ACCELERATED NURSING

PROGRAMS
By: Katie VanderVelde

BACKGROUND

Why the accelerated nursing program came into play?

There continues to be a tremendous need for registered nurses.

The accelerated track is offered over one calendar year as a doublepaced program.

Nursing is a career where jobs are found.

baby boomers

BACKGROUND

Qualified Applications Rejected from Entry-Level

Baccalaureate Nursing Programs: 20022009
2002 3600
2003

15944

2004

29425

2005

37514

2006

38415

2007

36400

2008

41385

2009

42981

5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000

Source: Based on a data display provided by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Research and Data Center.

ISSUES

Decreased clinical experience

Shortened class time and lectures
Higher levels of stress
Decreased time to comprehend and grasp information

Accelerated Nursing School Skit

RELEVANCE TO NURSING

Decreased class time and clinical experience can

impact the quality of care given to the patient.

OBJECTIVES

Learning objectives:

Gain a better knowledge on what the accelerated nursing program

entails.
Identify challenges and issues students may have to conquer as a
accelerated nursing student.
To differentiate between accelerated and traditional nursing
programs.
Identify two theories that can relate to the accelerated nursing
program.
Identify QSEN and ANA standards of nursing practice.

NURSING THEORY

Comfort Theory by Katharine Kolcaba

Three contexts: relief, ease, and transcendence

Students also have physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and
sociocultural comfort needs.
Learn to use tools such as comfort catchers: conscious breathing, a
comfort library, and reflective journaling to promote their own
comfort as nurses progress through the nursing program.
The ideal situation is when discomfort is overcome.

BANDURAS SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY

Self-efficacy: An individual's belief in his or her capacity to

execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance
attainments -Bandura.

Assessment of the Health

Care Environment

IMPACT ON THE HEALTHCARE

ENVIRONMENT

Policies
46 States plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
255 accelerated baccalaureate programs

25 new accelerated baccalaureate programs were in the planning

stages (AACN, 2012).
Hiring has the same guidelines as traditional track graduates.
Cost

IMPACT ON THE HEALTHCARE

ENVIRONMENT

Resources:

Accelerated nursing students in the clinical environment

Mentor programs while in class
What resources do accelerated nursing students have?
Students need to know what the program entails before entering.
The med-surg was the most demanding. Forget the physical
part of it, because that doesn't bother me ever, but to integrate
all the learning so quickly...and then I have this totally
distracting personal layer on top of it all, leading me close to a
nervous breakdown (McNiesh, 2011).

IMPACT ON THE HEALTHCARE

ENVIRONMENT

Quality and Safety:

Are accelerated nursing students safe?

Qualities of a nurse

Does the accelerated nursing program offer the skills and learning
needs of the students?

Are NCLEX pass rates lower in the accelerated nursing program?

CASE STUDY

Kristen is a 38 year-old divorced mother of two teenagers. She had a successful, wellpaying career for the past several years in upper-level management with a business
degree. Even though she had worked for the same, thriving company for over 6 years,
she unfortunately lost her job. She is having a hard time supporting her family so
decided that getting a career in nursing within 12 months would help. Ever since the
accelerated nursing program started, Kristen has found herself feeling restless, tired,
and fearful. She has not been able to sleep because of the high amounts of stress. Her
increasing amount of homework cannot keep up with taking care of her kids and self.
When she goes to bed at night, its as if her brain wont shut off. Kristen has already
missed two clinical days, because of her kids being sick. The professors have warned
her that clinical and classroom time is crucial. She is nervous going into the clinical
environment, because of being more aware of the physical danger and not having
enough clinical practice. Consequently, her last clinical day she administered insulin
intravenously instead of subcutaneously. The patient ended up coding and had long
term effects.

FISHBONE ANALYSIS

Shorter time for clinical and

classroom experience

Higher
stress levels

Attendance is crucial

Half of
clinical/simulation
/lecture time

Nervousness
No time to relax

12 months instead of 24

Money

Focuses on other
problems/concerns

Higher expectations

Lack of sleep

Family
Work

Lower
quality of
clinical care

INFERENCES AND
IMPLICATIONS/CONSEQUENCES

What are the most likely outcomes?

Nervousness
Clinically unprepared
Prepared with knowledge
Perfection is no longer the case
Potential patient impacts
Novice nurse
Lower quality of care?
Nervousness (from student to patient)
What could change?
Simulation experience

Recommendations for
Quality and Safety
Improvements

QSEN COMPETENCIES

Mean Scores for Each Program After Simulation

QSEN Competencies Traditional Nursing
Program

Accelerated Nursing
Program

Teamwork and
Collaboration

<0.001

=0.043

Safety

=0.001

=0.017

Quality Improvement

<0.001

=0.003

QSEN COMPETENCIES

More simulation experience significantly improves students' selfefficacy and knowledge related to the quality and safety competencies.

simulation

ANA STANDARD

Standard 13: Collaboration

The registered nurse collaborates with healthcare consumer,

family, and others in the conduct of nursing practice (ANA, 2012,
p. 64).

Collaboration and teamwork produce positive outcomes by sharing

knowledge.
Improvements:
As it relates to Banduras theory, teamwork and collaboration in the
accelerated nursing program is improved with simulation
experience.

ANA STANDARDS

Standard 8: Education

The registered nurse attains knowledge and competence that

reflects current nursing practice (ANA, 2012, p. 56).

Ongoing education is based on the changing needs of the population.

Improvements:
Seeking more information as an ongoing learner.
Identifies learning needs based on nursing knowledge

ANA STANDARD

Standard 12: Leadership

RNs provide direction and guidance and exercise the process of

influence every day, in every aspect of practice (ANA, 2012, p. 62).

One advantage second-degree students may have are higher levels of

maturity and experience in the workforce.

Improvements:
Assess current practices
Seek evidence-based practice

I attribute my
success to this: I
never gave or
took any excuse.

Discussion time

REFERENCES

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2014). Accelerated Nursing Programs. Retrieved from
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/students/accelerated-nursing-programs
American Nurses Association. (2010). Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice. Silver Spring, MD.
Brewer, C. S., Kovner, C. T., Poornima, S., Fairchild, S., Kim, H., & Djukic, M. (2009). A comparison of second-degree
baccalaureate and traditional-baccalaureate new graduate RNs: Implications for the workforce. Journal of
Professional Nursing, 25(1), 5-14.
DAntonio, P., Beal, M., Underwood, P., Ward, F., McKelvey, M., Guthrie, B., & Lindell, D. (2010). Great Expectations:
Points of Congruencies and Discrepancies Between Incoming Accelerated Second-Degree Nursing Students
and
Faculty. Journal Of Nursing Education, 49(12), 713-717. doi:10.3928/01484834-20100831-08
Expanding Americas Capacity to Educate Nurses: Diverse, State-Level Partnerships Are Creating Promising Models and
Results. (2010). A Publication of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from
https://www.ncsbn.org/201008_AM_SHassmiller_Keynote_handout.pdf
Ferris State University. Nursing: BSN pre-licensure. Retrieved from
http://www.ferris.edu/htmls/colleges/alliedhe/Nursing/BSN/home-RN-program.htm
Goodwin, M., & Candela, L. (2013). Outcomes of newly practicing nurses who applied principles of holistic comfort theory
during the transition from school to practice: A qualitative study. Nurse Education Today, 33(6), 614-619.
doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2012.07.013
Hallman, P. (2007). Accelerated and traditional baccalaureate nursing programs: a comparison of student academic
outcomes.

REFERENCES

McNiesh, S. G. (2011). The Lived Experience of Students in an Accelerated Nursing Program: Intersecting Factors that
Influence Experiential Learning. Journal Of Nursing Education, 50(4), 197-203. doi:10.3928/01484834- 20101029-03
Piscotty, R., Grobbel, C., & Huey-Ming, T. (2011). Integrating Quality and Safety Competencies into Undergraduate
Nursing Using Student-Designed Simulation. Journal Of Nursing Education, 50(8), 429-436.
doi:10.3928/0148483420110429-04