Acclerated Nursing Programs – Overview & Admission Requirements

Accelerated Nursing Programs

Looking for accelerated nursing? Can you imagine completeing your Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BSN) in as little as 11 to 18 months, or even a Masters Degree in Nursing in as fast as 3 years or even less?! Accelerated nursing programs, also known as second degree nursing programs have made all of this and more possible, allowing students who have already completed a degree in a different study, and are eager to start a carrer to essentially take the fast track and knock out their degree in record time. These programs consist of both classroom learning also known as didactic or labratory as well as hands on training in a clinical setting. According to The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, as of 2010 there were a total of 231 accredited accelerated nurse programs offering Bachelors Degrees as well as another 63 accredited colleges offering fast track nursing programs.

These programs tend to required a larger annual tuition total, but due to the time you make up with the shorter time frame it takes to get your degree, you pretty much come out even. The semesters or quarters are all consecutive, with no breaks in the middle offering a very rigourous class schedule. As far as admission requirements go, below is an indepth overview of what you will have to come up with in order to be accepted into a fast track nursing program.

Asmission Requirements For Fast Track Nursing Programs

Admittance requirements for accelerated nursing programs can vary depending on the school as well as the state, but entry prerequisites tend to follow similiar guidlines which consist of:

• A bachelors degree in which certain GPA requirements need to be met for the overall, which is usually around 3.0 as well as science GPA which can range from 2.5 to 3.0. The degree needs to come from an accredited college.
• Completion of prerequisite courses in various classes that can include; Psychology, Biology, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, English and Statistics among others. Anywhere from a C to a B can be required for all prerequisite courses, which tend to be required to have been taken in the past ten years.
• Completion of the Graduation Record Exam (GRE) within the past 5 years. Certain minimum scores can be required as well, unless sometime it is irrevelant if one has acheived a certain GPA.
• CPR Certification.
• Criminal background check.
• A personal essay.
• Letters of reference.
• Submission of your resume.
• Be both physicially and emotionally stable.
• For accelerated nursing programs offering Masters Degres the Graduation Management Admissions Test (GMAT) as well as the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) scores may be required which are essentially tests which are tools to assess whether the applicant is ready to enter graduate school from a mental standpoint.

It is also important to note that when looking for acclerated nursing programs often times they suggest certain prerequisites, which aren’t “required” but they prefer that their applicants attain them. It is a good idea to go above and beyond and attain these requirements as they will only better your chances for acceptance into the fast track nursing program as well as set yourself apart from other applicants without them. It is also important to note that these programs require a full time commitment and nothing less, so it is usually advised that one doen’t work during the time they are enrolled in the fast track degree program as the a multipe year program is condensed to half or less time when compared to a traditional degree program. Upon completion of accelerated nursing programs graduates are then eligible to sit for the National Council for Lincensure Examination (NCLEX).