Accelerated Nursing Degree Programs: What You Should Know
If you have been considering a career change and thinking of getting into the nursing profession, then an accelerated nursing degree program is for you.
Accelerated nursing degree programs have been offered since the late 1980s by nursing schools to respond to the shortage of nurses across the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the country needs more than a million licensed nurses by the year 2016 to replace retiring nurses and to cope with the rising population.
Accelerated nursing degree programs are offered to graduates of non-nursing baccalaureate degrees who plan to enter the nursing profession without going through the traditional four-year BSN programs. Second-career seekers can complete the accelerated programs in just 12 to 18 months and then take the NCLEX registered nursing licensure exams.
Most schools offering accelerated nursing degree programs require you to have at least a 3.0 GPA and some prerequisites, such as natural science requirements. If you have not taken these collegiate courses, such as microbiology and anatomy, some schools assist you by offering you these prerequisites before you start the accelerated nursing degree program.
Michigan is one of the states with plenty of accelerated nursing degree programs. The state government has recently given $17 million to nursing schools to fund their accelerated nursing degree programs and their training alliances with medical centers in the region. Among the schools offering accelerated BSN programs are the Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University and Lake Michigan College.
Meanwhile, NJ schools offering accelerated nursing degree programs include New Jersey City University, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey-Newark and William Paterson University of New Jersey.
Some NJ schools, such as Rutgers, start their program in May of every year, continue throughout the year and then end the following summer. Felician College, on the other hand, offers its fast track BSN through a cohort style of learning in which students move from course to course in a group and take the same courses at the same time.
In Massachusetts, there are at least 16 universities and colleges offering accelerated BSN programs approved by the state Board of Registration in Nursing. These include Curry College, Simmons College and University of Massachusetts in Amherst and in Boston. In addition, Massachusetts is also home to at least three of the most popular medical assisting schools in the country. A medical assistant helps the physician in providing administrative and clinical services, such as updating medical records, arranging for laboratory services and monitoring patients' vital signs.
To be successful in your shift to the nursing profession, keep in mind that the accelerated nursing degree program requires a high level of focus. Although the time frame is shortened, instruction is intense with no breaks between sessions. Students will have the same number of clinical hours as their counterparts in conventional programs. Nursing instructors expect their students to be competitive, fast-tracked and determined in their pursuit of their second baccalaureate degree.
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