The need for skilled, compassionate nurses is greater than ever. Recent evaluations of the nursing profession show there is an ongoing shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. If you have thought about moving into nursing as a career, consider an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program.
- What Is an ABSN Program?
- What Career Can I Pursue After Completing the ABSN?
- Put Your Current Skills to Work
- ABSN Programs Attract Students from All Fields
- What does the Program Teach?
- Select a Recognized and Accredited ABSN Program
What Is an ABSN Program?
An online accelerated nursing program is designed for people who already have a bachelor’s degree. In just one year of rigorous, full-time coursework, you can achieve a nursing degree (BSN) and step into a new career.
What Career Can I Pursue After Completing the ABSN?
Completion of the ABSN program prepares you to become licensed as a bachelor’s-prepared registered nurse (RN). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that RNs will be among the jobs in greatest demand through 2029, with a faster-than-average job growth rate of 7%. The need for RNs is increasing as the U.S. population grows older.
As baby boomers and Gen-Xers move into retirement, more nurses are needed to deliver health care services to seniors, babies and everyone in between. From hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and physician practices to home-based care, schools, community-based clinics and nursing homes, many clinical settings need RNs.
Choosing a career in nursing sets you on a path to help others in a concrete way. RNs are filling key roles in communities where there is a shortage of primary care providers. An accelerated nursing program prepares you to care for individuals, families and communities.
Put Your Current Skills to Work
If you are changing careers, enrolling in an ABSN program is an ideal way to take your work experience and existing skills, such as interpersonal communication or administrative skills, and apply them in the clinical setting.
You may have already proven your critical thinking skills and ability to solve problems in your current career. This program can help you successfully pivot and meet the challenge of applying those skills in a fulfilling and meaningful new field.
ABSN Programs Attract Students from All Fields
People who enter an accelerated nursing program come from a variety of career and educational backgrounds. A study reported by the American Nurses Association found that more than one-third of students in second-degree programs earned their bachelor’s degrees in science and health-related fields, but the remainder were in fields as varied as the arts & humanities, business, engineering and education.
What Does the Program Teach?
An accelerated nursing program provides a high-quality education on the foundational knowledge required for nursing, including medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, the role of nutrition in human health and much more.
Candidates will develop the skills and knowledge to deliver evidence-based care. A patient-centered approach balances evaluating each person’s history, complaints and needs—even beyond those presented in the clinical setting—with the use of technology that supports consistent and safe nursing practices.
A Holistic Approach to Care
An accelerated nursing program also teaches nurses how to care for specific populations, taking cultural, economic or social factors into consideration during the evaluation and management of patients. This prepares nurses to not only act in the clinical setting, but to advocate as needed for patient populations in their care.
Nurses in the program learn a whole-person approach to patient care, so they understand how family structure, location and socioeconomic status can affect physical and mental health. The curriculum teaches them how to identify such health factors as stressors, access to healthy food and fitness levels.
Select a Recognized and Accredited ABSN Program
An accelerated nursing program is not just about speed. Wilkes University provides a rigorous academic program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. It is consistently and highly ranked by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, the Brookings Institution and others.
Support Services for Clinical Experience
Supervised practice in clinical settings is an important step in the academic process. The ABSN program at Wilkes includes guaranteed clinical placement services so each student can complete the 755 hours of practicum/internship required for the degree.
Placement services help students find a site near them that provides experience in their preferred area of emphasis, such as general medicine, surgical care, cardiac care, mental health, geriatrics, pediatric care or cancer care. The service also monitors hours and assists with documentation and clearance requirements.
The Path to Licensure
Once students successfully complete their year of coursework and clinical rotations, they must pass the nursing board exam (NCLEX-RN) to be licensed as an RN.
The Wilkes University online ABSN program includes intensive test preparation for the exam at no additional cost. Its students have historically high passing rates on the first attempt and consistently score above average when compared to other nursing board examinees in the U.S.
Learn more about Wilkes’ online ABSN program to see if it’s right for you.
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