Are accelerated BSN programs looked down on?

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 13, 2007

It depends on the program.

If a particular program is as you described yours to be, then I don't know of any nurses who would have a problem with that. If you are truly taking comparable classes and doing comparable work, then there is no reason to be concerned.

However, not all programs are alike. There are a few that are cutting some corners in order to get the students through the program quickly. Those programs raise some legitimate concerns.

sarita279 · Jul 13, 2007

To any nurses currently working out there, do you think that students who graduate from accelerated programs are as well prepared as those from other programs? I'm trying to get the general perception of the nursing population.
I am currently an accelerated student, finishing up this August, and I'm wondering if I will hit any blocks because of the program I came from.
Incidentally, in case someone is unfamiliar, accelerated students have a previous bachelors in something else, so they get all the prereqs and history and stuff out of the way. That was they can just take nursing classes, and get through a bachelors in much less time. The number of clinical hours is exactly the same as for the regular nursing undergrads.
Have you heard anything?

I went through an accelerated program and I don't feel looked down upon at all because of that fact. (it's a different story when it comes to being a med-surg RN, but I digress).

My accelerated program was intense and challenging. Most of the people within the program are highly motivated and hard working. They take the education very seriously, knowing that they will be applying it in real life very soon.

Sometimes I think it would have been nice if I had had the time to do internships/work during the summer. The learning curve may be a little steeper at the beginning, but it all starts to come together. You just have to be dedicated to continued learning once you begin nursing in the real world!

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 20, 2007

Like the others said, IF the program has a content and clinical component equivalent to a traditional BSN program, there'd be no problems I'd expect you to have. The trouble, though, is with programs that take in a person with an art history degree and get them through the accelerated program in nursing so fast that they DON'T get the amount of clinical time they really should have. And then these ill-prepared BSNs are able to pass the NCLEX (let's face it, there's no practicum!) but are still behind when it comes to floor skills a new grad is expected to have.

Freedom42 · Jul 20, 2007

I think the general perception among people not familiar with accelerated programs is that they skimp. I've had several encounters with ADN students who, when they ask me what program I'm in, volunteer that their program is superior because they get so much more clinical time. Actually, the clinical time is no more or less than what ADNs and BSNs in four-year programs receive. But put the word "accelerated" into the equation, and assumptions are made.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Jul 21, 2007

I think the general perception among people not familiar with accelerated programs is that they skimp. I've had several encounters with ADN students who, when they ask me what program I'm in, volunteer that their program is superior because they get so much more clinical time. Actually, the clinical time is no more or less than what ADNs and BSNs in four-year programs receive. But put the word "accelerated" into the equation, and assumptions are made.

Perhaps. But just like all other nursing programs are not equal, one cannot also assume that all accelerated ones are.

There's an excellent school near me that has an accelerated program that's known to be good. But there's one a little farther away that is known to "skimp". And those students DO turn out lacking the skill proficiency of their counterparts.

The ADN student who volunteers that their program is much better than yours might be falling prey to propaganda. Heaven knows, I've heard of BSN students that believed that they got more clinical time than the nearby ADN school, and the ADN school believed THEY got more clinical time; both were identical in that regard!

shah · Jan 29, 2009

LVN's get more clinical time than RN's. Does that mean they are better prepared?

We are just jealous of each other. Fact is, because people come from diverse backgrounds in accelerated programs, they cannot survive without putting in an unbelievable amount of work. They, therefore, catch up very fast.

klarck · Jan 30, 2009

Here's a timely article in the Journal of Professional nursing.

Here's the money line: "The authors found that second-degree students are usually older and more motivated. Because they have more work experience, they have coping advantages over newer, younger nursing graduates during the transition between leaving school and entering the workforce."

The evidence seems to indicate that there's some preparation for the working world that nursing school can't provide. Preparation you have already have. It's been my experience that seasoned nurses aren't as impressed by a new grad's clinical chops as much as they are his/her work ethic and willingness to learn.

(disclaimer: I'm a 2nd-degree BSN nurse and have been practicing for a year now.)

wannabemw · Jan 31, 2009

Fact: my accelerated program had WAY more clinicial & lab days & hrs then the trad BSN programs I've looked at.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Feb 4, 2009

I was tutored while in school by a girl who had an accelerated BSN. Her original degree was in Biology. The school she went to was Duquesne and no one looked down on them. Their accelerated program was famous for burning people out, it was known to be difficult. If you passed, no one questioned your ability (book wise anyway).