The need for skilled and compassionate healthcare workers is great—and if you’re reading this, it’s likely you feel called to help meet that need! Whether you’re looking to become a nurse or take the next step in your nursing career, there are a variety of pathways and programs to choose from. The following programs are available at Bethel University, which has been preparing nurses for purposeful healthcare careers for more than 35 years:
Traditional BSN
Bethel’s four-year, face-to-face program is an excellent option for students without a bachelor’s degree who want to enter the nursing profession for the first time. You’ll graduate with your BSN, a distinction that qualifies you for a higher salary and more job opportunities than an RN alone. In a hands-on learning environment, you’ll develop the technical knowledge, critical thinking skills, nursing theory competencies, and professional connections to confidently and successfully enter into your nursing career.
Post-baccalaureate BSN
This accelerated nursing program was designed for people who earned their bachelor’s in a non-nursing field, but are now interested in a career change to nursing. Whether you studied business, philosophy, communication, or psychology, you can complete your nursing education in as few as 15 months. Upon graduation, you’ll have the credentials, experience, and critical thinking skills necessary to practice in entry-level professional nursing positions in all types of healthcare agencies.
Thinking about switching careers, but still on the fence? Hear from Bethel’s post-baccalaureate nursing program director, Kristi Gustafson, on the top five reasons to consider a career change to nursing.
RN to BSN
If you’re an RN looking to expand your career opportunities, consider earning your BSN through Bethel’s completely online RN to BSN program. In just 10 months, you can enhance your qualifications for new opportunities and a higher salary, in addition to developing nursing leadership skills, cultural competencies, and the ability to care for the whole patient—body, mind, and spirit. The program was designed with an intentionally flexible format to allow nurses to do the coursework without leaving their healthcare community.
M.S. in Nurse-Midwifery (CNM)
If you have your BSN and you’re looking to lean into a specific area of specialty, Bethel’s nurse-midwifery program will provide you with the credentials to provide primary care, sexual and reproductive care, care during pregnancy, birth and postpartum, and care to newborns. As a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), you’ll be able to practice in a wide range of settings, including home birth, birth centers, hospitals, low-resource settings, and both rural and urban practices. In Bethel’s nurse-midwifery program, you’ll complete a majority of your coursework online, with one week of on-campus intensives each year.
Nursing-adjacent healthcare pathways
Perhaps you earned your BSN, but you’re starting to consider other healthcare professions. Through Bethel’s physician assistant (M.S.) program, you’ll be equipped to become a licensed medical professional who can diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, perform medical procedures, and more. Or if you’re interested in becoming a medical doctor, dentist, pharmacist, or another kind of healthcare professional that would require further education, you might consider starting with Bethel’s M.S. in Medical Sciences (MSMS). The MSMS program will help build your credentials and increase your likelihood of acceptance into your medical school or health professional program of choice.
No matter what pathway you follow, choosing to pursue a career in healthcare is highly admirable—and highly needed. These are all in-demand professions, and at Bethel you won’t merely become a skilled healthcare professional. You’ll be wrapped in a supportive community that cares about you holistically (academically, socially, spiritually), so that you can offer a similar kind of comprehensive care to the patients you serve.
Interested in learning more about a particular program? Follow the corresponding link to request more information: traditional BSN, post-baccalaureate BSN, RN to BSN, M.S. in Nurse-Midwifery, M.S. in Physician Assistant, M.S. in Medical Sciences.
