PNW has joined the nationwide effort to solve the nursing shortage by offering an accelerated nursing degree to students who have already completed their undergraduate work.
The College of Nursing is one of 327 U.S. schools offering an accelerated baccalaureate of science degree in Nursing in just four semesters. The program is designed for people who studied other disciplines in college but ultimately decide they really want to become nurses.
The accelerated program began in 2007 and has kept a steady enrollment.
“We typically have between 30 and 40 accelerated BSN students in the program at one time,” said Ericka Taylor-Joseph, an academic and student success advisor in the College of Nursing.
The need is significant. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the nation will need more than 203,000 new RNs every year through 2026.
Kaitlyn Kennedy, an accelerated BSN student, is a Northwest Indiana resident who discovered the program during the year after she completed her undergraduate work at the University of Pittsburgh.
“I was not aware of PNWs accelerated program, but was pleased to see them in my internet searches for nursing programs,” said Kennedy.
The program is open to anyone who has a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, has completed a list of prerequisites and has a grade point average of 3.0 or above. Coursework for the accelerated program is intense and demanding.
“After acceptance to the program you get the ball rolling right away with 19 credit hours for your first semester, with courses ranging from Health Assessment to Pharmacology,” said Kennedy. “Over the course of the four semesters, we take a variety of nursing courses and travel to many different clinicals to prepare us for nursing boards.”
Taylor-Joseph said students must also get some hands-on experience by doing clinical rotations.
While the program is accelerated, students who qualify for it tend to be ready for the heavy load.
“I do feel I … benefit … from having a bachelors in Rehabilitation Science,” said Kennedy. “Most of my courses were healthcare-related and I have had experiences working in a hospital and outpatient settings.”
Kennedy also benefits from previous medical experience. She was a medical assistant at Kids First Pediatrics and at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Ear and Eye Institute. She also was a certified nursing assistant at Community Hospital in Munster and volunteered for Medlife, a global non-profit organization that provides medicine, education, and development to low-income communities in Latin America and Africa. She worked in Lima, Peru.
Taylor-Joseph said the accelerated program prepares students well for a nursing career.
“Our accelerated BSN students often have multiple … offers for very well-paying jobs once they graduate,” she said.
Kennedy said she is happy to have enrolled.
“PNW’s accelerated program has been a wonderful experience that I am so grateful to be a part of,” she said. “I feel like I am getting a well-rounded education. I definitely recommend this program to anyone interested in a career change or an opportunity to advance their education.”