Accelerated Masters with no Nursing background

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Hello,

just wanted to see if anyone has taken this path and how it worked out.

My undergrad is Biomedical Engineering. I would have to take some of the prereqs.

Once I have a masters, would I be able to bypass bedside nursing? Due to an old foot injury, I would be unable to be a bedside nurse safely-for myself.

Thanks for for any input!

Specializes in Adult MICU/SICU.

I wish I could give a more informed answer since I've only have a BSN, but the RN's I known with MSN behind their name were encouraged to apply for leadership roles, nurse manager jobs, and even research. With a background in Biomedical Engineering research seems right up your alley, unless I am mistaken.

I hope this helps.

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Specializes in Critical care.
What school has NP clinicals that can be done without hands on patient care??? I've never heard of such a thing.

I too am curious. My ICU colleagues that are all pursuing or recent grads from NP programs are pretty rural yet still complete their 500-600 clinical hours seeing clinic pts and inpatients on the floors and in icu/cvicu.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
I too am curious. My ICU colleagues that are all pursuing or recent grads from NP programs are pretty rural yet still complete their 500-600 clinical hours seeing clinic pts and inpatients on the floors and in icu/cvicu.

Clinic hours are required for board eligibility.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
True, but there are plenty of direct entry programs who will be happy to take their money and turn someone with zero nursing experience into an "advanced practice nurse." I'm assuming SOMEONE must be hiring these people.

Much to the chagrin of people who did things by going down a more reality-oriented path. I've heard a lot of experienced nurses comment on how woefully unprepared these accelerated ELM grads are. I've also heard from instructors how terribly quickly paced things are in those programs and the ELM grads also comment on how stressful and disturbing these programs can be. :grumpy:

With that said, though, someone must have thought it was a good, relatively safe idea since these programs exist in the first place, right?

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
Much to the chagrin of people who did things by going down a more reality-oriented path. I've heard a lot of experienced nurses comment on how woefully unprepared these accelerated ELM grads are. I've also heard from instructors how terribly quickly paced things are in those programs and the ELM grads also comment on how stressful and disturbing these programs can be

I am a nursing professor. I teach 2 classes for the direct entry nurses. In our program, like many others, they already have an undergraduate degree in a science field. These student are far from unprepared, they are actually very often over achievers who absorb the information incredibly well. This is the exact same program as a BSN, but they do not have to take the common core type of classes because they have already had them. Making a blanket statement about them is really unfair. Maybe in your city the program is not well organized or too new, but ours has been around for almost 10 years, and our hospitals actually prefer these graduates. They are mature, have life experience, and since many of them are paying for the schooling themselves, are very dedicated.

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Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
True, but there are plenty of direct entry programs who will be happy to take their money and turn someone with zero nursing experience into an "advanced practice nurse." I'm assuming SOMEONE must be hiring these people.

Most of the reputable programs do not allow a direct entry program for NP's only. They do get an MSN, but these are actually an undergraduate program, after a successful completion, they can go onto the NP program.

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.
Much to the chagrin of people who did things by going down a more reality-oriented path. I've heard a lot of experienced nurses comment on how woefully unprepared these accelerated ELM grads are. I've also heard from instructors how terribly quickly paced things are in those programs and the ELM grads also comment on how stressful and disturbing these programs can be. :grumpy:

With that said, though, someone must have thought it was a good, relatively safe idea since these programs exist in the first place, right?

With all due respect, you have just 2 years of experience yet feel you can make these broad statements? You're not an NP, you haven't gone through an NP program, so how can you judge how qualified an NP may or may not be? And please clarify what you mean by "disturbing" programs. Yes, my program was tough-it should be tough. Yes, it was stressful-wasn't your nursing program stressful? But disturbing?? We didn't experiment on patients or do anything unethical, so I don't know what you mean by that.

I find it infuriating that people who are not NPs and have no firsthand knowledge of direct entry NP programs are so quick to disparage them. It's a knee jerk reaction to something that is unfamiliar. There are certainly some crummy programs out there-both for traditional and direct entry NP, but there are also some excellent ones. Keep in mind that any NP program graduates novice NPs, whether they have tons of RN experience or not. No one is an expert right out of NP school.

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond, I very much appreciate it. I've been MIA due to preparing for an FDA audit at work (I work for a medical device design company in the Quality and Human Factors Study departments).

There have been lots of insights from this post - definitely got more interest than I thought it would!

In my original question was trying to gather general information from people who have done a masters in nursing program without a bachelors in nursing.

It seems to have gone off topic a little. One thing I have observed throughout this (and I believe someone may have mentioned it) is how much animosity can come between nurses. One thing I've learned in my engineering career is to work on being a team player, and not bring others down. Look for the good qualities everyone may bring to the table.

Also, I found a page from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN):

American Association of Colleges of Nursing | Accelerated Programs: The Fast Track to Careers in Nursing

I encourage everyone to read it, however here are a few points:

-with the projected need of nurses in the future, schools are looking at new ways to enroll new students (aka alternate bachelors degree to Nursing)

-Yale started the first second degree Nursing program in the 1970s: 'We recognized that bright, committed people without a background in nursing could be prepared as advanced practice nurses.'

-masters programs take about 3 years at times, some with a clinical internship 5 days a week for a 3 months.

Some cons:

Cost, returning to school when away for awhile, too faced paced - so some second degree leave the program to do a more traditional route

Getting the Job

"We know that employers love hiring accelerated graduates because they are bright, have a track record of success, and possess an understanding of the work world not always found in younger students," said Patricia Ladewig, PhD, RN, Dean of the School of Health Care Professions at Regis University in Denver. "We have found that second-degree students are readily accepted by employers who understand that these graduates lacked only vacation during their academic program," confirmed Sandra S. Angell, MLA, RN, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Support Services at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing."

The last sentence to the article:

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"The overwhelming response to our accelerated programs demonstrates the existence of a deep pool of career changers available to nursing," said Gloria F. Donnelly, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University (PA). "We need to do more to remove barriers and attract more second-degree students to the nursing profession."

I believe myself and countless others out there can bring amazing insight into the nursing sector. And if anything we are passionate (just like all of you!) about providing help and health to those in need.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

OF COURSE the colleges will promote direct-entry and fast-tracking. They stand to make a lot of money getting "customers", er, I mean, students. Their programs are ridiculously expensive.

Just because we can do something, does not mean we necessarily should. I personally don't want an NP caring for me who has zero nursing experience prior. Just my preference as a nearly 20-year nurse myself.

Best of luck to you whatever you do.

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just going to say that any article that talks about a shortage of nurses or a projected need for nurses is way out of date. in some areas of the country a new grad has the ability to find a job, maybe not exactly a nursing shortage but definitely not hundreds of open jobs. in other areas of the country experienced nurses can't land anything at all. there is a shortage to some degree of experienced nurses in specific specialties but generally speaking there are a lot more nurses graduating than we could ever hope to see employed. Know who pushes the idea of shortages of nurses and the need to get more nurses through school? Schools.

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OF COURSE the colleges will promote direct-entry and fast-tracking. They stand to make a lot of money getting "customers", er, I mean, students. Their programs are ridiculously expensive.

Just because we can do something, does not mean we necessarily should. I personally don't want an NP caring for me who has zero nursing experience prior. Just my preference as a nearly 20-year nurse myself.

Best of luck to you whatever you do.

why do nurses make snarky comments to one another and those they interact with who are trying to do good in the world?

How do you know I wouldn't go into research and help invent something to extend your life? We all have something to bring to the table.

Sadly my husband was right. I wouldn't want to work with other nurses due to the cat fighting that goes on.

And it's called saving and investing enough money for school. Or taking out loans. Everything you do is a business.

But thanks for the well wishes!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

It's not snark, it's my opinion and the truth as I see it in my experience.

Since you don't have any nursing experience, you don't really sit in a good position to judge yourself if this is a good idea or not. You did the smart thing and asked NURSES for their opinion.

This is a public forum. You may get answers you don't like. You don't get to control what others opine on a public forum. And because you dislike what someone says, does not make it "snark". You just don't like it.

Take what you can use, and discard (my opinion among them) the rest.

Good luck.

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