Nursing is one of the fastest growing fields in the industry. With a 22% increase in nursing position expected through the year 2018, many professionals are choosing to make drastic career moves by leaving their current careers and entering the nursing field. Nursing is one of the safest industries so many are choosing to earn second degrees in nursing. Second degree nursing programs offer professionals another opportunity to work in a career with an abundance of promise.
What are Second Degree BSN Nursing Programs?
A second degree BSN nursing program is designed to give those who currently have a bachelors degree in a non-nursing field the opportunity to earn a nursing degree in a shorter amount of time. For example, if professionals currently have Bachelors Degree in Education, they can earn a second degree BSN so that they can make a career move. The program moves very quickly so students must dedicate a significant amount of time to the programs to make sure that they are successful in their nursing programs.
A number of credits from the first bachelors degree program may apply toward the second degree BSN program. The majority of the general education courses—such as social sciences, communications, and humanities– from the previous bachelors degree program may apply toward the second degree BNS degree.
The second degree nursing programs focus on disease prevention, adult and family health, promoting health, and maximizing wellness levels. Students get to work with experienced medical professionals during their clinical experiences and nursing programs, and they are prepared to work in acute care, emergency rooms, critical care, intensive care, and other medical facilities. Students are eligible to take the licensing exam to become Registered Nurses upon completing their second degree BSN programs.
How do Fast Track Nursing Programs Work?
The second degree BSN program is an accelerated program that allows nursing school students to begin working quickly. The second degree BSN program is a fast track program that students can complete in 12 to 20 months. The average length of these fast track programs is 15 months. The reason that these programs offer students a bachelors degree in nursing in less than 4 years is that they only require that students to complete core nursing courses to complete the programs. Students must first complete all the general education course requirements before they can begin the fast track programs.
Fast track program help students attain all program objectives in a shorter amount of time than it would take to earn the traditional BSN. The programs combine core content and bridge courses to accelerate the students through the programs. Students must attend this program on a full-time basis and take the courses back to back with no breaks in between the sessions. The number of clinical hours that nursing student must take in their second degree BSN program is the same as the number required in traditional nursing programs.
Pros and Cons of Second Degree BSN Nursing Programs
The pros definitely outweigh the cons when it comes to enrolling in second degree BSN nursing programs.
Pros-
- The programs are short. Students attend the programs for 12 to 20 months and earn their Bachelors Degree in Nursing so that they can start their new careers.
- They can become Registered Nurses. Once students have fulfilled the requirements that their second degree nursing program and the State Board of Nursing requires, they can take the licensing examination to become Registered Nurses.
- They allow professionals the chance to start a new career. Not many programs allow students to earn a bachelor’s degree in less than one year, but the second degree nursing program does.
Cons-
- Students must have a 3.0 GPA or higher to begin the programs. It may be hard for some people to earn their second degree BSN if they do not meet the GPA requirements.
- Programs move very quickly. The program is full-time and moves quickly. It can be very easy to fall behind in the nursing program if students cannot keep up with the course content.
- Students may not be able to start the program immediately. These programs have prerequisites that students must meet before they can enroll in the programs. It may take several months to begin the programs if students do not meet certain requirements.
Second degree nursing programs offer students a rare opportunity to receive a Bachelors Degree in Nursing in a fraction of the time it takes to earn the degree in the traditional manner. The accelerated program allows nursing students to fast track their education so that they can begin working in no time.