Accelerated Nursing Programs and Clinical Experience

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One concern about accelerated nursing programs is the time involved with clinical training. In a typical nursing program, clinical hours make up a portion of the overall instruction time, allowing student nurses to participate in real-life medical care under direct supervision of instructors. In the average RN to BSN accelerated nursing program, the time to complete the program requirements is significantly shorter than in an entry-level nursing school program. In addition, many of these programs are offered at online nursing schools, at times appearing to emphasize academics over hands-on training, creating doubt about the overall educational benefit of accelerated nursing programs.

Clinical experience in an accelerated nursing program, however, is not deemphasized in favor of textbook instruction. Many of these programs build upon the academic experience earned by those that have already completed a degree in another concentration, such as a Bachelor of Arts, or the basics of an Associate of Science in Nursing degree. With such levels of education already obtained, the accelerated nursing programs are designed to focus on the remaining education and training needed to complete the standard requirements, both academic and clinical, of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Many of those already employed in nursing or another field choose an online nursing program in order to continue to quickly achieve career goals in a flexible program that can work around any job or life obligations. The online programs may integrate more medical simulations than in-person clinical experience, but these simulations also allow for more complex medical scenarios to occur than what can happen during a typical clinical rotation. In fact, because of these scenarios and the realism of the simulations, many standard nursing school programs are using the same simulations to train nurses within a hospital or other clinical environment.



Accelerated nursing programs are a viable option for those seeking to move ahead with career goals in the nursing field, or begin nursing as a second career. These programs are accredited by both CCNE and NLNAC, assuring nursing school students and future employers that the fast pace of the programs are comparable to standard nursing school programs.

Labels: accelerated nursing program, Online Nursing Programs