Talk to anyone who’s thinking of switching careers and they’ll likely say, “I want to feel like I’m making a difference.”  While there are many ways to do that, nursing is at the top of many a career switcher’s list, mainly because it’s so highly-regarded. According to Gallup Polls, nurses consistently rank highest for honesty and adherence to ethical standards.

For many people, however, going back to college makes a nursing career unattainable. Registered nurses must first earn an associate’s degree which usually means two more years of school; and in today’s healthcare environment, many employers require a bachelor’s degree. How many people do you know who can take several years off to earn another degree?

Enter: The Accelerated BSN Program

What if there was a better way . . . a program that could be completed in just one year? That’s now possible with ECPI University’s new BS to BSN program. ECPI University has acquired Remington College of Nursing’s Orlando campus, a school focused on helping career switchers enter the nursing profession through an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program.

Anyone who has already earned a bachelor’s degree can qualify for this program. It doesn’t matter what kind of degree – computer science, criminal justice, business, accounting, or even art history. Depending on the major, there might be some prerequisite classes to be completed beforehand, but those can be taken at night or online, minimizing disruptions to a prospective student’s current schedule.

With ECPI University’s accelerated nursing program, students can learn both the art and science of nursing. Working in our hands-on laboratory environment, they work with advanced simulation technology, covering such topics as:

• Physiology
• Pharmacology
• Microbiology
• Anatomy
• Mental Health Nursing
• Care for Women and Children
• Community Health
• Clinical Reasoning
• Medical/Surgical Nursing

After just 12 short months, graduates can then be prepared to take the NCLEX-RN examination to become registered nurses (RN). Once they’ve passed, they emerge as RNs with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a health professional highly sought after by many healthcare employers, as the healthcare industry is becoming more reliant on nurses to care for the growing population of aging Americans. Nurses are being given more responsibility which means they must possess greater expertise.  

What is the Demand for BSN Nurses?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the United States will see considerable growth in its older population between 2012 and 2050. By then, the population ages 65 and older is projected to be nearly 84 million, nearly double that of 2012. Baby boomers are largely responsible for the increase, as they began turning 65 in 2011. Given the heightened demand for high-level caregiving, the American Nurses Association has set a goal for 2020 that 80% of all nurses hold a BSN (Source: Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 26 January 2011.

ECPI University’s BS to BSN program is now being offered at its new Orlando College of Nursing campus in Lake Mary. Here’s how it works: classes are held four to five days a week – no breaks – for 12 months. Toward the end of the program, students begin clinical rotations, working in actual healthcare settings with ECPI University partners, including:

• Orlando Regional Medical Center
• Winnie Palmer Hospital
• Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
• South Seminole Hospital
• Lucerne Hospital
• Dr. P. Phillips Hospital
• Central Florida Regional Hospital
• Winter Haven Hospital
• University Behavior Center
• MD Anderson
• Bert Fish Hospital
• Health Central