Did you spend your undergraduate college years researching the history of the American Civil War ? Was your four years in school spent analyzing the works of great modern day American poets? If so, believe it or not, according to many health care educators you may be well prepared to enter nursing school.
A growing number of adults who already hold bachelor’s degrees in fields like English literature or history are now returning to school to pursue yet another bachelor’s degree-this time in nursing. And in many cases such a degree is only a two year nursing degree, even though for an undergraduate student it usually takes four.
Why Get a Second Degree at All?
Many students study what really appeals to them in undergraduate school, which is a wonderful thing, until it comes to finding a job. A degree in history is great if you want to become a teacher or other kind of academic but such jobs while supremely satisfying are not the highest paying in the world, or the easiest to find.
Nursing on the other hand is one profession that continues to grow, recession or no recession. And the job prospects are even better for those who hold a bachelor’s of science in nursing over an associates. Even though those completing a 2 year nursing degree to earn an associates degree can also become RNS for higher level positions many facilities prefer those with a BSN.
The biggest reason so many people opt for a 2 year nursing degree over a 4 year one initially is a purely financial one. Such programs cost less and get the graduate out into the world of work and earning a good salary faster. Most of those who opt to pursue a second degree program in nursing though are already out there, albeit in a different profession, so they have an advantage right there.
What Does a Second Degree 2 Year Nursing Degree Cover?
Second-degree programs offer individuals who already hold a bachelor degree an accelerated way to obtain their B.S.N. by focusing only on the required practical nursing courses and clinical hours that a student will need to become an RN and a good nurse.
How? Because those initial undergraduate credits, even if earned for a totally different subject, can be applied towards the B.S.N 2 year nursing degree.
This transfer of previous credits shortens the amount of time generally needed to earn a B.S.N. Most of these accelerated 2 year second degree programs can be completed in 24 months, or even as little as 12, depending on a student’s prior educational background and whether he or she attends school full time or part time the second time around.
Obtaining the funds to complete a second degree can put off these older students and lead them to stop considering a 2 year nursing degree in addition to the one they already hold. There is help available though. More and more healthcare facilities are realizing that these second time around students may be the best answer to their nursing shortages and will help fund these people’s 2 year nursing degree in return for certain commitments after graduation.
Related posts: