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By 2012 the US Department of Labor projects the medical system will need more than one million new and replacement Registered Nurses in the US. So many nursing schools around the country are exploring ways in which to increase capacity and reach new student populations. One such way is to use accelerated nursing programs which provide accelerated nursing programs for non-nursing graduates. These schools offer a Baccalaureate and Master's Degree programs which build on you prior learning experiences. They provide a means for those individuals who have undergraduate degrees in some other fields to transfer into accelerated nursing programs.

Such accelerated programs offer the student the quickest route to a license as a Registered Nurse (RN) for those who have already completed a Bachelor's or Graduate's degree in a non nursing discipline. 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 about 3 years to finish.

At present such accelerated nursing programs are available in most states and also in the District of Columbia and Guam. By July 2006 there were almost 200 accelerated baccalaureate programs and just under 50 accelerated master's programs at nursing schools across the country. Further more as of July 2006 there were another 40 accelerated bachelor degree programs in the planning stage along with 17 accelerated master's programs.

So what exactly is accelerated nursing education?

These programs accomplish the required training in a very short time since they build on your previous learning experiences. The instruction provided on these programs is often intense as the courses are offered to students full time with no breaks between sessions. But the students on these programs get the same number of hours as those who are using traditional nursing programs.

Admission standards for these programs 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 before they are accepted. But those who are accepted for these programs are encouraged NOT to also try and hold down a job, as the rigors that are associated with this intense training will make it hard for them to be able to complete the degree requirements.

The nursing schools which provide accelerated programs are specifically geared to those individuals who have already proven their ability to succeed at a college. Most students who have already finished either a bachelor's degree, or are graduate degree students tend to be attracted to fast track programs as they are the natural next step in their education training and a successful nursing career.