Sometime around the year 2012 the U.S. Department of Labor estimates there will be a need for more than 1,000,000 new and replacement Registered Nurses . So many nursing schools across the country are exploring ways in which they can increase school capacity and reach new students. One such way is accelerated nursing programs which provide nursing programs for non-nursing graduates. These nursing schools offer both a Baccalaureate and Master's Degree programs which build on you prior learning experiences. They provide a means for those individuals who have undergraduate degrees in some other fields of expertise to transfer into nursing programs.

Accelerated nursing programs give the student the quickest route to a license as a Registered Nurse (RN) for those who have already completed a Bachelor's or Graduate's degree in some other field. Such programs take between 11 to 18 months to complete and include various prerequisites, While a fast track master's degree program will generally take the students around 3 years to complete.

At present such accelerated nursing programs are available in most states across the US and also in the District of Columbia and Guam. By the middle of 2006 there were almost 200 accelerated baccalaureate programs and 46 accelerated master's programs at nursing schools all across the country. And as of July 2006 there were another 40 accelerated bachelor programs being developed as well as 17 accelerated master's programs.

What are accelerated nursing programs about?

These unique programs accomplish the training required in a short time since they build on your 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. But the students on these programs will receive the same number of hours as those who are using traditional nursing programs.

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

The nursing schools which provide accelerated nursing programs are specifically geared to those individuals who have already shown 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 fast track programs as they are the logical next step in their education training and a successful nursing career.