Still wondering what to do with your biology degree? Consider pursuing a rewarding career in nursing. After all, with your natural sciences experience, your path to becoming an RN with a biology degree can take as few as 16 months.
Still trying to figure out what to do with your biology degree? Perhaps you might consider putting your knowledge of the natural sciences toward a career in nursing. It is, after all, one of the most rewarding, trusted and in-demand professions available today. And best of all, the path to becoming an RN with a biology degree can take as few as 16 months. Let us show you the way.
Accelerated nursing programs are popping up at institutions across the country. These programs not only help lessen the impact of the current nursing shortage, but also build a pipeline of qualified nurses for this fast-growing profession. These programs build on your biology degree, making it possible for you to earn a quality BSN in a short amount of time.
While these programs accept students from all fields of study, your biology degree allows you to start nursing school sooner. How so? While every nursing school has a different set of prerequisite requirements for their ABSN programs, most are centered around anatomy, chemistry, microbiology, physiology and statistics. So given your science background, there’s a good chance you’ve satisfied most, if not all, of a program’s prerequisites.
Also, as someone with a biology background, you’re bound to have an easier time with your nursing coursework than someone with a liberal arts degree, especially when it comes to skills application.
After all, nurses must understand the foundations of life, which is precisely what biology teaches. In fact, nurses use biology daily to make informed decisions regarding patient care management. More specifically, nurses use biology to:
- Provide appropriate treatment based on the patient’s history and body composition.
- Ensure patients receive the right medication for their medical status.
- Determine dosage calculations when dispensing medication to a patient.
- Restore balance in a patient’s body so he/she can regain proper health.
Your transition from biology to nursing.
Like a traditional BSN education, an accelerated BSN education comprises fundamental nursing courses, nursing skills and simulation labs, and clinical rotations in diverse areas of practice — only ABSN curriculum is much more rigorous in nature. But the intent for both of these education paths is the same, which is to prepare students to sit for the NCLEX-RN® exam with confidence.
To earn your RN credentials and legally practice the profession, you need to do more than just graduate from nursing school. You need to pass the NCLEX to earn your nursing license. By passing the exam, you’ve demonstrated your ability to be able to provide safe, effective nursing care at the entry level.
Your best chances of getting into nursing school.
Despite the current nursing shortage, nursing schools nationwide have no choice but to turn away a sea of qualified applicants simply because they don’t have the capacity to accommodate them. However, your chances of getting into an accelerated nursing program are higher if you:
- Apply to a school in a state where there’s less student competition, such as Texas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Ohio.
- Apply to an accredited lesser-known school. You’ll find that some of the best-known schools in the country receive as many as 400 applications per year but can only accept around 100 students.
- Apply to an accelerated nursing program that offers multiple start dates a year. While many nursing schools have one start a year, there are programs out there with three.
- Apply to an accelerated nursing program with an online learning component. When students can complete their fundamental nursing coursework online, it expands the teaching bandwidth of faculty.
Your future in nursing looks bright.
By becoming an RN, you open yourself up to a world of opportunity. In fact, many believe there’s never been a better time to be a nurse in the United States for reasons that include:
- Good pay: According to its most recent data, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists $77,600 as the annual median wage for registered nurses.
- Job growth: Nursing is growing at a steady rate, similar to other occupations in the country, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting RN employment to grow by 9% between 2020 and 2030.
- Career diversity: Nurses can find employment in any number of inpatient and outpatient settings and can choose to pursue certification in nearly 100 specialty areas of practice.
- Trusted profession: Nursing consistently ranks #1 for honesty and ethics in the annual Gallup poll.
Ready to fast-track into nursing?
If you have a biology degree, we can help pair you up with an accelerated nursing program that aligns with your qualifications. All you have to do is complete our quick online form. We do not charge for our services, and you are not obligated to attend any of the nursing schools that contact you.