Making a career change to nursing is a great idea because you can leverage your past education and earn a degree quickly. Nursing also gives the ability to transitMaking a career change to nurse could be ideal for you because you can leverage your past education and earn a degree quickly. Nursing also gives the ability to transition from a variety of backgrounds, earn a highly competitive salary, and feel fulfilled in your career.ion from a variety of backgrounds, use your life experience in a positive way, and feel fulfilled in your career.
Are you interested in exploring a new vocation? If so, it’s worth considering making a career change to nurse. Switching to nursing is also a viable option for transfer students. If you’re wondering, “Can I switch from health science to nursing?” or any other field, the answer is yes. Nursing can be a feasible option for people of all backgrounds, even if you have no prior experience in healthcare.
Northeastern University has developed an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program specifically for career switchers and transfer students who are interested in making the transition to the nursing field. With our ABSN program, it’s not necessary to return to school for four more years to complete a nursing degree. Instead, you can put your prior education to good use so that you can earn a BSN in as few as 16 months after completing any prerequisites.
No matter your age or past career, it’s possible to make a professional shift to nursing a reality. First, discover some of the many reasons why nursing makes a great career choice. Learn about the benefits of nursing for career changers and then how to make an ABSN program work to your advantage.
Why Consider Changing Careers to Nursing?
Nursing is a challenging and rewarding field with competitive pay and job demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for all registered nurses (RNs) was $93,600 was of May 2024. The BLS projects the job growth rate for RNs will be 5% from 2024 through 2034, faster than average, indicating there will be about 166,100 job openings during this time period.
Beyond salary and stability, nursing offers much more. You can choose from a wide assortment of nursing specialties and career advancement opportunities. Career growth is available in clinical care, administration, management, nursing education, nursing research, and more.
Nursing offers a well-paying, stable career with opportunities for growth, in addition to being personally fulfilling. That’s because you’ll get to care for patients every day, helping them recover from illnesses and injuries. You’ll form bonds with your patients, and they will remember your kindness and compassion for years to come.
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The Benefits of Nursing as a Second Career
Changing careers to nursing allows you to put your previous experience to work. While you’ll need to learn clinical skills in nursing school, you can use your transferable skills in the nursing field and draw upon your life experience. Nursing as a second career is an inviting prospect for people from all backgrounds.
You Can Leverage Skills From Your Prior Education
Whether you earned a prior degree in marketing or chemistry, all that hard work will not go to waste when you make a career change to a nurse. You’ve likely taken multiple general education courses previously, which might fulfill the general education requirements for your BSN degree.
You won’t make the career change alone. “Before nursing school, I was a biology undergraduate and communications graduate. I worked as a pharmaceutical rep and a college admissions counselor,” Northeastern’s Charlotte ABSN graduate, Patti S. notes. “It was after the birth of my first child that I decided to become a labor and delivery nurse.”
With an accelerated nursing program, your past college and work experience allow you to jump right into the nursing-specific curriculum when you begin the program.
It’s worth noting that there are a few specific courses you’ll need to have taken, no matter your prior degree. How many of these prerequisites you’ll need to complete depends on which classes you took in your previous field of study.
Biology degree holders tend to have the biggest advantage of all science majors because they’ve already completed most of the prerequisite courses, which include microbiology, chemistry and statistics. If you were a non-science major, however, you might need to complete more.
No matter how many prerequisites you need to take, our admissions team will help you map out the fastest route for completing all the ABSN admission requirements and prerequisites.
Your Life Experience May Translate to Nursing
For many, pursuing nursing as a second career is advantageous because it allows you to bring your prior life and work experience. For example, in your prior jobs, you probably developed skills like accountability, time management, and communication, all of which are key characteristics of effective nurses.
Similarly, if you’re a parent, you’ve developed skills like empathy, responsibility, and balance, which will all be useful as you pursue nursing.
“When you’re in your mid-forties, like me, it's easy to get stuck thinking it’s too late to go back to school. But it’s not,” Megan B., a Burlington ABSN graduate, reassures. “My nursing school experience went by so fast. Now I can spend my next 20-plus years in the workforce as a nurse.”
She recognizes the value of her prior experience as a mom and a volunteer for hospice care before becoming a nurse. “Having kids and working with hospice patients made me a different person,” says Megan. “I found it very gratifying to bring comfort to people facing the end of their lives.”
You Can Transition From a Variety of Backgrounds
While many ABSN students come from a biology background, you shouldn’t let it bother you if you don’t. The ABSN learning community welcomes students of all backgrounds. You’ll find the accelerated learning environment fosters camaraderie and team spirit among students. Everyone shares the same goal, which is to work hard and graduate with a BSN.
At Northeastern, many of our students come from diverse educational backgrounds. A graduate from the Charlotte campus, Sarah M. made the transition to nursing from public health.
“Before nursing school, I was a student athlete who majored in public health. I thought about becoming a physician assistant, but after shadowing someone, I discovered the profession wasn't for me. I wanted more hands-on experience with patients, so I decided to become a nurse.”
What Makes an ABSN Program the Right Choice for Career Changes?
There are many reasons why nursing can be a smart second career option. The next step is figuring out how to achieve it. For many future nurses, an ABSN program makes the most sense.
At Northeastern University’s ABSN program, you can leverage your prior academic education to graduate in as few as 16 months. This means you can re-enter the workforce quickly, minimizing disruption to your life.
Plus, our ABSN program uses the nursing cohort model, which means you’ll work through the program with the same close-knit group of nursing students. Many find the cohort model to be highly supportive and ideal for building a professional network in their new field.
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It’s Never Too Late to Become a Nurse
Northeastern University invites transfer students and career changers to learn more about our Accelerated BSN program. Our ABSN students benefit from a supported, hybrid learning experience. Our small class sizes allow for personalized attention, and our instructors are dedicated to helping students navigate challenges, preparing them to become practice-ready nurses.
Contact an admissions counselor today to learn more about switching to a nursing career with our ABSN program, available in three enrollment locations near the Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Charlotte, North Carolina, areas.