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Your Fast Track to a Career That Heals
You can change careers and become a BSN-prepared nurse in 15 months (4 semesters) with Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s (SJC) Hybrid Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN). Our program is uniquely designed for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree—no nursing experience is required.
Hybrid Curriculum
- Coursework is 100% online (synchronous and asynchronous) in addition to direct patient care clinical hours.
- Two on-campus immersions include hands-on skills training, plus high- and low-fidelity simulations in the brand-new Center for Nursing Innovation.
- Our BSN graduates demonstrate their readiness with exemplary first-time NCLEX-RN passing rates of over 90%.
Dedicated Support
- Integrated placement services help you source local preceptors and clinical sites for your clinical rotation hours.
- Student support guides you through the application and enrollment process through to graduation.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s ABSN is a hybrid, full-time, and highly respected program driven by our faculty’s belief that learning best occurs in a community built on mutual respect. As an ABSN student, you’ll receive close supervision, mentoring, and individual attention from a team of passionate and experienced educators.
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Your Fast Track to a Career That Heals
You can change careers and become a BSN-prepared nurse in 15 months (4 semesters) with Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s (SJC) Hybrid Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN). Our program is uniquely designed for students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree—no nursing experience is required.
Hybrid Curriculum
- Coursework is 100% online (synchronous and asynchronous) in addition to direct patient care clinical hours.
- Two on-campus immersions include hands-on skills training, plus high- and low-fidelity simulations in the brand-new Center for Nursing Innovation.
- Our BSN graduates demonstrate their readiness with exemplary first-time NCLEX-RN passing rates of over 90%.
Dedicated Support
- Integrated placement services help you source local preceptors and clinical sites for your clinical rotation hours.
- Student support guides you through the application and enrollment process through to graduation.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s ABSN is a hybrid, full-time, and highly respected program driven by our faculty’s belief that learning best occurs in a community built on mutual respect. As an ABSN student, you’ll receive close supervision, mentoring, and individual attention from a team of passionate and experienced educators.
No Experience Required
Enroll with a Bachelor's Degree in any field.
Clinical Placement Support
Your Placement Coordinator will help you secure clinicals at no added cost.
1:1 Student Success Advisor
Have a dedicated advisor that supports you from application through graduation.
Your Weekly Commitment to the Hybrid ABSN Program
4-8
HOURS
SYNCHRONOUS
Scheduled, real-time virtual classroom with an instructor
12-16
HOURS
ASYNCHRONOUS
Self-paced, independent online coursework
20-24
HOURS
ASSESSED ACTIVITIES
Discussions, assignments, projects, and study for test taking
12
HOURS
CLINICAL PLACEMENT
On-site clinical rotation hours with a preceptor
48-60
HOURS
TOTAL HOURS
Total hourly commitment for the program per week
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 ABSN 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.
The 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).
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 program that requires full-time attention. It is not advised that students work while in the program.
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s 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.
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.
Students residing in these states may apply to Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s hybrid ABSN program:
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
“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.”
Genevive 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
