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Nursing programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States are getting more and more innovative. There are nursing programs for students considering nursing degrees, students with bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines and registered nurses who want to advance their education. Students might even opt for accelerated nursing programs.

Accelerated nursing programs are offered at the undergraduate and graduate level degree levels, taking take less time to complete than they otherwise would. In some instances, they’re intended for licensed registered nurses with hospital school nursing diplomas or associate degrees in nursing. In others, they’re designed for students who hold degrees in other disciplines.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, accelerated nursing programs also have increased over the past 15 years. Where 31 such accelerated programs in nursing existed in 1990, there are now 230 of them, the association reports. At the master’s level, accelerated generic master’s grew from 12 in 1990 to a current 33, according to the association. Accelerated nursing programs at the bachelor’s degree level typically are designed for degree-holding students and take 12 to 18 months to complete. Students participating in these intense, full-time programs typically go without breaks between sessions, the association reports. At the graduate degree level, accelerated nursing programs might be more generic, geared to non-nursing graduates and comprising three years of study, with bachelor’s level nursing courses typically provided during the first year and two years of graduate study following.

While the nursing shortage has reportedly eased in many areas of the country, some have also cited a lack of replacement nurses because of a nursing faculty shortage – and the number of nursing degree programs has been growing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates employment growth for registered nurses between 2008 and 2018 to be much faster than the average for all occupations, particularly in physician’s offices and home healthcare services, and with employment prospects particularly good for registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees and those with advanced practice specialties. The Labor Bureau anticipates 581,500 new nursing jobs as well as hundreds of thousands of replacement needs. The Tri-Council for Nursing, meanwhile, has called for registered nurses to recognize entry-level nursing employment trends and advance their careers. There are, according to the Tri-Council, urgent needs in occupations such as nurse educators as well as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

Bachelor’s degree holders in accelerated bachelor’s-level nursing programs don’t usually take liberal arts courses as part of the program, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing notes. At Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, a full-time accelerated bachelor’s nursing program for students who hold bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines takes 12 months to complete, the School of Nursing webpage shows. The program concentrates solely on nursing courses, according to Quinnipiac the website.

Creighton University in Nebraska and Vanderbilt University in Tennessee also offer full-time, one-year accelerated nursing programs for students with bachelor’s degrees in other disciplines. Vanderbilt University offers students with a nursing background the ability to work toward an advanced degree in a relatively brief time period. Vanderbilt’s School of Nursing utilizes a wide array of technologies and touts that its programs, flexible in format, allow students to “learn where they live.” Through arrangements with colleges and universities throughout the country, Vanderbilt also allows students pursuing liberal arts degrees to study at the same time toward a masters in nursing.

Regis University in Colorado also provides a variety of nursing program options, including a full-time, 12-month accelerated nursing program at the bachelor’s level for non-nursing degree students who have completed prerequisite courses in advance. While not accelerated in nature, Regis University offers bachelor’s and master’s level programs especially for working and licensed registered nurses with hospital school diplomas or associate degrees. Students in these programs can participate in courses online or on campus, the Regis University website shows.

Faster, flexible and more convenient, innovative course online programs such as these might satisfy the needs of a variety of students who want to pursue nursing degrees. Obtaining a nursing degree through an accelerated program from nursing colleges can put men and women on a fast-track to a field where they can help others and advance their careers. Because accelerated nursing programs require less time to complete than their conventional counterparts, students might also be more likely to complete them.