Arizona

Accelerated nursing programs offer students who have already completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in a field other than nursing the fastest and least costly path to being licensed as a registered nurse (RN). As you might expect, the accelerated nursing programs are conducted at an intense pace but those that make the 12 to 18 months effort are allowed to challenge the NCLEX licensure examination required for all registered nurses and enter the profession faster than those graduating from traditional nursing programs.

The New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN) is a scholarship and development funding effort created through The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The program aims to help schools of nursing expand and leverage resources, add new nursing faculty, secure matching funding from state programs, develop mentoring and leadership development programs, improve outreach activities, and establish new partnerships with community and practice leaders. In addition, the program provides scholarships to nursing students entering the profession at the baccalaureate and master's levels and especially to those enrolled in accelerated programs.

The NCIN program aims to also address the national nurse faculty shortage by helping more nurses at the baccalaureate and master's degree levels since data from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration shows that nurses entering the profession via baccalaureate programs are almost four times more likely than other nurses to pursue a graduate degree in nursing which is a prerequisite for teaching.