Accelerated Nursing Programs

While many nurses are in their first, and only, career, other nurses go into to colleges for nursing after having a first career, making their experience in getting their RN license different from those who choose a traditional path. Accelerated nursing programs help people who already possess bachelor's degrees and master's degrees by offering a compressed course of study at colleges for nursing.

Accelerated Nursing Programs for the BSN/RN

More than 200 colleges for nursing in the United States offer accelerated nursing programs. The typical bachelor's level program offers students the chance to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, called a BSN. These programs usually involve a student who already earned a non-nursing degree and who wishes to take the remaining courses needed for a BSN, and to then sit for RN license exams. The average BSN accelerated nursing program lasts from 11 to 18 months, with no breaks of any kind (not even the traditional week of spring break). At the end of the program, the student sits for the RN license and graduates with a full BSN.

Accelerated Nursing Programs for the MSN/RN

MSN programs at colleges for nursing that offer accelerated nursing programs are typically three years in length, and at the end the graduate has earned a MSN degree and can sit for RN license exams. MSN programs often allow the graduate to become a Nurse Practitioner (NP), a level of distinction that, in some states, allows the nurse to write prescriptions.

Traditional or Accelerated Program?? You Choose

As the name suggested, an accelerated nursing program is a highly-compressed nursing education. The student is in school and clinical experience for far more than 40 hours per week most weeks, and students cannot hold outside jobs while completing an accelerated nursing program. This can be difficult for prospective nursing students who need income to survive during accelerated nursing programs, but the payoff is worth it. In some markets, newly-graduated nurses can command salaries of $70,000 per year or more.

For some nursing students, a traditional program or a part-time program at a college of nursing that allows them to continue earning income while slowly finishing nursing school is a better choice. Many community colleges have nursing programs that fit into a working adult's life with minimal impact on full-time jobs. But for those who want a faster method for completing nursing school, accelerated nursing programs offer an excellent choice.