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Whether you are a nurse who has been working in the industry for some time and are looking to further your career and take advantage of the many advanced careers opportunities for nurses today, or have recently decided that nursing is the right career for you, it might be time to start considering a nursing degree programs to help you get to where you want to be in your career. Today, online nursing programs have taken the industry by storm and are now a very popular choice for aspiring nurses and nurses who want to progress in their careers.
Choosing the right online nursing program for you can sometimes be tricky with so many different options are now available to choose from. Ultimately, you will need to factor in where you currently are in your nursing career, your goals for the future, and your main interests in nursing when deciding on the best online nursing program for you. Some of the most popular online nursing degree programs that are available to study today include:
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The BSN is growing as the minimum requirement for nurses today. While there are college programs that you can take to become a licensed practical nurse or associate’s degrees in nursing to become a registered nurse, it is beginning to look increasingly likely that these programs will be phased out in the future. This is because research shows that BSN-educated nurses have a much better impact on patient care, safety, and outcomes. Due to this, more and more employers are actively looking to hire nurses with BSN and BSN-qualified nurses who tend to have better job opportunities and more progression options, with this degree the minimum requirement for the majority of advanced qualifications on offer.
Accelerated BSN
If you are in a position where you are not happy with your current career and want to change it to nursing, then an accelerated BSN might be the best option for you. With this degree program, you can get your BSN in around half the time that it would normally take for you to get a traditional BSN. Because it is designed to build on the skills and knowledge that you already possess. These degrees programs are designed with career changers in mind and are available for anybody who already has a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field.
Master of Science in Nursing
If you are already a nurse and want to advance your career after getting your BSN, a master of science in nursing is the next degree up the academic ladder. Getting a master’s degree in nursing is now easier than ever for registered nurses with a wide range of online programs available that are designed with busy nurses in mind. A master’s degree is typically quite a rigorous option and usually takes around two years to complete. You can get a general master’s degree in nursing or choose from a range of specialty areas that are designed to help you shape your future career in nursing to exactly where you want it to be and make sure that you are fully trained and prepared for the specific nursing roles that you are interested in.
Nurse Practitioner Training Programs
The role of the nurse practitioner is one that is in increasing demand today as the shortage of primary care physicians across the country means that advanced nurses are needed to step in and fill these positions to provide the best standard of care to patients. The nurse practitioner role is quickly becoming the most popular option for nurses who want to progress in their careers but would rather stay in a patient-centered, bedside role. Compared to many other advanced nursing positions such as nurse management and leadership, the nurse practitioner role is very unique since it builds on patient care skills, allowing these advanced nurses to diagnose, treat and prescribe without the supervision of a doctor in many states. You can find online master’s degrees that focus on preparing you to become a nurse practitioner or study for a dedicated nurse practitioner program that is designed to build on your existing master’s study.
Doctor of Nursing Practice
The doctor of nursing practice degree is one of the most advanced types of nursing qualification available to study online today. It is an ideal choice for nurses who want to expand their advanced practice even further and is usually open to nurses who are highly experienced and also hold a master’s degree in nursing. With this degree program, you can find several advanced nursing role opportunities including nurse management, nurse leadership, and nurse education. Becoming a nurse executive with the online DNP nurse executive programs from Baylor University can help you get into a wide variety of advanced leadership and management roles in nursing.
Nursing Bridge Programs
Bridge programs for nursing are a different type of online nursing program which is designed for nurses who already hold a nursing degree and want to progress even further with advanced education. Compared to getting the degree in the traditional way, these programs are designed to help nurses save time when improving their education and build on the knowledge and skills that they already have. For example, the ADN-BSN bridge program is designed specifically for nurses who have an associate’s degree and want to progress to getting their BSN for a better job and career progression opportunities. There are bridge programs available at almost every level of the nursing career that you can use to build on a degree program that you have already completed and expand your skills, such as the BSN-FNP program that is designed to help registered nurses with a BSN qualify as a family nurse practitioner.
Today, online study has become a top choice for nurses because it is convenient and often much cheaper. Studying online gives nurses more freedom with their current career and makes getting an advanced qualification less stressful while working as a nurse. With online programs available at every level, getting to where you want to be in your nursing career has never been easier.
