Prepare for a Nursing Career in Massachusetts
If you’re ready to pivot into a nursing career in Massachusetts and already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s Hybrid Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) offers a fast, focused route into the profession. This efficient yet rigorous accelerated nursing program is designed to help driven learners in Massachusetts move confidently toward RN licensure.
Fully accredited and ranked among the top 10 online ABSN programs by Nurse.org, Saint Joe’s offers Massachusetts students a respected option grounded in a supportive learning community. Throughout the program, you’ll work closely with faculty mentors, receive individualized guidance, and build the clinical skills needed to step into nursing roles across the Commonwealth.
What you can expect from our online ABSN program:
- 100% online coursework that can be completed from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont
- 2 campus-based immersions in our state-of-the-art SJC Center for Nursing Innovation delivering the latest in nursing science and SIM technology in Standish, Maine
- Included clinical placement support in your region
- 1:1 student success advisor from application through graduation
Upon successful program completion, you will be eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN exam. Passing this exam will allow you to apply for state licensure and begin your career as a nurse.
Nurse.org Top 10 ABSN Programs
NECHE accredited
Community Engagement Classification
Are You Considering a Nursing Career in Massachusetts?
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), about 77% of healthcare employers prefer to hire nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and roughly 40% of hospitals and healthcare organizations now require a BSN for new hires.
If you’re looking into ABSN programs in Massachusetts that can help you enter this high‑demand field quickly, Saint Joe’s hybrid ABSN is a reputable, accredited, and nationally ranked program that you can complete in as few as 15 months.
What Is the Career Outlook for ABSN Graduates in Massachusetts?
The career outlook for nurses in Massachusetts is promising, as evidenced by the following statistics:
- Massachusetts hospitals have reported 13,600 vacancies across key roles in 2025, with nursing roles representing some of the largest gaps.
- Employment growth rate for registered nurses in Massachusetts is 8%, faster than the national average.
- The average salary for RNs in Massachusetts as of May 2025 is $117,960 per year, putting MA in the top 5 states with the highest annual mean wage for RNs.
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- 15 months/4 semesters
- 61 credit hours
- 600 clinical hours
- $900 per credit hour
- 100% online coursework (synchronous and asynchronous)
- 2 campus immersions in the first and third semesters
- 2 intakes per year
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- 15 months/4 semesters
- 61 credit hours
- 600 clinical hours
- $900 per credit hour
- 100% online coursework (synchronous and asynchronous)
- 2 campus immersions in the first and third semesters
- 2 intakes per year
This course introduces students to the nursing profession and contemporary healthcare. Students examine nursing as a profession and a career with a focus on core healthcare professional competencies: the core competencies of patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics are explored in relation to nursing. (3 credits)
Using a holistic approach, this course guides the student to develop skills in the health assessment of the adult. Students learn interviewing, history taking, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual assessment, as well as documenting data in an organized format using the electronic medical record. (4 credits)
This course focuses on the role of nurses as research consumers and highlights how consumers of research contribute to the development of evidence-based practice. Students gain an understanding of the research process, how to read research critically, and the ability to understand and evaluate quantitative, qualitative, and outcomes research reports and to summarize research evidence to make changes in practice. Knowledge generated from nursing research, when integrated with clinical expertise and patient needs, provides a framework for making clinically effective individualized decisions. (3 credits)
This course guides the student in the application of the nursing process to meet the nursing care needs of children and childrearing families in health maintenance and the management of acute and chronic health problems. (4 credits)
Get More Program Details
Download your digital program guide to learn more about our online accelerated nursing program, including program details, tuition costs, admission requirements, and our full curriculum.
How Does Clinical Placement Work?
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine trains you in the classroom and in the community. In addition to online coursework, direct patient care experiences with real patients are a required component of the SJC hybrid ABSN degree. These frequently asked questions will help you better understand our clinical placement services.
01
What are nursing clinicals?
Working under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse preceptor during your clinical rotations, you’ll practice what you learned in the online classroom. Clinicals are very similar to an internship or being an apprentice; you provide care for real patients while benefiting from the supervision and guidance of your preceptor.
02
How does the clinical placement process work?
Our clinical placement team works closely with you to ensure your rotations meet SJC’s and national guidelines. You’ll work with a dedicated SJC Placement Coordinator who will walk you through the process and be your primary point of contact for placement logistics.
03
How should I prepare for nursing clinicals?
Throughout the program and through to graduation, you will be in close communication with your Placement Coordinator who will prepare you for clinicals by ensuring you complete all clerical and health requirements, answering your questions, verifying your clearance requirements, and walking you through the nursing clinicals checklist.
04
What can I expect during nursing clinicals?
All clinical experiences are unique because students work in various healthcare environments directly with individual patients or populations who have dynamic needs. During clinical rotations, you will be under the close supervision of your preceptor and the indirect supervision of SJC clinical faculty.
"I’m ready just to be able to have more scope of practice and more options. If I’m not quite happy with one type of nursing, I don’t have to be stuck… I can go and do a different specialty."
Genevieve Norton, Hybrid ABSN
“Be prepared to know that your life is going to change… it’s an intense program, but at the same time, someone’s life is in your hands. So, you have to understand, that’s why it’s intense… you have to be able to be disciplined.”
Sandra Stephen, Hybrid ABSN
“Any organization the Sisters of Mercy have, there’s a difference, they progress. So, the moment I read about Saint Joesph’s College of Maine, I quit other schools that gave me admission… this is where I belong.”
Chioma Okoye, Hybrid ABSN
#1 top trusted profession
$117,960 Median Annual Salary in Massachusetts
8% growth rate for registered nurse jobs projected through 2032
- Prenatal and labor & delivery
- Oncology
- ER
- Gerontology
- Pediatric
- And more
- Hospitals & Medical Centers
- Home Health & Hospice
- Outpatient Clinics & Specialty Practices
- Schools & Educational Institutions
- Remote & Telehealth Roles
- Travel Nursing & Temporary Assignments
You’ll complete two required on-campus immersions at the Center for Nursing Innovation in Standish, Maine—one during the first semester and another in the third. These immersions feature hands-on skills training and simulation labs.
All coursework is 100% online, delivered through a mix of synchronous and asynchronous formats, providing an efficient path toward licensure and professional practice.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s Hybrid ABSN program provides placement assistance to help students find clinical rotations near their place of residence. A dedicated coordinator works with each student to identify and secure appropriate clinical sites and preceptors that meet both college and national standards.
The accelerated BSN program at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).* Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE).
You will learn from active clinicians who bring real-world experience into the online classroom. As trusted SJC faculty members, they are trained to meet your learning needs and are committed to your success as a nurse.
No, you must have a bachelor's degree and 3.0 cumulative GPA to apply for Saint Joe's hybrid ABSN program.
This accelerated, full-time program is designed to be completed in 15 months (4 semesters). Coursework is 100% online (synchronous and asynchronous), with 2 on-campus clinical immersions in the first and third terms.
This is a full-time, academically rigorous, accelerated nursing program that requires full-time attention. It is not advised that students work while in the program.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s Hybrid ABSN program costs $900 per credit hour for a total program investment of $54,000 (plus $4,000 in fees). Financial aid may be available to our online students.
