Accelerated BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) programs train those with bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines to be nurses in a year to 18 months. The number of accelerated BSN programs offered by various college in the US has grown substantially, from just 31 in 1990 to 197 by 2006. These programs are now available in almost every state. And with the shortage of trained nurses on the increase, accelerated nursing degree programs continue to multiply.

To help you decide whether to go in for the Accelerated BSN Program, heres some more information.

Highly Competitive

People from many professions are seen to enter the Accelerated BSN Program. These include marketing professionals, stockbrokers, accountants, teachers and nutritionists.

The accelerated programs are selective. To cite an example, in 2003, there were 196 applicants for 40 places in the combined BSN/MS program at Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing in New York City and Pleasantville, New York.

Though most accelerated nursing programs offer admission to candidates with a bachelor’s degree in almost any field, many students may be required to complete science prerequisites at the matriculate level typically anatomy, physiology, chemistry and microbiology to gain admission. Candidates must also have a very good undergraduate GPA.

Hard Work

As with any accelerated program, the Accelerated BSN Progam also requires the candidates to work hard to cope with the intensive training schedule. Normally, there are no breaks between terms. Prospective candidates should show clear evidence of their ability to last the up to 18 months rigorous training.

Financially Challenging

Accelerated nursing programs can often hit the finances of the students and the families hard. Tuition fee for these intensive programs can come up to $30,000, and students may also find it impossible to work even part-time during their training program. Candidates should line up enough funds to last the entire program without any income from part-time work.

Student loans are an option that can be considered. Banks and other retail financial institutions are only too willing to advance money to Accelerated BSN Program students because of the generally good and ever improving career prospects in the nursing field. Some colleges also offer limited scholarships but further details are not immediately known. There is also an increasing trend among colleges to partner with hospitals to ease the financial burden of the students. Typically, these partnerships involve the partner hospitals offering to pay off all or part of the student loan or paying the tuition fee up-front to the students. The students in return are required to work in the benefactor hospital for a few years.

After Graduation

Accelerated BSNs, like other nurses, have many career options other than patient care in hospitals. These comprise school nursing, occupational health, rehabilitation, home care, case management and hospice care. Starting salaries for graduates typically range from $45,000 to $60,000. Good enough for a start?

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If you are looking to get into the nursing field but feel that you need to get it done as quickly as possible, try checking into accelerated nursing programs online. Due to technology as well as cultural changes, more and more colleges and universities are expanding their nursing departments to include distance learning. So much so that it is no longer unusual to find PhD nursing online programs as well. One of the most impressive is the Duquesne University School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. So, without having to leave your home, with the exception of one week per year just prior to Thanksgiving, you may attend this Ivy League university.

Accelerated nursing programs are intensive trainings, designed to meet the requirements of persons who have earlier earned a non – nursing bachelor diploma and are eager to start a nursing profession. If you pick to go to any of the accelerated nursing programs, you need to understand what are the conditions which you have to meet in order to qualify.

In these programs the students are taught, biology, pharmacology, physiology and primary health care. Coursework puts forth the knowledge you need and the clinical training allows you to put what you learn into practice right away. If you already have a degree, accelerated nursing schools or programs can be a delightful way to springboard into nursing. What makes accelerated nursing schools so necessary these days?

Currently there is a sparsity of experienced, skilled nurses that is expected to increase within the next few years, a result of the aging population of Americans, which also includes nursing staff. Side note: if you’re searching for useful, time-saving accelerated info or free nursing career resources – check out that excellent resource site just to give you more insight, according to Dr G. Donnelly, the current dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University, in 2020 the shortage of nurses is expected to be a serious problem.

The candidates for the accelerated nursing programs much show a proven ability to succeed at a senior college or university setting. The admission is usually difficult. They often must have a minimum grade point average of 3 in their first degree, and pass a pre-screening test, in which they will be asked about what they have been doing with themselves in previous years. Some programs also require as a prerequisite a few courses in biology or science, which will have to be completed before applying if the applicant did not follow them during the first degree.

As a result, the accelerated nursing programs students are usually excellent students, very motivated and not afraid of challenges. Due to their high performance, and the growing shortage of faculty members in the various programs of nursing education, many graduates of the second degree accelerated nursing programs are encouraged to become nurse educators.

Accelerated nursing programs for the baccalaureate level usually run for 11-18 months (as opposed to the 3-4 years for the regular programs). They are usually held with no break between the sessions of classes, so as to manage cover all required curriculum. The students are supposed to have the same amount of clinical hours as the regular degree students, which of course makes for a very tight work load.

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