Drake University Nursing students practice taking vitals on an infant mannequin with a stethoscope in a simulation lab

Nursing Major

Take an accelerated path to a career as a skilled and compassionate registered nurse leader impacting the front lines of healthcare.

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College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences | On-Campus

What You'll Learn

Drake University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program prepares you to shape the future of healthcare delivery as an advocate for innovation, equity, and patient well-being.

Through a mix of rigorous academics and hands-on instruction, you’ll complete engaging coursework and approximately 600 hours of simulation, labs, and clinical experiences in just 12 months after satisfying prerequisites. This combination equips you with the medical knowledge, clinical judgment, and competency in nursing skills for success on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and a confident entrance into professional nursing practice.

Learning in an interactive, hands-on environment, you’ll focus on mastering the critical thinking and practical skills that form the foundation for compassionate, culturally sensitive patient care across the lifespan. Realistic practice examples and case studies in the simulation lab prepare students for a wide variety of practicum experiences in multiple acute and community settings, from birth to end-of-life and everything in between. Clinical experiences include long-term care, hospice, community health, primary care, and a multitude of acute care settings, including labor and delivery, pediatrics, medical/surgical, intensive care, surgery, neuro-trauma, and mental health, to name a few.

Drake’s Accelerated BSN program embraces a holistic approach to the student experience. You’ll grow as a professional and ethical healthcare provider, attuned to the issues of healthcare access, equity, and social justice. Additionally, students are adequately prepared for healthcare leadership, evidence-based quality improvement, nursing research, and outcome informatics to transform patient care through data while promoting best practice.

About the ABSN Program

Complete the program in just 12 months to begin your career immediately or pursue advanced training.
Gain valuable clinical experience through Drake’s relationships with top healthcare partners in Des Moines and surrounding areas.
Master the skills you’ll need to serve as a patient advocate through an interactive learning and clinical environment.
Access comprehensive support for the job market, including career advice, résumé reviews, mock interviews, and employer connections.
Build experience with diverse patient populations in an array of clinical settings, including outpatient, community, and acute care environments, with final practicum placements tailored to your career interests.

Program Facts

On campus with select hybrid courses
Full-time, complete in 1 year after prerequisites
600 clinical, lab, and simulation hours
120 total credits; 51 credits for the major

Review Admission Requirements

Accelerated BSN

This program condenses all the courses and practicum hours into 12 months, providing a streamlined way for those who have already satisfied program prerequisites to earn a BSN degree and begin their careers.

Pre-Nursing/ABSN 3+1

Designed for those just starting their undergraduate education, this program lays the groundwork for a healthcare career during your first three years at Drake. This prepares you to apply to and complete the ABSN program in your fourth year and graduate with two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

Careers & Skills

Nurses fill a crucial role in healthcare, and the demand for skilled professionals remains strong. After completing your BSN degree at Drake, you’ll have mastered core clinical skills and gained hands-on experience that equips you to serve in diverse areas of care, including hospitals, clinics, family practices, hospice, schools, community programs, surgery centers, and other healthcare settings.

Whether you plan to step immediately into a nursing role or pursue additional education for advanced practice, you’ll be thoroughly positioned to excel.

Employers

Home care providers
Hospice
Hospitals
Medical spas
Public health departments
Community health centers
Surgery centers
Insurance companies
Long-term care facilities
Rehabilitation centers

Skills

Clinical judgment
Collaborative leadership
Comprehensive patient assessment and care abilities
Cultural sensitivity
Healthcare informatics technologies
Research to inform evidence-based practice
Nursing leadership

A Drake ABSN student in a white jacket and blue shirt concentrates in a campus simulation lab

Salary & Growth Outlook

The national average salary for registered nurses as of 2024. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Katie Scott, DNP, ARNP, CPNP-PC

Assistant Professor, Nursing Education; Program Director, Nursing

Abby Rail, DNP, RN, CNL, CPN

Assistant Professor, Nursing

Amanda McGraw, MSN, RN

Assistant Professor, Nursing

Hannah Crocker, MSN, ARNP, PMHNP-BC

Nursing Clinical, Skills & Simulation Learning Lab Instructor

Erin Reagen, BSN, RN

Clinical Skills and Simulation Learning Coordinator

A Drake ABSN student adjusts equipment in a simulation lab where an adult mannequin lays on a bed

Didactic Courses, Labs, and Simulations

The Accelerated BSN curriculum emphasizes concept-based, hands-on practice and skills mastery to build connections between classroom and clinical patient care experiences. From classroom roleplay to realistic patient simulation, you’ll learn to assess, analyze, plan interventions, and evaluate patient outcomes to provide competent, safe, holistic patient care in interactive and real-world settings.

A Drake University student wearing a white coat and blue gloves takes vital signs with a stethoscope during a clinical assignment

Clinical Experience

Students develop clinical judgment through immersive practicum experiences across the spectrum of care environments and life stages. We believe that a strong foundation of knowledge on what patients experience in the outpatient setting greatly impacts care provided within the hospital. Students receive clinical experience in almost every realm of direct patient care, from the community to intensive and emergent care services, to gain a realistic view of the healthcare system from both patient and professional lenses. Clinical education in the ABSN program culminates with an immersive preceptor learning experience in the final semester, intended to provide a mentored transition into professional nursing practice.

Through Drake's partnership with the Broadlawns Community Clinic, ABSN students learn how to use medical equipment in a hands-on environment

Broadlawns Partnership

Through a unique partnership, Broadlawns Medical Center serves as the primary clinical site for ABSN students. Collaborating with the facility’s Clinical Nurse Educators, faculty aim to provide enhanced clinical learning opportunities targeted to students' needs for professional preparation.

A Drake ABSN student studies materials with a tablet and calculator during an NCLEX-RN review class

NCLEX Review

Passing the NCLEX licensure exam is the final crucial step toward becoming a registered nurse. From your very first day, the ABSN program begins preparing you for the RN licensing exam by teaching you to “think like a nurse.” This work continues throughout the program and ends with a three-day, cumulative, in-person live review with seasoned, expert nurse educators.

Drake ABSN students study data on laptops while sitting around a table

Research

Students in the ABSN program are introduced to quality improvement and evidence-based nursing practice principles during the first semester before engaging in nursing research practice in semesters 2 and 3. You will experience the development of a quality improvement initiative and apply evaluative skills in informatics data analysis.

"I ended up choosing Drake because of the community aspect and the smaller class sizes, which has allowed me to form relationships with peers and faculty that I would’ve never gotten at a bigger school. As a student wanting to go into healthcare, I also knew that there were so many opportunities in the Des Moines area to get connected with health professionals."

Meghan Coulter, ABSN‘25

*The Iowa Board of Nursing has fully approved Drake University's Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, qualifying graduates to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) required for practice as a registered nurse.

Effective May 14, 2025, this nursing program is a candidate for initial accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. This candidacy status expires on May 14, 2027. Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30326 (404) 975-5000

https://www.acenursing.org/acen-programs-05202024/drake-university-b

Note: Upon granting of initial accreditation by the ACEN Board of Commissioners, the effective date of initial accreditation is the date on which the nursing program was approved by the ACEN as a candidate program (May 14, 2025) that concluded in the Board of Commissioners granting initial accreditation.

Drake University and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences wish to announce that it will host a site visit for initial accreditation of its Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

You are invited to meet with the site visit team and share your comments about the program in person at a meeting scheduled at 2:45pm on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, in 134 of the Harvey Ingham Hall located at 2804 Forest Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50311.

Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted to the ACEN via email at publiccomments@acenursing.org or to the ACEN office:

Attn: Accreditation Services
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
3390 Peachtree Rd NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta GA, 30326

You must identify the full name of the program in your comments. All written comments should be received by the ACEN by September 22, 2026.

*Denotes inaugural graduating class.
Graduation Year	NCLEX First-Time Pass Rate	NCLEX Overall Pass Rate	On-Time Program Completion Rate	Job Placement Rate
2025*	72.2% (13/18 students)	83.3% (15/18 students)	90% (18/20 students)	100% (15/15 students who obtained licensure)
2026	Pending cohort graduation in August 2026	Pending cohort graduation in August 2026	Pending cohort graduation in August 2026	Pending cohort graduation in August 2026
2027	Pending cohort graduation in August 2027	Pending cohort graduation in August 2027	Pending cohort graduation in August 2027	Pending cohort graduation in August 2027

Drake students earning both their B.S. in Health Sciences and their BSN degrees as part of the Pre-Nursing/ABSN 3+1 program are eligible to continue receiving their undergraduate scholarships in the fall and spring semesters of their fourth year as they complete their ABSN curriculum.

The final summer semester in the ABSN program is billed on a per-credit-hour basis for all students. Additional scholarship and financial aid opportunities may be available through external state, federal, and non-profit agencies (apply separately). All ABSN students are encouraged to submit a FAFSA^®.

Take the Next Step

Become a driven, empowering nursing professional who will lead the future of healthcare.

Contact

Dr. Katherine Scott DNP, CPNP-PC (she/her/hers)
Program Director and Assistant Professor of Nursing
katie.scott@drake.edu
515-271-1838

Lauren Sharp, MAC (she/her/hers)
Director of Enrollment Services
lauren.sharp@drake.edu
515-271-2247

Request Info Visit Apply

Two Drake ABSN students take campus bulldog Griff's vitals in a simulation lab

Nursing Major