Title: Increasing capacity with an accelerated post-baccalaureate associate degree in nursing
Abstract: Community colleges strive to meet the needs of the communities they serve. With nursing being a desirable profession, a large, urban community college implemented a post-baccalaureate accelerated associated degree option to increase capacity and better meet the needs of the community. The post-baccalaureate accelerated associate degree in nursing provides students with a bachelor's degree or higher in another field a cost-effective option to complete a nursing program in 15 months instead of the usual 20 months. This article describes the program design, student characteristics and support, outcomes and lessons learned while implementing a new nursing option interrupted by a pandemic.