Articles - Snippits

By 2012 the US Department of Labor projects the medical system will need more than 1,000,000 new and replacement Registered Nurses . So many nursing schools around the country are trying to find ways in which to increase school capacity and reach more new students. One way is to use fast track nursing schools which provide accelerated nursing programs for non-nursing graduates. These nursing schools offer both a Baccalaureate and Master's Degree programs which build on previous learning experiences. Thus they provide a way for those individuals who have undergraduate degrees in some other fields of expertise to transfer into accelerated nursing programs.

Such accelerated programs offer the student the simplest route to a license as a Registered Nurse (RN) for those who have completed a Bachelor's degree in a non nursing discipline. Such programs take between 11 to 18 months to finish and include some prerequisites, While an accelerated master's degree program will generally take the students around 3 years to finish.

At present such accelerated nursing programs are available in 43 states across the US and also in the District of Columbia and Guam. By July 2006 there were almost 200 accelerated baccalaureate programs and 46 accelerated master's degree programs to be found at nursing schools across the country. And as of July 2006 there were another 40 accelerated baccalaureate programs being developed along with 17 accelerated master's programs.

So what is accelerated nursing education?

These programs accomplish the required training in a very short time since they build on previous learning experiences. The instruction provided on these programs is intense as the courses are offered to students full time with no breaks between sessions. However the students on these programs get the same number of hours as those who are using traditional nursing programs.

Admission standards are high and they will typically require the student to have a minimum of 3.0 GPA, and the student usually will have to go through a screening process before they are accepted. But those who eventually are accepted for these programs are encouraged NOT to also try and hold down a full time job, as the pressures that are associated with this intense training will make it difficult for them to complete the degree requirements.

The nursing schools which provide these accelerated nursing programs are specifically geared to those individuals who have already proven their ability to succeed at a college or university. Most students who have already finished either a bachelor's degree, or are graduate degree students tend to be attracted to these fast track programs as they are the natural next step in their education and a successful nursing career.