through pictures of my kids and loved ones. I take my favorites and write a little note about why they are memorable moments for me. Once a month, I batch all the pics, print them, and mail people the pictures with my memory note. Many times, I dont even need to mail them. I just leave the picture and notes on the kitchen table for my kids and husband to see in the morning.

Anjali Bindra Patel, lawyer, McLean, VA

Set a positive attitude

My commute is approximately 40 minutes each way by car. The usual suspects traffic, rude drivers, people driving at parade-float speed dont rattle me because I begin my day by setting a positive mental attitude. What we put into our minds manifests into the world. I fill my commute with podcasts, too. Dr. Tony Evans Impact Theory podcast and The Vic Feazell Show are some of my go-to sources for mental stimulation. By spending my drive time productively, Im ready to face my challenging work day with calm energy.

John Harrell, author and inspirational speaker, Austin, TX

Journal about the day ahead

Each morning on the subway, I journal. I get out any anxious feelings I have about the day ahead, reflect on all the things I am grateful for, and put down a mantra to repeat when things get stressful. My commute is an hour, and its all me time.

Lindsey Benoit OConnell, editor, New York, NY

Dive into a good book

My previous job was demanding. Besides long working hours, my commute was a long, arduous one. I spent a total of two hours a day on the bus. At first, I would aimlessly skim through my Facebook newsfeed a mindless activity just to pass the time. After a while, I realized I had to spend my time doing something more productive. I started downloading novels to my mobile phone, and I am proud to say that throughout that year, I read 25 books. I would say 90 percent of them were read on the bus. Reading made me look forward to my commute, because I wanted to know what happened next.

Basma Fawzy, freelance writer, Alexandria, Egypt

Find your inspiration

My biggest advice is to focus your thoughts and attention on what gives you inspiration and pushes you to thrive. For more than two years, I would take a train on Monday mornings at 6:30 for over three hours. Reading inspirational books about entrepreneurship and listening to business podcasts helped lift my mood after such a long train ride.

Diogne Ntirandekura, information technology consulting, Montral, QC, Canada

Throw on your favorite podcast

Depending on my mood, music or a podcast can save my commute. I have learned so much from the podcasts I subscribe to they make me look forward to hopping in my car. The first podcast I listened to was The Thrive Global Podcast. I was having a hard time in my job, and Arianna and her guests made it better by offering tools to deal with extreme burnout. I eventually left my job and did not look back. One guest on the Thrive podcast, Maria Menounos, really made an impact on me, so I started to listen to her podcast, Better Together With Maria Menounos, and I now look forward to Mondays!

Cristina Daniels, program manager, Woodland, CA

Set a soundtrack

I have an hour-long commute to work, so Im in the car for at least two hours every day. My best strategies for making this time pass is putting on a great soundtrack and carpooling when I can. Find a radio station with promising music that you can jam out to, or create your own on a site like Spotify or Pandora. My husband and I carpool and take turns driving, so neither of us becomes burned out, and we actually get to spend some quality time together this way.

Emily Woodruff, assistant project manager, Deford, MI

Connect with yourself

For me, commuting is a time to connect with myself. Its a time and place where theres minimal distraction that allows me to think about areas of life that need my attention, or just de-stress. By the time I reach my destination, I have solved at least one or two of my mental dilemmas.

Aakriti Agarwal, coach and facilitator, Hyderabad, India

Prep on the way there, unwind on the way back

I am blessed to be able to work from home most days, though one day a week, usually on Mondays, I go to a client site that is 90 minutes away. I use the time to do calls and mentally plan my week. On the way home, I turn up the music and spend the time completely letting go of the day. It is pure bliss!

Cindy J., executive search and HR consultant, Boston, MA

Rediscover storytelling through audiobooks

I have fallen in love with audiobooks! Unless Im on vacation, Ill usually read non-fiction personal growth books. I used to love reading fiction books, but struggled to find the time over the last few years then I found Audible. Now, I fill my commute with the works of my favorite fiction mystery and thriller writers. I cant wait to get in the car and hit play!

Tammie Kip, author, Toronto, Canada

Follow us here and subscribe here for all the latest news on how you can keep Thriving.

Stay up to date or catch-up on all our podcasts with Arianna Huffington here.

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How to Make the Most of Your Morning and Evening Commutes - Thrive Global

"When everything happened, big trays of pizza were left out on the counter in the cafeteria," Dillon explained. "Over the next week while we processed the scene it began to rot and smell really bad, and it blended with the other unfortunate smells, like blood just down the hallway - the smell of evil. After that, anytime I'd smell pizza, it would take me back to that time."

During a 30-year career as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician, paramedic and police officer, Dillon had seen "the worst of the worst - plane crashes, burned bodies, terrible car accidents," he said. "Sandy Hook was the straw that broke the camel's back."

Plagued by anger, disbelief, sadness and flashbacks, Dillon withdrew from everyone. He carried his gun all the time so that he would be prepared if there was another attack. His world started to unravel. He began drinking too much. He and his wife divorced. After being arrested for driving while intoxicated, Dillon realized he needed help. He was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental illness associated with anxiety, agitation, fear, nightmares and the feeling of another tragedy looming everywhere.

In the nation's firehouses, hospitals, call centers and police stations, many first responders are struggling with PTSD wrought by both the everyday deaths and tragedies encountered on the job and a national epidemic of mass shootings, from Connecticut's Sandy Hook and Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, a bar in Dayton, Ohio, and a garlic festival in Gilroy, California.

First responder Ken Dillon with his dog, Murph. Dillon says he credits his recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder to self-awareness, professional help from doctors, and support from his peers and his agency. Photo by Eva Deitch for The Washington Post

"We rush into burning fires or deal with the worst injuries - that's our job, it's what we're trained to do," Dillon said. "But we're also human, and sometimes our brains can't compute the horrible things we see."

According to a 2015 national survey of over 4,000 police officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and firefighters, emergency workers are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide on average than another person - roughly 6 percent of those surveyed had tried to take their lives. A more recent survey of Virginia first responders similarly showed a heavy psychological toll.

New survey shows heavy psychological toll for Virginia first responders

A growing number of states, including Colorado, Texas, Vermont, Louisiana, Minnesota and Connecticut, have recently passed legislation to provide workers' compensation for first responders suffering from PTSD.

While the bills offering benefits have been heralded as victories for responders, they have also been criticized for being too restrictive, denying benefits to some vulnerable medical service personnel. For example, a bill passed in Connecticut in May provides benefits to police, fire and parole officers, but it excludes coverage for EMTs, paramedics and dispatchers. Critics of the bill say it also failed to consider the cumulative effect of tragedies to which the first responders were exposed. As the bill stands, a mental health professional must conclude that PTSD is the direct result of a certain qualifying event. For example, viewing a deceased minor, experiencing the death of a person, or witnessing a traumatic injury that causes the loss of a body part or vital body function.

Psychologists define a traumatic event as a situation in which a person experiences or perceives a threat of death or injury for themselves or others, causing stress and feelings of fear, helplessness and hyper-vigilance.

"These are normal reactions to an abnormal circumstance," explained Laurence Miller, a psychiatrist in Boca Raton, Florida, who often treats first responders dealing with mental trauma. "These mass shootings, especially when children are involved, that's when you see [first responders] break down," Miller said. "We all identify with children being slain. You see these people go numb and withdraw, they develop a lack of motivation, they second-guess themselves. If they've used alcohol as a coping mechanism in the past, they might abuse it."

Jill Barron, a Yale University psychiatrist, has worked with first responders after both 9/11 and the Sandy Hook massacre. She said first responders work in a hero culture, where broken bones and scars are considered battle wounds, while mental injuries are a sign of weakness. "They're dealing with trauma after trauma after trauma while being told to suck it up, toughen up," she said. "The attitude is push it down and move on."

In a 2017 University of Phoenix survey of 2,000 first responders, nearly 40 percent said they would face negative repercussions at work for seeking mental health services.

Gerry Realin, a retired Florida police officer, said he has experienced such repercussions firsthand. Realin worked on the hazmat team that responded on June 12, 2016, to the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were fatally shot and 53 others were injured. After spending nearly five hours inside the club identifying, moving and body-bagging the bullet-riddled slain victims, Realin couldn't stop having nightmares and flashbacks. The sight of a white sheet, used at the scene to cover the corpses, still takes him back to the scene. "My wife doesn't buy white anymore," Realin said. "All our blankets are blue."

Realin retired on disability but is locked in a legal battle with the city of Orlando over health costs related to his treatment. (Orlando city public information officer Karyn Barber said the city "is committed to the health and well-being of our first responders" and that Realin "is receiving all benefits for which he is eligible.")

At the time of the Pulse shooting, Florida did not provide workers' compensation for such mental health injuries as PTSD without an accompanying physical injury, though it does now, spurred in part by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February 2018, in which 17 students and staff were killed.

Troy Anderson, a former Connecticut state police sergeant who responded to the Sandy Hook shooting and subsequently led the effort to create Connecticut's State Troopers Offering Peer Support (STOPS) program providing officers with confidential peer counseling services, said new laws in Florida, Connecticut and elsewhere that provide benefits to first responders suffering from PTSD will help a lot of people.

However, he said he thinks there needs to be a cultural shift to provide emergency workers support long before they're exposed to traumas that can cause PTSD. "At the [police] academy, you spend forever learning how to make your bed and do a hundred pushups, but there needs to be training for how to take care of your mental health, because tragedy is going to happen," he said. "If you are educated ahead of time, you're going to say, I know what this is - it's post traumatic stress - and I know what to do, and I know it's okay to get help."

Dillon credits his recovery from PTSD to self-awareness, professional help from doctors, and support from his peers and his agency. "You can't delete PTSD, you're never completely cured, but you can learn to combat the symptoms and the triggers in a healthy way," he said. "The old me would have a beer. Now I talk it out with somebody, or go for a hike."

It's important for first responders to remember that it's normal to have a mental response to tragedies, he said. "We're all human. We all have emotions. And we can smash the stigma so people aren't afraid to talk about it."

This article was written by Rene Ebersole, a reporter for The Washington Post.

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First responders struggle with PTSD caused by the emergencies, deaths, tragedies they face every day - Brainerd Dispatch