Accelerated BSN Programs – Tennessee Nursing Schools
Nurses are some of the most in-demand professionals in the United States right now. The need for good nurses is only expected to grow after the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act.
Accelerated BSN programs in Tennessee allow students with Bachelor’s degrees to complete a BSN in roughly 18 months. Students that choose to earn a BSN can do so with online classes or in a traditional classroom setting. Both routes have their advantages, and either way you end up with a highly-valued Bachelor’s degree in nursing.
At BestNursingDegree.com, you can find valuable resources to help you choose a nursing school that can best meet your needs. We have compiled all of the Fast Track or Accelerated BSN programs available to Tennessee degree holders, and encourage you to investigate them all.
Request information from our featured schools to find a flexible program that can allow you to begin a career in nursing in as little as 12-18 months.
Accelerated BSN Curriculum in Tennessee
Accelerated BSN programs in Tennessee require students to be completely dedicated to the program. This is because you are learning in 12-18 months what traditional students spread out over four years. Some schools in Tennessee have you complete one course at a time, where each class only lasts a number of weeks. However, the majority of programs in Tennessee run by a traditional semester schedule. You just have to take more classes per semester.
Your first couple semesters of nursing school are spent learning nursing techniques and skills. Early classes include introduction to professional nursing, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. In later classes, you’ll learn about topics like nursing for childbearing families, epidemiology, pediatric nursing, and disease prevention. Once you complete your courses, you know what you need to know for a nursing career in almost any setting.
After you complete your required courses, your school will either assign you to a clinical setting or allow you to choose from a list of approved clinical settings. Clinicals are often done at hospitals or community health clinics. You’ll work hands-on with patients under the supervision of a clinical nurse. In this part of your degree, you will learn how to work more efficiently and how to be a better nurse.
Nursing Career Outlook in Tennessee
As the population makeup of Tennessee changes, it is going through an extreme nursing shortage. There were 56,290 nursing jobs in 2010; that number is expected to grow to 69,010 by 2020. This is a 23% growth rate and adds approximately 2,300 new nursing jobs per year.
Tennessee has a lot to offer new nurses, including a competitive median salary. O*Net lists the median salary for nurses in Tennessee as $55,100 per year, with an upper salary limit of $73,000 per year (O*Net, 2012). Graduates can earn competitive salaries as Registered Nurses with employers like Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute, LHC Group, Memorial Healthcare System, and CHRISTUS Health.
Nursing Licensing Considerations in Tennessee
In order to be able to work as a nurse in Tennessee, you must first be certified by the Tennessee Board of Nursing. This board also certifies nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists. The board requires a background check for all nurses that are pursuing a new license. You receive your license after completing the NCLEX-RN, submitting your application, and passing a background check in Tennessee. Your license has to be renewed every two years to stay relevant.
In order to have a great start to your nursing career, you may wish to join the Tennessee Nurses Association. You can support the association by buying through their Amazon link or by joining. Nurses in the association can stay on top of government issues, new jobs, and hot topics, such as the Affordable Care Act.
