Faster nursing programs are quickly becoming a way for healthcare centers, treatment centers and healthcare facilities to obtain new nursing staff to help with individual health care. These programs typically build upon the skills and experience learned in an RN program, ASN, or from a Bachelor’s degree in another focus. Learners that are accepted into an accelerated program may be able to complete the requirements for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing or PhD in Nursing in much shorter period than in typical nursing programs.
As students registered in an accelerated degree program are often considered “non-traditional,” many times, economical aid sources may be difficult to acquire. Options like federal loans may be the only way to pay for educational costs, books and all fees associated with these programs, but even those sources have limits, especially for individuals seeking a second four-year degree. With the nursing shortage in full effect, however, more healthcare centers and health care organizations are beginning to provide programs that “sponsor” nursing school students in exchange for a chance to work within the organization for a set period.
Many states provide rewards to nursing school students in order to attract more working medical staff to the healthcare centers within those states, while other states may have awaiting regulation to implement these same types of rewards. For instance, Ohio has the Nurse Education Assistance Loan Program (NEALP) that provides economical aid and loan termination programs to nursing students in both nursing and nurse education degrees. Some colleges may also provide home programs, scholarships or other rewards for nursing students within the Nurse Educator field who commit to working at the academic institution after college.