Accelerated BSN Programs – West Virginia Nursing Schools
As West Virginia graduates begin to realize what a stable and fulfilling career nursing can be, many are returning to school to earn a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. West Virginia has several on campus and online options for students who want to earn a nursing degree—one of the most popular is the accelerated nursing degree.
Start by looking into the schools in our featured box, which offer distance education and online programs, often with the option to complete your clinical requirements in your own community. After you request information from all of the schools you are interested in, you will be on your way to making a well informed decision about where to begin your nursing studies.
An accelerated nursing degree is an intensive degree program that allows students who already have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree to finish a BSN program in 12-18 months. This degree permits students to work in a variety of nursing fields, which is great for employers as well. As employers look for well-rounded nursing applicants, they are turning more and more to BSN graduates, reflecting the trend to hire and retain more highly educated nursing professionals.
If you are ready to begin looking into your options for a second bachelor’s degree in nursing, you have found the right place to start. We have put together a listing of options for earning your Accelerated/Second Degree BSN in West Virginia, which you will find below.
Accelerated BSN Curriculum in West Virginia
To start earning your accelerated BSN degree, you will need to choose where you would like to study. Many students opt for a traditional classroom experience, which usually involves taking classes all day Monday through Friday. Students with inflexible schedules often choose to attend an online nursing school, where they can complete courses at their own pace. Be sure to look through all our listed schools, obtaining program materials from each, to get a full picture of your options.
The courses in your accelerated BSN degree program are intended to teach you basic nursing skills. Classes typically include introductory nursing skills, pharmacology, health assessment, and adult nursing care. These courses are completed by all students, including those who earn associate degrees in nursing.
Some of the more specialized classes at the Bachelor’s degree level include maternity nursing, mental health nursing, epidemiology, and nursing leadership. These classes are what set BSN graduates apart from other RN programs and prepare them to take on more challenging nursing roles after graduation.
Practicing your nursing skills is essential to applying your book learned knowledge to actual patient care situations. As you complete your coursework, your West Virginia nursing school will assign you to a clinical site, where you will be required to put what you’ve learned into action. Here, you will practice nursing techniques, learn how to build rapport with patients, and get advice from veteran nurses. You may even find the nursing field you want to work in, as you will be learning in many different units and nursing settings.
Nursing Career Outlook in West Virginia
Working in West Virginia is a good move for many nurses. There were 19,260 nursing jobs in West Virginia in 2010; O*Net predicts that there will be over 4,000 new nursing jobs by 2020. This is a 23% increase in new job openings, with approximately 800 new job openings per year. Nurses in West Virginia can look forward to earning between $37,400 and $74,500 per year in West Virginia (O*Net, 2012). The median salary in West Virginia is $53,100 per year (O*Net, 2012).
