How to become a nurse in NYC consists of choosing the right nursing program, ensuring your eligibility, earning your BSN, passing the NCLEX, and obtaining your nursing license. Through Felician's ABSN program, students can earn their BSN and start their nursing career in NYC in as few as 16 months.
New York City has countless job opportunities for registered nurses, especially those with a BSN degree or higher. Yet, while the chances of getting an RN job are high here, the chances of getting into an area nursing school are less so. So, if you love New York and have been at a standstill with your nursing education, we can show you how to become a nurse in NYC in less than two years.
Through the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program at Felician University, students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or at least 60 college credits can earn a BSN in as few as 16 months.
We’ll walk through the process of how you can successfully become a nurse in NYC through Felician’s accelerated nursing program.
1. Choose a Nursing Program
Nursing schools nationwide are turning away thousands of qualified applicants every year due to limited space. Not willing to wait around, many applicants are taking matters into their own hands and applying to schools in other states.
Some students are even willing to move across the country for their education. If you’re sitting on a nursing school waitlist in New York City, however, you might not have to go very far to earn a BSN.
Finding the right nursing school for you is key to your success in school as well as your career success. A few of the top qualities to look for when choosing a program include:
- Accreditation and state approval
- BSN degree program
- Accelerated timeframe
- Well-rounded clinical and lab experiences
- Online learning accessibility
- High-quality faculty and instructors
Rest assured that Felician University’s ABSN program meets all these criteria, plus it’s located less than 30 miles from NYC in Parsippany, New Jersey. The ABSN program can enroll a high number of students every year. The program not only has three start dates a year, but it also has an online learning component that expands the bandwidth of our faculty.
We also have an On-Ground ABSN program at our main campus in Rutherford, which is located about 15 miles from NYC. This program, however, has one start date a year, making student competition higher than the hybrid option.
For more than five decades, the School of Nursing at Felician University has been helping aspiring nurses pursue their passion for making a difference in people’s lives. Our ABSN program builds on this mission, with an emphasis on graduating the next generation of leaders, change agents, and problem-solvers in the field of nursing.
Now, let’s see if Felician University can help you become a nurse in NYC.
2. Verify Your Eligibility
To be eligible for our Hybrid ABSN program (16 months) or On-Ground ABSN program (18 months), you need a confirmed bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution OR a minimum of 60 credits with a cumulative 3.0 GPA in all undergraduate coursework.
The best way to know if you qualify for our accelerated path to nursing is by speaking with one of our admissions counselors. He or she can go into greater detail about the program and its specific requirements.
Also, be sure to ask them about the prerequisite courses. Everyone who applies to our ABSN program (hybrid or on-ground) comes from a different educational background. Thereby, the steps you’ll need to take to get into our School of Nursing may vary from those of someone else. But no matter what, our admissions counselors are dedicated to helping applicants every step of the way.
Are accelerated nursing programs hard to get into? Learn what it takes to get accepted.
3. Earn Your BSN
Hybrid ABSN students complete a rigorous blend of online coursework, hands-on skills and simulation labs at our ABSN site, and clinical rotations inside area healthcare facilities, including those within the Atlantic Health System. This full-time program option spans four, 16-week semesters.
Students in our On-Ground ABSN program complete the same rigorous, full-time curriculum — only they learn the fundamentals of the profession in the classroom and complete their nursing labs on campus. Clinical rotations take place at the same local healthcare facilities. This full-time program option spans six, 12-week semesters.
No matter which program option you choose, you’ll receive the same accredited education that prepares students to enter the profession as a practice-ready nurse.
4. Obtain Your Nursing License
Every nursing school graduate in the country must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®) to legally practice the profession. After you graduate from our ABSN program in New Jersey, you can register to take the exam in New York.
At Felician, we focus on preparing our students for the exam throughout their curriculum, hence why our students achieve high NCLEX pass rates. In 2021, Felician students achieved an 86.27% first-time NCLEX pass rate.
To practice nursing in New York State, you must be licensed and registered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Here’s what you need to do:
- Graduate from a program accepted by the NYSED, such as Felician’s ABSN
- Complete coursework on infection control and child abuse reporting
- Pass the NCLEX-RN
- Apply for an RN license with NYSED
After you qualify for an RN license, NYSED will issue you a license parchment and a registration certificate.
BSN in 10: Why Getting Your BSN Matters in NY
While you can apply for an RN license with an Associate Degree in Nursing, New York State passed a law in 2017 that requires newly licensed registered nurses obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing within 10 years of initial licensure. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to get your bachelor’s degree in nursing right from the start so you won’t have to go back to school later.
Job Outlook for NYC Nurses
Your decision to become a nurse in NYC is a good one because the Big Apple is rife with opportunity. In Manhattan alone, there are more than 60 hospitals within its five boroughs. Some of the area’s best hospitals include New York-Presbyterian, NYU Langone, and Mount Sinai.
The most current data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area as having the highest level of RN employment of any other metro in the nation, with an annual mean wage of $98,460.
The BLS also projects the number of registered nurse jobs in the United States to increase by 9% from 2020 to 2030. Currently, the state ranks third in the country for having some of the highest employment levels for this occupation, according to the BLS.
To break the data down even further, the New York State Department of Labor anticipates registered nurse employment in NYC to increase by 24.6% between the years 2018 and 2028. Currently, the BLS lists $93,320 as the annual salary for a registered nurse in New York.
Ready to Make Your Mark?
If you’re ready to make your mark in nursing, our 16-month Hybrid ABSN program in Parsippany or 24-month On-Ground ABSN program in Rutherford can help you take a bite out of the Big Apple. Contact our admissions team for more details.