The pathway to a nursing career attracts a diversity of student, especially now that so many niche nursing specialties offer unique challenges and work environments. Some of the most unique students streaming into the field are adult career-changers.
Adult learners and career-changers have inspired a couple of key changes in the way nursing education is delivered:
But what attracts a professional busy in another profession entirely to turn his or her head toward the idea of nursing as a gainful career?
Nursing offers steady income. Variations in region, type of nursing degree, type of patient care facility all factor into a nurse’s salary. However, those salaries are fairly unwavering, which is a big attraction for career-changers looking for a reliable income.
Big demand for nurses keeps career-changers entering the field. The nursing shortage continues to net new nursing recruits from every walk of life. But, regardless, the field is one that perennially requires “new blood.”
Career mobility is enviable in the nursing field, as well. With the push to urge RNs into upper levels of healthcare management, pursue more unique fields of nursing specialization, AND the era of online education the opportunity to take an entry-level nursing job into an advanced practice is well within reach.
Accelerated degree programs are more and more commonplace at most schools of nursing. What’s more they are ready made for career-changers. An accelerated BSN or MSN, abbreviated A-BSN or A-MSN, allows you to parlay the education already earned in a first degree in another field of study. For example, a prospective nursing student with a previous Bachelors degree in English is a candidate for an A-BSN.
What’s different about an accelerated nursing degree program? You can finish your education in half the time, ideally, since many of your four-year required courses have already been satisfied. The balance of your education is solely dedicated to the nursing academics and clinical skills.