Sometime around the year 2012 the U.S. Department of Labor projects the medical system will need more than one million new and replacement Registered Nurses . So many nursing schools around the country are exploring ways in which they can increase school capacity and reach new students. One such way is by the use of fast track nursing schools which provide accelerated 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 an undergraduate degrees in other fields of expertise to transfer into accelerated nursing programs.

Accelerated nursing programs offer the student the simplest route to gain a license as a Registered Nurse for those who have completed a Bachelor's degree in some other field. Such programs take between 11 to 18 months to finish and include various prerequisites, While a fast track master's degree program will generally take the students around 3 years to finish.

At present such accelerated nursing programs are available in most states and also in the District of Columbia. By July 2006 there were 173 accelerated baccalaureate programs and 46 accelerated master's programs to be found at nursing schools across the US. Further more as of July 2006 there were another 40 accelerated bachelor degree programs being developed as well as 17 accelerated master's programs.

What are accelerated nursing programs about?

These programs accomplish the training required in a short time as 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. However the students on these programs will receive the same number of hours as those of their counterparts who are using traditional nursing schools.

Admission standards are high and they will usually require the student to have a minimum of 3.0 GPA, and the student will usually have to go through a thorough screening process. But those who eventually are accepted for these programs 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 complete the degree requirements.

The nursing schools which provide accelerated nursing programs are specifically designed for those individuals who have already shown their ability to succeed at a college. Most students who have already completed 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.