By the year 2012 the U.S. Department of Labor projects there will be a need for more than 1,000,000 new and replacement Registered Nurses in the US. As a result many nursing schools across the country are trying to find ways in which to increase school capacity and reach new student populations. One such way is by the use of accelerated nursing programs which provide accelerated nursing programs for non-nursing graduates. These schools offer a Baccalaureate and Master's Degree programs which build on you prior learning experiences. Thus they provide a way for those individuals who have undergraduate degrees in other fields to transfer into accelerated nursing programs.

Such accelerated programs offer the student the simplest route to gain 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 some prerequisites, While a fast track master's degree program will generally take the students 3 years to complete.

At present such accelerated nursing programs are available in most states and also in the District of Columbia. By July 2006 there were almost 200 accelerated bachelor degree programs and just under 50 accelerated master's degree programs to be found at nursing schools across the country. And as of July 2006 there were another 40 accelerated baccalaureate programs being developed along with 17 accelerated master's programs.

What will accelerated nursing program do for me?

These unique programs accomplish the training required in a very short time since they build on previous learning experiences. The instruction provided on these programs is often intense as the courses are offered to students full time with no breaks between sessions. But the students on these programs get the same number of credit hours as those who are using traditional nursing schools.

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

The nursing schools which provide accelerated programs are specifically geared to those individuals who have already shown their ability to succeed at a college. Many 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.