Marian University ABSN student Erica once doubted she had what it took to become a nurse. Her story shows how a desire to help others, supportive professors, a collaborative cohort, and focused nursing education can turn a career change to nursing into an achievable next step.
Some people find purpose in nursing because they are drawn to the science of healthcare, while others want to help people through meaningful moments. For Erica, a student in Marian University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, the answer came into focus after she already had a bachelor’s degree.
“My first bachelor’s degree is in electronic media, film, and television,” Erica said. Her education did not point directly toward healthcare, but her desire to help others did. Nursing offered a way to turn that motivation into service and a new profession.
Prospective nurses do not need to share the same background. They need a reason to begin, the willingness to work, and an education that prepares them for patient care.
What's Your Purpose? Start With Your Motivation
People considering nursing often begin with a broad desire to help. Nurses put that desire into action by assessing patients, coordinating care, administering treatments, explaining health information, and supporting patients and families. The work combines compassion with clinical judgment, communication, and attention to detail.
Erica had long admired the people who take on those responsibilities, but she needed the confidence to know she could become a nurse.
“Even though I really admire and respect nurses, for some reason I didn’t think I had what it took,” she said.
Nursing demands academic preparation, hands-on practice, emotional resilience, and accountability. Feeling intimidated by those expectations does not mean a person is unsuited for nursing. It may reflect an understanding that the role carries real responsibility.
Motivation cannot replace education or clinical preparation, but it can give students a reason to study, ask for help, and stay committed. Erica’s desire to help others was the starting point. Nursing school gave her a way to build the knowledge, skills, and confidence the profession requires.
Making a Career Change to Nursing
A career change to nursing can feel daunting when your first field seems unrelated to healthcare. Returning to school may involve prerequisites, a new schedule, and unfamiliar science concepts. Career changers may also wonder whether their first degree or profession will still have value.
Previous experience does not disappear when someone enters nursing. Communication, problem-solving, organization, and teamwork can all support nursing education. Erica’s background likely required her to communicate ideas, meet deadlines, and collaborate.
Her experience suggests that confidence can develop through action. She found a program, committed to the work, and began seeing herself as capable of becoming a nurse.
A practical first step is to learn how prior education may apply. An admissions advisor can review transcripts, explain prerequisite requirements, and clarify the expected time commitment.
An accelerated pathway might appeal to career changers. Marian’s ABSN program builds on prior non-nursing college education and offers a comprehensive nursing curriculum across four full-time semesters. Eligible students can earn a BSN in as few as 16 months after completing any needed prerequisites.
Benefits of Being a Nurse: Purpose, Options and Growth
The benefits of being a nurse include varied career options. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, RNs work in hospitals, physicians’ offices, home healthcare, nursing care facilities, outpatient clinics, and schools. Responsibilities vary by setting and patient population.
For career changers, several aspects of the profession may stand out:
- Meaningful patient care: Nurses provide and coordinate care, educate patients, and support patients and families during vulnerable moments.
- Varied settings and specialties: RNs may care for children, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, or patients with urgent needs. Some later move into education, administration, consulting, or advanced practice after additional education.
- Continued demand: The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% employment growth for registered nurses from 2025 to 2035.
- Room to keep learning: Nursing changes with new evidence, technology, and patient needs. Professional nurses develop through experience, continuing education, and, for some roles, graduate study or certification.
These benefits should be considered alongside the realities of the work, which can be challenging.
Learning Through Marian’s Hybrid ABSN Program
Once Erica decided nursing could be right for her, she needed a pathway that would prepare her for professional practice. Marian’s hybrid ABSN program is comprised of three main components:
- Online-based coursework introduces nursing concepts through readings, recorded lectures, assignments, quizzes, and discussions. Students can control when they study, as long as they meet deadlines.
- At Marian’s ABSN program sites, skills and simulation labs let students practice procedures, communication, and clinical judgment. Simulations present realistic patient situations where students can receive feedback without putting patients at risk.
- Students apply their learning during in-hospital clinical education, beginning in the first semester and continuing throughout the program. These experiences connect nursing concepts with supervised patient care.
Together, the three components move students from understanding a concept to practicing and applying it. For someone entering from another field, that progression can make a new professional identity feel tangible.
What is nursing school like? Learn more about how the Marian ABSN program works.
Building Confidence Through Support and Community
Accelerated nursing students take on complex material on a concentrated schedule. Erica valued the support Marian’s faculty and staff provided.
“Everyone at Marian is on your team, and there’s a built-in support structure, which I really appreciate,” she said.
She described professors as coaches who were present throughout the process. “I was really impressed with the professors because they’re there for you,” Erica said. She also appreciated regular check-ins from advisors.
Erica’s cohort provided another layer of community. “Everyone in my cohort is from different backgrounds. Some are born in different countries. Some people are married with children, some have their own businesses, and they’re making it work,” she said.
Seeing classmates manage different responsibilities showed Erica there was no single profile of a nursing student. Cohort members can exchange study strategies, encourage one another, and make a career transition feel less isolating.
Choosing Nursing as a Second Degree
If you are considering nursing as a second degree, begin with your motivation and examine the practical requirements. Consider whether you are ready for a full-time, accelerated schedule, how you will handle outside responsibilities, and who can support you.
Marian’s ABSN program offers start dates in January, May, and August, with ABSN program sites in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Nashville, Tennessee. It is designed for eligible students with prior non-nursing college education. Because prerequisite needs vary, a transcript review and conversation with an admissions advisor can clarify your next steps.
Erica’s final encouragement is simple: “You can do it. Anybody can do it once they dedicate themselves.”
Take the Next Step With Marian ABSN
Marian University’s ABSN program provides an accelerated path to a BSN through online-based coursework, hands-on skills and simulation labs, and in-hospital clinical education. Graduates are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.
Request information to speak with a Marian University admissions advisor about making a career change to nursing.