| The nationwide nursing shortage has created an army | | | | and get your degree much faster, possibly in as little as |
| of prospective nursing students ready, eager and | | | | two years. |
| willing to get a nursing degree and enter the ranks of | | | | Career colleges are businesses; therefore, they want |
| registered nurses. | | | | to help you to succeed, because a high passing rate |
| The problem? The dreaded, infamous nursing school | | | | for their students makes them more attractive to |
| waiting lists. Traditional bachelor's degree of science in | | | | prospective students. |
| nursing programs are so in demand right now that just | | | | They will generally offer an Associate's Degree in |
| about every school is forced to turn away dozens, if | | | | nursing rather than a Bachelor's of Science degree in |
| not hundreds, of qualified students at every application | | | | nursing. An associates is technically a two year |
| cycle. | | | | degree, although there are about a year's worth of |
| By qualified, we mean students with good grades, no | | | | prerequisite courses that must be taken before |
| criminal background, good references. | | | | starting an ADN program. Some career colleges, |
| Students may reapply three or four times before they | | | | though, offer those classes in a much faster format, |
| get in, or they may never get in to their four-year BSN | | | | which helps you graduate faster. They do this by |
| program of choice. | | | | offering each prerequisite class in a format where, |
| According to the National Association of Colleges of | | | | instead of taking each prerequisite class for a couple |
| Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away 42,2866 | | | | of hours twice a week for a semester, classes are |
| qualified applicants from bachelor's degree programs | | | | taken all day, five days a week, for a month. |
| and graduate schools in 2006. | | | | Once you get an Associate's Degree in Nursing and |
| One solution? If you are eager to go to nursing school, | | | | pass the NCLEX-Rn, you will be a registered nurse. it |
| you may want to consider a "career college", also | | | | is easy to take an RN to BSN program; those |
| known in some places as vocational schools or | | | | programs do not have long waiting lists. The trick is |
| technical schools or degree schools. Note: not all | | | | getting your RN degree in the first place. |
| vocational or technical schools are private, and the | | | | Although a career college will cost you more, it may |
| public schools will likely have long waiting lists, because | | | | shorten your wait to get into nursing school so much |
| they are cheaper. | | | | that it turns out to be worth it. |
| Career colleges are private, for-profit schools that | | | | It is important to check with your State Board of |
| offer degrees in areas like registered nursing, practical | | | | Nursing to make sure that your nursing school program |
| nursing, computer technology, fire sciences technology, | | | | is accredited. It's not a bad idea to make sure the |
| law enforcement, and other specific career-oriented | | | | program has already graduated AT LEAST one class |
| programs. The liberal arts courses that they offer are | | | | of nurses, preferably several. But rest assured, career |
| the ones that are required to complete those degrees. | | | | colleges are a legitimate option for frustrated wannabe |
| Career colleges generally cost considerably more than | | | | nursing students who are waiting to start their dream |
| community colleges and state universities, but they | | | | career and don't want to have to wait any longer. |
| have a huge advantage: you will get in much faster, | | | | |