Online Degree Program Students Move Into Expanding Health Care Arena With Their Nursing Degrees
People often change college majors, professions even. If you’re one of them and you’re considering becoming a registered nurse – or if you’re a registered nurse who recognizes entry-level trends in nursing and you want an advanced education – there are an array of nursing programs that might serve your needs and goals. Some are known as accelerated nursing programs.
Accelerated nursing programs are available at undergraduate and graduate degree levels. Some programs are available to registered nurses who have already earned associate degrees in nursing or obtained nursing diplomas from hospital schools. Other programs are tailored to individuals who have earned degrees other than nursing. In general, accelerated nursing programs take less time to complete than their more traditional counterparts do.
Accelerated nursing programs aren’t new, but they have increased over the past 15 years, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. These days, there are 230 accelerated nursing programs at the bachelor’s degree level alone where, in 1990, there were 31, the association reports. Accelerated nursing programs at the bachelor’s degree level often take 12 to 18 months and are often designed for students who have earned bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines. They’re known for being full-time and intense, without breaks between sessions, according to information from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. At the graduate degree level, accelerated nursing programs are often tailored to non-nursing degree-holders and often take three years to complete, the association notes.
These programs come at a time when the Tri-Council for Nursing reports that urgent needs exist in occupations such as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and nurse educators and when the Council is encouraging registered nurses to recognize entry level employment trends and advance their education and their careers. While some contend that a nursing shortage has eased in many parts of the country, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that there also are employers who have reported difficulties attracting and retaining registered nurses because of a lack of young workers who can fill positions within an aging workforce. Qualified program applicants are being turned away as a result of a faculty shortage, according to the Labor Bureau, which also anticipates that employment growth for registered nurses between 2008 and 2018 is to be much faster than the average for all occupations. Nursing employment prospects, according to the Labor Bureau, are to be particularly good for registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees and those with advanced practice specialties.
Liberal arts courses typically aren’t a part of accelerated bachelor’s degree programs for non-nursing degree holders, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing notes. Quinnipiac University in Connecticut is one of the institutions that provides an accelerated bachelor’s degree in nursing for students who hold bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines. Quinnipiac’s full-time program concentrates exclusively on nursing courses and takes 12 months to complete, its School of Nursing website notes.
Creighton University in Nebraska also offers full-time, one-year accelerated nursing programs for students with bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines. Vanderbilt University in Tennessee offers specialized, accelerated programs where even those with a nursing background might earn a graduate degree in a relatively swift amount of time. Programs at Vanderbilt’s School of Nursing are also flexible in format, allowing students to “learn where they live,” its website notes. Vanderbilt’s nursing school also has arrangements with colleges and universities throughout the country where students can combine a liberal arts degree with studies toward a masters in nursing.
Online nursing course options and programs that are flexible in format can no doubt make it easier for working professionals to advance their education. Working nurses and licensed registered nurses with hospital school diplomas or associate degrees might also opt for Regis University bachelor’s or masters degree programs that, according to the institution’s website, can be accomplished online or on campus. Regis also offers a full-time, 12-month accelerated nursing program at the bachelor’s level for non-nursing degree students who have completed prerequisite courses in advance.
Innovative online degree programs such as these provide students a wide variety of options to suit their needs and goals. With accelerated programs from schools for nursing, professionals might be more inclined to move into nursing careers or work toward advancing their existing careers. They might also find it easier to complete nursing programs in instances where those programs take less time to complete.
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