ABSN Program Overview

The Accelerated BSN program is delivered in a “modified hybrid” model with all four divisions meeting synchronously for didactic courses. The faculty member will be “live” on one of the four divisions during class while simultaneously appearing via electronic technology on the other three divisions. Faculty are experts in distance education so live questions and classroom interaction is expected for all students attending. Students attending via technology are encouraged to ask questions via open microphones at each workstation, sending “chats” to the digital platform or texting the faculty during class to get any questions addressed in “real-time.”  Faculty also schedule office hours to meet with students and work through questions pertaining to course content.

Clinicals are held in face-to-face format on each of the four Accelerated BSN divisions.  Faculty clinical coordinators work within each community to secure placements with our clinical partners to facilitate learning outcomes. UNMC CON offers a wide range of clinical opportunities designed to enhance student learning with hands on experiences in a variety of settings. An array of clinical models are employed, depending on the student level, learning objectives and availability in the community.  Accelerated BSN students work side-by-side with UNMC CON faculty to develop clinical judgment, hands on nursing skills and achieve competence as a nurse generalist according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials (citation to the Essentials, 2021).

Each session is different and may vary slightly among campuses. The first nine-week session contains many of what we refer to as “building blocks” courses where students learn the essential skills of head to two Assessment of a healthy adult, check off on the Certified Nursing Skills they have already completed in pre-requisite coursework, and begin to dive into the Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Nursing interventions for entry level concepts. After completing Health Assessment, students are placed in clinical settings with real patients to begin their nursing focused clinicals. For this first nine-week session, there are long classroom days coupled with a variety of learning labs and hands-on clinical activities. Moving forward in each subsequent session, Accelerated BSN students encounter higher acuity clinical settings paired with escalating depth of course content.  Students will also move through a series of coursework which develops their skills in evidence-based practice, leadership and policy. Accelerated BSN students complete two courses (with accompanying clinicals) that focus on the unique nursing role of caring for a Population as the client. These courses broaden the lens of nursing care to foster recognition of intended impact of bachelor’s prepared registered nurses.  The successful Accelerated BSN student is a self-motivated and independent learner who enjoys a challenge. They are not afraid to ask questions, but also thrive in a learning environment where faculty and fellow students give constructive input for the purpose of growth in the nursing role. Accelerated BSN students should expect to be present for in class learning, on their campuses or clinicals, four or five days each week as determined by division specific schedules.

The Accelerated BSN calendar is structured in one nine-week session, two ten-week sessions, and one 16-week session. There is a one week break between each of the sessions. There are also sporadic one- or two-day breaks for Federal holidays (like observance of MLK Day, Independence Day and Thanksgiving) as well as a scheduled UNMC Fall break which is two days in mid-October. The scheduled break weeks are meant to allow students time for rest and rejuvenation among an otherwise fast paced didactic and clinical calendar.

UNMC CON employs a model of undergraduate education that endeavors to prepare our students to work in the modern healthcare setting. As such, our curriculum contains many opportunities for students to work in groups. This model fosters a mature approach to collaboration, real-time feedback and accountability.

As the discipline of nursing entails obtaining a board certification, UNMC CON strives to prepare each new graduate for success on this rigorous criterion by administering exams to our students that prepare them for this level of performance. To help students achieve this goal, UNMC CON has set our passing threshold at 78% for exam average (in each course that contains exams) and an overall 78% course average on all content which is designated as contributing to the overall course grade.  UNMC CON has numerous options for assistance with coursework including a formalized Student Success program, Supplemental Instruction and ready access to faculty. Accelerated BSN students who are not successful in a course must step back from the Accelerated track.  These students are allowed to transition to the UNMC CON Traditional BSN pathway to complete their course and clinical work for the duration of their nursing program at a pace which may be a better fit for their skill set and life commitments.

UNMC CON has chosen the Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) as a partner platform to prepare our BSN students for NCLEX success. Paid for by student fees, this platform presents multiple opportunities for students to develop clinical judgment, test-taking skills and didactic/clinical competence. ATI is one of the mechanisms that UNMC CON faculty use to help prepare our students for NCLEX success.  We also intentionally rely on the NCSBN NCLEX test plan to assure that our learning materials and curricular plan align with projected success.  UNMC CON also adheres to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021) as the standard we hold our educational programs to.