Nursing as a Second Career
It’s never too late. At any stage of your life, nursing is a great choice because good nurses are always in demand, it’s challenging, and you’ll use your experience and creativity to change lives every day.
Get there with a bridge program
A bridge program lets you use your previous experience to become a nurse faster. If you have a degree in another field, an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) can be the quickest way in. If you have a healthcare certification, you won’t have to repeat training you’ve already done.
The NCLEX-RN
After earning a nursing degree, you have to pass the NCLEX-RN – a standardized exam set by the Board of Nursing in each state that shows you’re certified to work as a Registered Nurse.
In their own words
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I'm a second career nurse. What's wonderful about nursing, is that it's very accessible after you've already been to school or college for another type of degree.”
Victoria
Telemetry Nurse
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When I went to school for the second time, my outlook, my self-discipline, was totally different.”
Thomas
Nurse Anesthetist
Specialties
Once you’re a Registered Nurse, you can choose to specialize in an area you really enjoy.
Featured specialties
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at a GlanceAs a career rooted in long-term, and sometimes multigenerational patient relationships, Family Nurse Practitioners are among the most compassionate and intimately connected providers in all of healthcare. FNPs are the people you’ll likely see most throughout your medical life, and are leaned on by both patients and doctors to provide individualized healthcare insights, and support. If you enjoy working with patients every day, and building meaningful relationships, earning a nurse practitioner degree, and becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner may prove to be an extremely rewarding career.
- Nurse ExecutiveA Nurse Executive holds a top position within a healthcare organization, making sure its goals and mission are carried out in day-to-day operations.
- Patient Blood Management NurseA Patient Blood Management Nurse is a member of the multidisciplinary care team whose goals are to preserve and optimize the health of patient blood by practicing Patient Blood Management (PBM). PBM is a patient-centered, systematic, evidence-based approach to the care of blood that focuses on anemia management and prevention of blood-loss and bleeding, with a focus on patient safety and empowerment.
Get your nursing journey started by finding a school.
