Different Types of Accelerated Nursing Programs

Accelerated Nursing Programs

Of the considerable number of medical professionals or nurses working, not every one of them chose to enter the workforce when they completed school or college. Some people decided, later, to get a nursing degree even after the fact that they already have a degree in something else. (Anbari, 2015). Now, someone with a degree can obtain an additional nursing degree, whether it’s bachelor’s or associate, without having to complete two to four more years of college. There are several rigorous Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs that can be completed online or in the classroom. These programs are aimed at individuals who have already completed most of the prerequisites required for the BSN programs (Nugent & LaRocco, 2014). There are also fast track or accelerated programs for Registered Nurses (RN) or even Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) to receive a BSN or an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) at a faster pace than going through a traditional program (Anbari, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to highlight the different types of accelerated Nursing programs, an example of a specific fast track program offered, and concluding with my thoughts on choosing an accelerated nursing program.

There are several different types of accelerated Nursing programs. Some may require one to have a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s in a major other than nursing. Some programs are fast track to an ASN and some to a BSN. Also, there are some programs that may require you to be an RN or even an LPN (Beogo, Liu, Dlamini, & Gagnon, 2015). For example, I know from experience of a program that allows LPN’s, Respiratory Therapists, and Paramedics to bridge or take nursing courses that will allow someone to obtain their ASN in three semesters and dive right into the RN to BSN track without losing any credits (Abac.edu, 2018). Let’s look at this program offered at Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College (ABAC) located in Tifton, GA.

Overview of ABAC’s One-Year Bridge Program

I can recall being in Respiratory School and my fellow classmates were carrying on about this program where you can get your nursing degree in one year. Oh, how interesting did that sound! In my mind, I was thinking, what’s the catch? Well, to my surprise, this school and one of few schools, in Georgia did allow Respiratory Therapists to bridge to become an RN. The requirements, like a certain GPA, degree/ license type, and certain classes/prerequisites, weren’t too far off from the general requirements of other schools. One difference in classes, is that they did require for the student to take a pharmacology class within a year of applying to the program, and the student must take this course at ABAC. This program only admits twice a year, during the spring and summer of every year (Abac.edu, 2018). Depending on the term you start in, you will have to meet on the same day every week starting early in the morning and ending at night. A typical day start off around 07:00 in the morning with lectures and labs and end with a clinical rotation around 11:00 at night. This program is very demanding and require some major discipline and determination.

Conclusion

There are many pros to an accelerated nursing program. One advantage is being able to obtain a nursing degree in a shorter time frame if you already have an associate’s, bachelors, or even a master’s degree. Another wonderful benefit is that many of these types of programs can be done online or at a distance with local clinical sites. Most programs like this are established so that people would still be able to work fulltime or part-time, have a social life, family time, and complete their degree all at once. According to a performance survey done by Beogo, Liu, Dlamini, & Gagnon, “findings suggest that fast-track program students performed better than the ones from the traditional generic program” (2015, pg. 1). Because of the above, I do recommend accelerated BSN or ASN nursing programs to those individuals that meet the requirements and are dedicated to go the extra mile that it may take to succeed.