While stories of a nationwide nursing shortage are nothing new, the current pandemic has placed renewed attention on the critical role nurses play in healthcare — as well as on the demand for registered nurses who are prepared to face the challenges of an increasingly complex healthcare environment.
For this and many other reasons, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is fast becoming the gold standard in nursing education and a requirement for many top nursing jobs.
It’s against this backdrop that Marian University — a leader in accelerated nursing education based in Indianapolis, Indiana — is proud to announce the expansion of its successful Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program in Oklahoma City. This makes the program’s third location, following a previous expansion to Nashville, Tennessee.
Our CCNE-accredited, second-degree accelerated BSN program allows qualified applicants the opportunity to leverage their previous, non-nursing bachelor’s degree to earn a BSN degree in as few as 16 months. This is possible thanks to three yearly program starts — in January, May, and August — and a rigorous curriculum that blends online coursework, hands-on skills and simulation labs, and clinical rotations.
Rooted in Franciscan values and academic excellence, Marian University’s ABSN program provides a faith-based, supportive learning environment and low student-to-faculty ratios so you graduate ready to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).
Why Become a Nurse in Oklahoma City?
The state of Oklahoma faces a dire shortage of nurses that experts only expect to worsen in the coming years, as many of the state’s nurses near retirement age. This comes as more Americans overall are moving into retirement age — and living longer, too, necessitating ever-greater levels of care. Additionally, more and more Americans of all ages are living with long-term, chronic health issues, further taxing the healthcare system.
Compounding this looming crisis is the Sooner State’s below-average ratio of registered nurses relative to the overall population. According to the Governor’s Council for Workforce Development, Oklahoma has 700 RNs per 100,000 people — compared to about 1,150 RNs per 100,000 people nationally.
This presents both a growing need and ample opportunities for those called to the nursing profession or who are looking for a new career that allows them to make a difference.
Not only is nursing a fulfilling career choice with significant room for growth — BSN-educated nurses can go on to hold leadership positions or seek advanced practice nurse (APRN) certification later on — nurses can make a healthy living. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that as of 2020, registered nurses in Oklahoma earned a wage of $66,600 a year.
How Does Marian’s Accelerated BSN Program Work?
Thanks to modern e-Learning technology, it’s no longer necessary to spend every day in a classroom learning about the concepts and theories underlying nursing practice. In fact, online coursework presents many opportunities traditional campus programs can’t. However, that’s not to say you can become a nurse through online learning alone.
Nursing requires not just a wealth of knowledge but also mastery of a variety of skills and the clinical reasoning and judgment required to think on your feet. It also requires soft skills such as communication, empathy, compassion, and conflict resolution. For these, we have skills and simulation labs at our Oklahoma City ABSN learning site and clinical rotations at top healthcare centers around the OKC metropolitan area.
Marian ABSN takes an innovative, blended approach to nursing education. Here’s how it works:
- Online coursework provides the convenience and flexibility to learn on your schedule and from wherever you feel most comfortable. Additionally, coursework is designed to accommodate a variety of learning styles — auditory, visual, tactile, and social — to allow for a more engaging, interactive experience.
- Skills and simulation labs are where you’ll put into practice the concepts you’re learning in the online coursework, only in a controlled environment where it’s OK to make mistakes.
- Skills lab is where you’ll hone essential nursing skills such as taking vitals, intubating patients, and inserting catheters, using medical manikins.
- Simulation lab takes the concept of hands-on learning further, utilizing state-of-the-art medical manikins and a hospital-like setting to create highly realistic simulated experiences. There, you’ll participate in mock scenarios designed to test and hone your clinical judgment, after which you’ll debrief with your instructor and lab group.
- Clinical rotations begin your first semester and allow you to experience the daily work of nurses in a variety of settings around the Oklahoma City metro area — as both an observer and an active participant. Clinicals also provide a terrific opportunity to network and show healthcare professionals what you, as a Marian University nurse, are made of.
What Are the Requirements for Marian University’s Oklahoma City ABSN Program?
As mentioned above, Marian’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program was created for students who already hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree. This allows Marian ABSN to focus exclusively on your nursing-specific coursework, meaning your nursing education begins day one of our program.
That’s not to say you won’t need to take any prerequisite courses, though. Every applicant is different. Some Marian ABSN students hold previous degrees in science-based areas of study and, therefore, may have already taken courses such as human anatomy. Others come from a liberal arts background and haven’t.
When you contact Marian University, you’ll be connected with an admissions advisor who can help you determine whether you meet the program requirements or need to take any required courses to be eligible to earn your BSN in as few as 16 months.
Are You Made for Nursing?
Oklahoma, and the United States at large, needs more registered nurses. If you have a healing touch and the desire to make a difference, Marian University’s Accelerated BSN program in Oklahoma City could help you enter a rewarding new career path sooner.
Contact us today to find out how you can use your non-nursing bachelor’s degree to earn a BSN in as few as 16 months.