How To Become A Registered Nurse Without A Bachelor's Degree

Summary: This article explains why becoming a nurse practitioner is a wise career motility, including the fact that information technology's a profession in especially high demand. From earning your Bachelor of Science in Nursing to attaining your APRN license, we explain how to pursue this rewarding professional path.

From BSN to Nurse Practitioner in 6 Steps

If you've done any research into the nursing profession, you lot may have heard that becoming a nurse practitioner (NP) is a wise movement if you want to accelerate your career beyond working as a registered nurse.

It's definitely a professional path worth pursuing: The U.Southward. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports these advanced practice nurses are amid the highest paid in the profession, with an almanac median pay of $117,670 (as of May 2020).

As a effect, you lot may exist wondering how to become a nurse practitioner. Lucky for you, it can happen sooner than yous might think. Particularly if y'all have a non-nursing bachelor's degree and decide to pursue the showtime step in the process — earning an undergraduate nursing degree — through Marian Academy's Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program.

Designed with career changers and 2d-caste seekers in mind, the Marian ABSN plan follows a rigorous sixteen-month curriculum comprised of online theory courses, in-person skills and simulation labs, and clinical experiences through Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis; Ascent Saint Thomas in Nashville, Tennessee; and elevation-rated healthcare facilities in Oklahoma City.

It's true you can complete the first pace in the procedure of becoming a nurse practitioner — earning a BSN — in 16 months. But you'll still need at least one to ii years of experience in your specific area of involvement earlier you can employ to a nurse practitioner or advanced practice nursing program.

In this web log post, we'll explore other benefits to condign a nurse in general (and a nurse practitioner specifically), then encompass the steps involved in condign a nurse practitioner with a non-nursing bachelor's degree. We'll also await into how the Marian ABSN program has helped two alumni pursue their own paths to advanced practice nursing.

Why Should I Become a Nurse Practitioner?

Before we get into the steps involved in becoming a nurse practitioner, we should mention that knowing the reply to the question, "why do you lot want to exist a nurse," is an important one to consider for your advanced practice nursing journey. There are no academic shortcuts on this challenging path — but accelerated teaching options. Your "why" for advancing in the profession can serve as a steadfast motivator all forth the fashion.

Man in lab coat hugging woman at Marian University event

That said, there are so many swell reasons to get a nurse practitioner, ranging from greater career autonomy to the power to intendance for and connect with patients on a deeper level. Here, we take a look at iii of them.

Your Advanced Skills Volition Be in Demand

The fact that nurses are in need is widespread noesis in the healthcare field, but it became even more credible as the public health crunch brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic began dominating headlines for much of 2020. But fifty-fifty earlier the pandemic, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated the profession would grow 7 percent between 2019 and 2029, faster than the boilerplate for all other occupations.

While several factors contribute to this demand, i of the main reasons is the country's increased emphasis on preventive care and need for healthcare services from an aging population. The U.S. Census Bureau projects the nation's population to grow past more than x% past 2032, with the number of people ages 65 and older increasing by 48%.

Those facts combined with an impending primary care physician shortage too mean projected job security for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), who are well-suited to assistance meet the advanced healthcare needs of their communities. The BLS projects demand for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners is projected to grow 45 percent from 2019 to 2029.

Answering the Call for Nurses in OKC

Our programme sites in Nashville and Indianapolis aim to fulfill nursing demand by helping qualified students earn a BSN and enter the workforce in as few as 16 months. Our expansion into Oklahoma City in 2020 stems from a similar desire to help convalesce the Sooner State's registered nurse shortage: The ratio of RNs per population in Oklahoma is 700 RNs per 100,000 people, which is well below the national boilerplate of 1,150 per 100,000.

Y'all'll Make Even More of a Difference

Few career paths give you the chance to accept such a positive impact on the lives of others. No thing what nursing specialty you choose to pursue — or how far yous choose to advance your career — caring for the injured, sick, and dying is role of your job description. Whatever shift y'all work could see you improving — or potentially saving — the lives of your patients.

As a nurse practitioner, you'll have fifty-fifty more of a chance to brand a divergence in your patients' lives. With their advanced clinical preparation and expertise, nurse practitioners take the authority to diagnose illnesses, care for atmospheric condition, provide prove-based health education, and in some states, prescribe medications.

You'll Have Plenty of Professional Development Opportunities

When it comes to entering the nursing profession, you accept plenty of options. It'due south true an Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) is the minimum degree requirement for working every bit a registered nurse. Just when compared to an ADN, a BSN can lead to increased job security and improve chances for advocacy, among several other professional benefits.

On the career advancement front, earning a BSN is a great first step if you want to pursue an advanced nursing part, such equally nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist or nurse practitioner. (We'll get into how to become a nurse practitioner and the unlike paths you can pursue as an APRN below.)

Get a Nurse Practitioner with a Not-Nursing Bachelor's Degree

There aren't any academic shortcuts to condign a nurse practitioner or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Yet, if you lot take a non-nursing bachelor'southward caste, there are streamlined education options that can help you achieve some steps on an accelerated timeline, including Marian Academy's 16-month ABSN programme.

Below, we'll break down how to become a nurse practitioner into six steps, likewise every bit discuss how Marian'due south ABSN program has helped two alumni pursuing NP careers excel at every stage of their journeys.

1: Earn a BSN

The first step toward becoming a nurse practitioner with a non-nursing bachelor'south degree is enrolling in a BSN program. More often than not this takes four years to complete with a traditional BSN program. Or, if y'all'd like to enter the field sooner, you tin enroll in a full-time accelerated nursing program such as the 16-month Marian ABSN program. Equally long as you have a cumulative GPA of iii.0 or college, it doesn't thing if y'all come from a science or liberal arts groundwork. We permit you leverage your existing teaching so you can start nursing courses your first day of the program.

How Do Online Nursing Programs Work?

How Online Education Works in Marian University's ABSN Program

Often, when people talk near online nursing programs, what they mean to say is "online-based." These programs blend online and easily-on experiences. Nevertheless, in one case yous hold your BSN, it may be possible to earn an MSN through an online only pedagogy. But keep in mind that APRN certification besides requires hands-on preceptorships.

Wondering if there are any online accelerated BSN programs that tin assistance you lot advance this get-go step in your nurse practitioner journeying? For a more than in-depth look at how our online nursing program works, cheque out our blog post, "How Online Education Works in Marian Academy's ABSN Program."

How Marian ABSN helps: Particularly if yous enroll in an accelerated nursing program similar Marian ABSN to earn your available'south caste in nursing, you lot can expect the coursework to be challenging. The accelerated nature may make our program seem fifty-fifty more than overwhelming, but the online coursework portion of our blended curriculum model grants you access to course material 24/7 and gives yous more autonomy over when and where you study.

Not to mention, for adult learners like Elliott Haynes, ABSN Class of 2017, and many other students, the interactive components of our e-Learning platform brand our online nursing caste for non-nurses that much more accessible.

Elliott, the father of three kids under the historic period of v, chose the Marian ABSN program site in Nashville to begin his nursing education considering he needed a flexible program option close to home. Keeping pace with online learning and developing constructive study strategies in the Marian ABSN program helped him acquire how to manage his fourth dimension later with his Principal of Science in Nursing (MSN) studies.

"I learned how to practice things on the go, like recording all my lectures and listening to them in the automobile wherever I collection, and finding times to report later on the kids went to bed," says Elliott, whose professional goal is to become a family nurse practitioner (FNP).

2: Obtain Your Nursing License

Once you earn your BSN, you must then receive licensure to practice equally a registered nurse. That means passing the National Quango Licensure Examination, better known as the NCLEX. This examination helps ensure those entering the profession have the bones skills and knowledge to provide safe, effective nursing care at the entry level. Questions on this exam are as well designed to appraise your disquisitional thinking ability.

Every bit with all the exams y'all accept in nursing school, it's important to note the NCLEX is not an exam you lot can cram for the nighttime before. While we created the Marian ABSN curriculum in function to help you prepare for the NCLEX, you'll want to block off some fourth dimension after graduation to dedicate to preparing for the licensure examination. Nosotros too suggest signing upward to take the NCLEX a month or two after graduating from nursing school, while everything is still fresh in your mind.

Note: To come across your state's licensing requirements, y'all must sign up to take the NCLEX in the country you lot wish to exercise as an RN.

How Marian ABSN helps: To help prepare you for this test, you will take timed, proctored NCLEX-manner tests designed to familiarize y'all with the types of questions, format, and timing of the bodily test throughout the program. Post-graduation, the Marian ABSN program also offers a four-day review form to build on everything you've learned in nursing schoolhouse.

Elliott says he felt prepared to take the NCLEX-RN® — and afterwards excel in his MSN program — thanks to the structure of the Marian ABSN curriculum.

The Marian ABSN program fabricated me feel like I had a pretty expert groundwork of everything that we're roofing in my primary's program. I learned a lot due to the quality of the curriculum and I call up that's helped me a lot in the long run.

-Elliott Haynes, ABSN Course of 2017

3: Piece of work in the Field

In one case you lot earn a nursing caste and laissez passer the NCLEX, you are eligible to work every bit a registered nurse.

Many RNs work in the field to get a better sense of where they want to become with their career prior to applying to a nursing graduate program. Not to mention, nearly NP and advanced specialty programs require you to have one to two years of experience in your specific area of interest earlier you can apply.

How Marian ABSN helps: Our ABSN program affords you unprecedented clinical experiences in Indianapolis, Nashville, and Oklahoma City that permit you to "try on" various nursing specialties. No affair which plan site location you cull, during your Marian ABSN clinical rotations you can expect to work with patients under the supervision of a highly experienced clinical instructor or preceptor in specialty areas including:

Adult Health
Obstetrics and Pediatrics
Acute and Long-Term Care
Mental and Behavioral Wellness

Amy Herink, ABSN Form of May 2020, says the clinical experiences she had every bit a Marian Accelerated BSN student ultimately led her to continue her didactics in pursuit of condign a certified nurse midwife with a focus on women's health nursing.

"The Marian ABSN program offered well-rounded clinicals in a variety of specialties that helped me get to know what I similar most about working in the field," she says. "The one clinical I was really excited to experience was women's health, and that's ultimately the advanced nurse specialty I decided to pursue."

The Spirit of Caring

Marian ABSN does more than than just equip students with nursing knowledge and skills experience. As a religion-based establishment, we too believe in treating patients holistically — that is treating their mind, trunk, and spirit. Every bit you perform your clinical rotations, experienced instructors will guide you equally you lot larn to espouse the true spirit of caring, which is something Elliott says has stuck with him as he pursues his MSN.

"Marian's whole mission is caring for the whole person. That has always been a focus of mine: How tin I better take care of people? That was why I went into nursing to begin with and why I'm continuing my nursing studies so I tin can advance in the field and be of even more than service to patients," he says.

iv: Earn an Advanced Degree

After spending time in the field, your next step to becoming a nurse practitioner is going back to school for your MSN or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. Many MSN and DNP programs offering nurse practitioner tracks that tin can be completed in two or three years.

As an advanced nursing degree student, you tin wait to take an even deeper swoop into advanced health cess, patient care, and evidence-based practise. Depending on which plan option you cull, you'll besides develop expertise and leadership in your area of specialty.

How Marian ABSN helps: While information technology'south truthful you complete a bulk of your ABSN coursework online, you yet have access to face up-to-face support from faculty and instructors in our programme. Beyond helping yous navigate tough nursing topics or coursework concepts, their No. 1 goal is to see y'all succeed, achieve your goals, and abound into a poised nursing professional.

In fact, Amy credits the support she received from her instructors but a few months into the program for giving her the confidence to pursue advanced practice nursing.

I asked every single one of my clinical instructors who were APRNs if they felt I had what it took to succeed in avant-garde nursing practise, and they all were then supportive. It was their guidance and mentorship that fabricated me feel like I could handle the mental challenge of a master's in nursing program and advanced nursing career.

-Amy Herink, ABSN Class of May 2020

5: Obtain a Nurse Practitioner Certificate

After earning your MSN caste or DNP, the adjacent pace in condign a nurse practitioner is pursuing certification as an advanced practise nurse.

Like registered nurses, nurse practitioners can choose a general path of practise or one that specializes in a specific patient population or area of intendance.

Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (ACNP) provide care for adult patients with complex diseases in acute intendance or hospital settings.
Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) provide primary care to patients of all ages, teaching them nigh affliction prevention, maintaining medical records, and developing handling plans.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NNP) provide care for premature and sick newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), delivery rooms, and emergency rooms.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) provide intendance for patients diagnosed with mental illness, behavioral problems, and psychological disorders using a blend of therapy and medicine.
Women's Health Nurse Practitioners (WHNP) provide primary care to women of all ages.

How Marian ABSN helps: The accelerated nature of Marian's plan means you will be responsible for learning 36 months' worth of cloth in sixteen months. Suffice information technology to say, staying on superlative of online coursework, labs, and multiple clinical shifts each week involves a lot of motivation and drive to succeed.

When it comes to his journeying to become a nurse practitioner, Elliott says his experience with Marian'south accelerated nursing curriculum is what prepared him so well for the rigorous route ahead.

Not only did the Marian ABSN program curriculum prepare him to call back critically, he's as well been able to utilise the same time management techniques and mindset that helped him excel in our programme to his MSN studies.

"At that place was never a uncertainty of whether I could practise the work in an MSN program. It was always about, 'How can I manage information technology well? What do I have fourth dimension for? Am I spreading myself likewise sparse?' I call up developing those fourth dimension direction skills in the ABSN program has helped a lot," he says.

half dozen: Attain APRN Licensure

Just as you lot must pass the NCLEX before you lot tin work as a registered nurse, after y'all earn your certification in a recognized population focus, you must pass a national certification test to qualify for APRN licensure.

While the exam yous ultimately take is up to you and may vary depending on your chosen specialty area, some of the most prominent national certification agencies that offering NP certification exams include:

American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Nurses Credentialing Middle
Pediatric Nursing Certification Lath
National Certification Corporation

Once you laissez passer the national certification exam, bold yous agree an unencumbered RN license, yous authorize to apply for an APRN license. Similar to RN licensure, you can hold licenses with multiple state boards, but keep in mind each land has its own licensing requirements. Some may also require extra steps for writing prescriptions. To larn more than about your state's APRN licensure requirements, visit NursingLicensure.org.

How Marian ABSN helps: Whether you decide to become an RN or accelerate your career to go a nurse practitioner, the Marian ABSN Leadership/Community in the Nursing Profession course is designed to offer a different perspective, one that goes beyond the bedside. In it, you lot'll have the chance to job-shadow leaders within a tiptop healthcare facility and become a taste for what it'southward like to work in a nurse leadership role.

Compared to RNs, NPs operate with greater independence and accept on far more responsibility in leadership roles as part of healthcare teams. As a nurse practitioner, you lot'll have more of a hand in developing complex patient intendance plans and making tough calls for your patients — both of which Elliott says he's looking forwards to doing once he enters the field.

I just desire to exist able to further intendance for people. As a nurse practitioner, you're ready up to help people in all sorts of different ways. I desire to be able to improve care for people and help them alive healthier lives.
-Elliott Haynes, ABSN Class of 2017

Start Your Journey to Become a Nurse Practitioner at Marian ABSN

If you cull to earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from an ABSN program, condign a nurse practitioner with a non-nursing bachelor's caste is possible in every bit few as five years. By comparing, the traditional path may take seven to eight years to complete.

The first pace involves earning an undergraduate nursing caste. With the Marian ABSN program, you can check off this educational milestone in sixteen months. If you accept a non-nursing bachelor's caste, contact our admissions team to see how Marian'due south Accelerated BSN programme tin streamline your entry into a nurse practitioner career.