Considering a career change or just starting your professional journey? Nursing emerges as a compelling path, aligning purpose with personal fulfillment. You might be asking critical questions: Does nursing school truly prepare you for the realities of a nursing career? Is online nursing education a viable option? And crucially, will you gain the hands-on experience needed to confidently step into a nursing role?
This article dives deep into the core elements of nursing education and how they directly translate into career readiness. We’ll examine the promising career landscape for nurses, explore how innovative programs, like Marian University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, cultivate essential nursing skills through experiential learning, and emphasize the pivotal role of clinical placements. We will also address the integration of vital COVID-19 training within nursing curricula and feature insights from graduates on how their program experience shaped their career preparedness.
Real-World Readiness: Bridging Education and Nursing Practice
As you contemplate a nursing career, understanding job prospects and diverse career avenues within nursing is essential. Fortunately, the nursing profession boasts a robust and expanding job market. The increasing demand for skilled nurses, driven by an aging population and evolving healthcare needs, paints a promising picture for aspiring nurses. This demand translates into numerous career opportunities and the potential for professional growth and specialization.
Addressing the Healthcare Demand: A Growing Field for Nurses
The aging baby boomer generation is significantly increasing the demand for healthcare services. Currently, the healthcare system faces a considerable shortage of qualified nurses to meet this escalating need. Estimates suggest a shortfall of nearly a million nurses, highlighting a critical gap in healthcare provision. This situation positions nursing as one of the most sought-after and growth-oriented professions nationwide. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7% growth in registered nurse employment over the next decade, underscoring the field’s stability and expansion. This growth is also contributing to competitive salaries and benefits, ensuring nurses can access secure and well-compensated positions across various healthcare settings.
Diverse Career Pathways for Nursing Graduates
With over 175,000 registered nurse positions opening annually, BSN graduates have a wide array of employment settings to consider. While hospitals remain a primary employer, many nurses are finding fulfilling careers in diverse and evolving healthcare environments. These alternative career paths offer varied experiences and allow nurses to tailor their careers to their interests and lifestyle preferences. Some of these diverse opportunities include:
- Home Healthcare: Building close, personal relationships with patients in a more intimate care setting, focusing on individualized care plans and long-term patient well-being.
- Private Practices: Collaborating within smaller, interdisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals, often specializing in specific patient populations or medical areas.
- School Nursing: Providing essential healthcare services to children and adolescents within educational settings, promoting student health and well-being, and supporting the educational environment.
- Urgent Care Centers: Delivering immediate medical care for non-life-threatening conditions in a fast-paced environment, offering a different scope of practice compared to hospital emergency rooms.
- Travel Nursing: Pursuing high-demand, short-term assignments across the country or even internationally, offering flexibility, diverse experiences, and often enhanced compensation.
Regardless of your specific nursing interests, a fulfilling and impactful career path awaits, provided you possess the necessary skills and education to successfully pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and become a licensed registered nurse.
The Curriculum Advantage: What Makes a Nursing Program Effective?
The educational philosophy and approach of your chosen nursing program significantly influence your preparedness for the demanding realities of a nursing career. A crucial element in effective nursing education is experiential learning. This approach directly addresses the need for practical skills and confidence in new nursing graduates.
Experiential learning, at its core, is “learning by doing.” The Institute of Experiential Learning highlights that your learning style profoundly influences your approach to life, problem-solving, decision-making, and overcoming challenges. Learning is a continuous, lifelong process that occurs in diverse settings. Experiential learning methodologies are designed to enhance performance, promote continuous learning, and facilitate professional development.
In nursing, BSN graduates who have successfully passed the NCLEX are expected to seamlessly transition into their roles. They must possess the practical skills, knowledge, and confidence to immediately perform essential procedures and tasks. Therefore, a nursing program that integrates regular, hands-on practice into its curriculum is vital for preparing career-ready nurses.
Marian University’s ABSN Program: Experiential Learning in Action
Marian University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program is strategically designed to equip motivated individuals with the skills and knowledge to rapidly transition into a nursing career. This program enables qualified students to leverage their prior education and become registered nurses in an accelerated timeframe. The ABSN program condenses a traditional 36-month curriculum into an intensive 16-month period of focused nursing study, allowing for quicker degree completion and faster entry into the nursing profession compared to traditional multi-year programs.
A cornerstone of the ABSN program’s effectiveness is its unwavering commitment to experiential learning, integrated from the very beginning of the curriculum. In addition to comprehensive clinical learning experiences, students engage in a curriculum meticulously structured around hands-on practice, direct patient interaction, and a deep understanding of the scientific principles underlying every nursing action. This immersive approach ensures graduates are not just theoretically knowledgeable but also practically proficient and confident in their nursing abilities.
Online Learning and the ABSN Program: A Flexible Approach
Online learning has become an increasingly prominent and valuable educational modality, particularly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Marian University has been a pioneer in incorporating online learning within its ABSN curriculum for several years. The Leighton School of Nursing recognizes the flexibility online learning offers, especially for students undertaking a demanding, accelerated program. However, it is crucial to understand that our ABSN program is not fully online. Becoming a nurse requires hands-on clinical skills and direct patient interaction that cannot be replicated in a purely online environment.
We firmly believe that a hybrid learning model provides the optimal educational experience, blending the flexibility of online learning with essential in-person components. This hybrid structure is designed to cultivate well-rounded nurses who are not only academically prepared but also possess the practical skills and real-world experience necessary to excel from day one of their nursing careers.
The Hybrid Learning Advantage: Blending Online and On-Site Education
Our Accelerated BSN program is intentionally designed as a hybrid model, strategically combining the advantages of online learning with essential on-site experiences. As an ABSN student, a significant portion of your coursework is delivered online. This online coursework focuses on foundational nursing theory, fostering peer and instructor interaction through digital platforms, and incorporating diverse learning elements to cater to various learning styles. You can even complete prerequisite courses online before starting the ABSN program, further enhancing flexibility.
However, online learning alone is insufficient for mastering the numerous hands-on skills critical to nursing practice. To bridge this gap, our hybrid model integrates mandatory on-site components at our program locations in Indianapolis, Nashville, and Oklahoma City. These on-site elements include instructor-led skills and simulation labs, and invaluable clinical learning experiences in real healthcare settings. This carefully balanced combination of online and on-site learning defines our hybrid approach and ensures our ABSN program comprehensively prepares you for a successful nursing career.
Let’s further explore the specific components of our ABSN program and how each element contributes to a nursing education that effectively prepares you for the complexities of real-world nursing practice.
Online Coursework: Building a Strong Theoretical Foundation
While hands-on practice is paramount in nursing, a robust understanding of nursing theory and principles forms the bedrock of competent nursing practice. Our online learning modules, delivered through an advanced e-learning management system, provide this essential theoretical foundation.
Each online nursing theory course is meticulously designed to cater to diverse learning preferences. Course materials are optimized to engage visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and social learners. Typical components of our online nursing theory courses include:
- Visual Aids: Incorporating images and 3D graphics to enhance comprehension of complex concepts presented in textual materials, making learning more engaging and accessible.
- Audio Lectures: Providing on-demand access to recorded lectures, allowing students to review material at their own pace and reinforce their understanding through repeated listening.
- Interactive Simulations: Utilizing simulated and interactive activities to actively develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and decision-making abilities in realistic nursing scenarios.
- Collaborative Discussions: Facilitating online discussion forums and group projects to encourage interaction with instructors and peers, fostering a collaborative learning environment and diverse perspectives.
The online components of our ABSN program offer scheduling flexibility, enabling students to manage their studies alongside other commitments. However, it’s important to note that deadlines and on-site proctored exams are integral parts of the program, ensuring academic rigor and accountability. Experiential learning is central to our program philosophy, and the synergy between online theory courses and on-site practical elements ensures this nursing program comprehensively prepares you for the challenges and rewards of a nursing career.
High-Tech Skills and Simulation Labs: Mastering Practical Skills in a Safe Environment
For those questioning how nursing school translates to real-world readiness, the intensive experiential learning offered through our ABSN program’s on-site skills and simulation labs is a pivotal component of your education. Each week, you will participate in hands-on sessions with your cohort and instructors at your designated ABSN program site. These labs provide invaluable opportunities to practice and refine essential nursing skills and techniques that you will utilize daily in your nursing practice.
Our ABSN program sites are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including advanced medical manikins capable of realistically simulating a wide spectrum of patient scenarios, from routine medical procedures to critical trauma situations. Hannah McNabb, a graduate from the ABSN Class of May 2019, attests to the realism of the simulation environment: “We have an awesome simulation center at Marian. It’s very real life; it looks exactly like a hospital room.”
Under the expert guidance of experienced instructors, students collaborate within their cohorts to practice various nursing techniques and procedures. Following each simulation, students engage in debriefing sessions to analyze their performance, discuss areas for improvement, and reinforce best practices. This interactive learning process, involving practice with classmates in simulated patient care scenarios, fosters confidence in your own skills and trust in your colleagues’ abilities. This preparation is crucial for confidently applying these skills to real patients in clinical settings.
Hannah further emphasizes the value of simulation labs: “The purpose of simulation is really to experience those real-life situations in a safe environment. We practice blood administration in the simulation lab. We practice a newborn assessment in the simulation lab. We practice a code. We practice all those real-life things that you don’t want to see for the first time when you’re actually in the hospital.”
Clinical Learning Experiences: Real-World Immersion from Day One
Regardless of your ABSN program location, you will be strategically placed in real-world clinical environments, working under the direct supervision of experienced healthcare professionals and regional healthcare leaders. Marian University, rooted in its faith-based mission, emphasizes holistic patient care, addressing the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of each individual. Reflecting these values, our clinical partners are faith-based healthcare organizations that share our commitment to compassionate and holistic nursing care.
From the very outset of your ABSN program journey, you will be immersed in clinical practice, accumulating over 700 hours of hands-on clinical experience before graduation. In each clinical placement, you will be guided by experienced nurses, preceptors, and members of the healthcare team. Working directly with patients and embodying the principles of holistic care, you will gain experience in diverse specialty areas, including:
- Adult Health: Providing comprehensive care to adult patients with a wide range of medical conditions, developing skills in assessment, treatment, and patient education.
- Obstetrics and Pediatrics: Caring for mothers and newborns, and children of all ages, gaining specialized knowledge and skills in maternal and child health nursing.
- Acute and Long-Term Care: Providing care in settings ranging from intensive care units to rehabilitation facilities and skilled nursing facilities, experiencing diverse patient populations and care needs.
- Mental and Behavioral Health: Working with patients experiencing mental health challenges, developing essential skills in therapeutic communication, crisis intervention, and mental health assessment.
After 16 months of intensive clinical practice and dedicated patient care, our goal is for you to graduate fully prepared to serve others as a registered nurse, embodying the high standards of patient care that the Leighton School of Nursing is renowned for.
Reflecting on her clinical learning experiences, ABSN graduate Hannah shared: “Now I feel confident walking onto the unit knowing that I know the right questions to ask… I definitely feel prepared upon graduation so I can walk onto a new unit and say, ‘OK, let’s start this day.’”
Success Coaches: Personalized Support for Your Nursing Journey
Completing our ABSN program is a demanding yet achievable goal. The accelerated 16-month timeframe requires significant dedication and effort. The program entails approximately 25-35 hours of independent study per week, in addition to on-site commitments such as exams, skills and simulation labs, clinical rotations, and other program activities. On-site requirements necessitate relocation to Indianapolis, Nashville, or Oklahoma City for the program duration if you are not already local. Balancing program demands with personal responsibilities can be challenging without adequate support.
This is not intended to discourage you, but rather to provide a realistic understanding of the commitment required for our intensive nursing program. Marian University is deeply committed to providing comprehensive support through our dedicated success coaches, also known as academic advisors.
Upon acceptance into the ABSN program at any of our locations, you will be paired with a personal success coach. Your success coach will work closely with you on a one-on-one basis to develop personalized strategies and connect you with resources to maximize your success. Success coaches proactively reach out to students and maintain regular communication. If you encounter challenges or feel overwhelmed, engaging with your success coach can be instrumental in navigating difficulties and achieving your goals. Success coaches provide support by:
- Connecting you with academic support resources: Providing access to tutoring, writing centers, study skills workshops, and other academic support services to enhance your learning and academic performance.
- Assisting with time management and balance: Collaborating with you to develop effective time management strategies to balance academic commitments with personal and work responsibilities, promoting well-being and reducing stress.
- Setting academic goals: Working with you to establish realistic and achievable short-term, medium-term, and long-term academic goals, providing direction and motivation throughout the program.
- Developing effective study strategies: Helping you identify your learning preferences and develop tailored study strategies to optimize learning and retention of course material.
We recognize the significant commitment required for our 16-month ABSN program. However, with our robust support structure and dedicated success coaches, we are committed to providing every student with the best possible chance of success in achieving their nursing career aspirations.
COVID-19 Training: Ensuring Student and Patient Safety
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly reshaped the healthcare landscape. Even with vaccine availability, the pandemic has underscored the critical need for preparedness and resilience in the face of global health threats. Integrating comprehensive COVID-19 training into nursing education is now essential to equip new nursing professionals with the knowledge, skills, and protocols necessary to navigate current and future healthcare challenges.
On campus, ABSN students continue to participate in essential in-person skills and simulation labs, and on-site proctored exams. However, stringent social distancing measures and restricted common area access are implemented to minimize virus transmission. Furthermore, rigorous sanitation protocols are in place within skills and simulation labs, ensuring a safe learning environment and simultaneously training students in infection control practices essential for clinical settings.
During clinical placements, students are thoroughly trained in and expected to strictly adhere to the specific COVID-19 protocols of their assigned clinical partner. By learning to practice within these safety guidelines, students are comprehensively prepared to transition into professional nursing roles in the current healthcare environment. Their training includes in-depth knowledge of:
- Visitation Policies: Understanding and implementing evolving visitation guidelines in healthcare facilities, balancing patient and family needs with infection control.
- PPE Guidance: Mastering the correct application, removal, and disposal of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to safeguard both themselves and patients.
- Isolation Protocols: Learning and applying isolation guidelines for patients with infectious diseases, preventing disease spread within healthcare settings.
After completing the 16-month ABSN program, including hundreds of hours of clinical experience, Marian ABSN graduates who successfully pass the NCLEX are well-prepared to enter the nursing workforce as registered nurses, equipped to ensure COVID-19 compliance and patient safety in any clinical environment they encounter.
Graduate Success Stories: Real-World Perspectives on Program Preparedness
Marian University ABSN program alumni come from diverse backgrounds and have shared their experiences on how the accelerated program effectively prepared them for their nursing careers. Their testimonials offer valuable insights into the program’s strengths and its impact on career readiness.
From Classroom to Career: A Seamless Transition
“While studying at another university, I took an EMT course, and after graduating, I began working as an EMT,” recounts Allysia Campbell, ABSN Class of August 2019. “Working in an emergency department sparked my realization that nursing was my true calling.”
Allysia’s prior experience in patient care provided a solid foundation. However, she pursued her BSN to advance her career and expand her scope of practice. She was particularly impressed by the interactive nature of both the online learning components and the skills and simulation labs within the ABSN program. “Even though we’re all at home on our computers, we’re still together,” she noted, highlighting the program’s ability to foster a sense of community even in a hybrid learning environment.
Regarding the high-fidelity medical manikins used in skills and simulation labs, Allysia emphasized their practical value: “We have those readily available here so that we can get that hands-on experience before having to go to the hospital during clinical time to practice.”
This robust foundation of practical skills instilled confidence. Allysia stated, “You’ve already practiced in simulation and in skills lab… In clinical, you’re in it. And it’s great because you really get to put forth the knowledge that you’ve learned and actually use it.”
Building Skills Through Hands-On Learning
Kristen Walker, a 2019 Marian ABSN graduate, emphasizes the program’s progressive skill-building approach, enabling accelerated professional development. “First semester, online learning prepares you for skills lab because there are videos and readings that go along with the skills that you’re learning,” she explains. “As you move through the program, it’s not as much online learning as it is clinical setting learning. Getting that basis in your first semester by viewing those videos and getting your clinical lab sessions here on-site. As you progress you use those [skills] on actual patients.”
The program’s emphasis on skills and simulation labs before clinical placements instilled confidence and provided a safe learning environment. Kristen reflected on her clinical preparedness: “The benefit of both skills and simulation labs is that you can make mistakes and it’s not on a real patient. You can learn from those mistakes along with your cohort and discuss what could’ve gone better or differently.”
Clinical placements were where Kristen felt everything coalesced, becoming the most rewarding aspect of her ABSN experience. “That is where I feel like I’ve been able to shine,” she reflected. “I love the patient care aspect of it. The clinical instructors at Marian are fantastic. They are willing to go above and beyond, not only to gain clinical and skill experience with patients, but they’re willing to take the time to sit down with and discuss what you can improve on, what you’re great at, and provide you with a great experience throughout.”
Take the Next Step Towards Your Nursing Future
If you are drawn to a nursing career and seek a program that prioritizes practical skills and comprehensive preparation, Marian University’s ABSN program is designed to equip you for success. Earning your Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree opens doors to a fulfilling and impactful career. Our hybrid ABSN program, blending online learning with essential on-site and experiential components, empowers you to realize your potential and thrive as a registered nurse.
If this accelerated 16-month program aligns with your educational and career aspirations, contact our admissions team today. Take the first step towards a rewarding and in-demand nursing career.
