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Prepare for a Nursing Career in Vermont

If you’ve considered beginning a nursing career in Vermont and already hold a degree in any field, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s Hybrid Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) offers a direct pathway to your professional goals.

Fully accredited and ranked as a top 10 online ABSN program by Nurse.org, Saint Joseph’s College is a highly respected program driven by our faculty’s belief that learning best occurs in a community built on mutual respect. As a Saint Joseph’s ABSN student, you’ll receive close supervision, mentoring, and individual attention from a team of passionate and experienced educators.

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accelerated BSN students

What you can expect from our hybrid ABSN program:

  • 100% online coursework that can be completed from Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire or Massachusetts
  • 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
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2025 Nurse.org Top 10

Nurse.org Top 10 ABSN Programs

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NECHE logo

NECHE accredited

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Carnegie Foundation

Community Engagement Classification

Career Outlook for ABSN Graduates in Vermont

The career outlook for nurses in Vermont is promising, as evidenced by the following statistics:

  • Vermont needs over 1,200 registered nurses annually, but only about 400 nursing graduates are produced each year, creating a shortage of 800 nurses annually. (source: VTPM)
  • The employment growth rate for registered nurses in Vermont is projected at 9% through 2032, which is faster than average. (source: BLS.gov)
  • The average salary for RNs in Vermont as of May 2024 is $85,150 per year, which is competitive nationally. (source: BLS.gov)

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN):

  • Approximately 77% of healthcare employers express a strong preference for hiring nurses who have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.
  • About 40% of hospitals and healthcare organizations require new hires to have a BSN.

If you’re exploring options for accelerated nursing programs in Vermont to springboard your nursing career, Saint Joseph’s hybrid ABSN is a reputable, ranked, and accredited program that can be completed in just 15 months.

About the Online ABSN Program

  • 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
  • CCNE accredited

Hybrid ABSN Curriculum Sample

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.

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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.

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Genevive Norton, Hybrid ABSN student

"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

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Sandra Stephen, Hybrid ABSN student

“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

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Chioma Okoye, Hybrid ABSN student

“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

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icon of ranking for St. Joseph's College of Maine

#1 top trusted profession

source: Gallup

$85,150 Median Annual Salary in Vermont


9% growth rate for registered nurse jobs projected through 2032

  • Prenatal and labor & delivery
  • Oncology
  • ER
  • Gerontology
  • Pediatric
  • And more

Frequently Asked Questions

  • 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, allowing flexibility for students balancing other commitments.>/p?

Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s Hybrid ABSN program places students in clinical rotations near their place of residence. A dedicated Placement Coordinator works with each student to identify and secure appropriate clinical sites and preceptors that meet both college and national standards. This means you won’t need to relocate for clinicals because clinical placements are sourced locally whenever possible, ensuring convenience and compliance with program requirements.

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.

Focused on Your Future?

A dedicated Enrollment Advisor can answer your questions and guide you through the application process. Begin by filling out a form and starting the conversation.

  • Admission Requirements
  • Curriculum Details
  • Clinical Placement
  • Enrollment Support
  • Financial Aid
  • Tuition Cost
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enrollment advisor for the distance ABSN program of Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Meghan Moore
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