At a moment when many students are wondering which college degree will lead to lasting professional opportunity, nursing continues to look like one of the clearest answers.
A recent Wall Street Journal article called nursing “the surefire new path to American prosperity,” pointing to the profession’s unusual combination of stability, strong earnings and long-term demand. The numbers support that case. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses earned a median annual wage of $93,600 in May 2024, compared with $49,500 for all occupations. Employment for registered nurses is projected to grow 5% from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations. For nurse practitioners and other advanced practice roles, the outlook is even stronger, with a median annual wage of $132,050 and projected employment growth of 35% over the same period.
“Nursing is an incredibly broad profession,” said Dr. Debra Lee, director of Carlow University’s online RN to BSN program. “There are opportunities in leadership, healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device companies. The BSN becomes a platform for exploring those possibilities.”
More Than a Practical Choice
For students seeking a career that offers both room to grow and a higher purpose, nursing is a natural option. At Carlow University, nursing students are prepared not only to enter a high-demand profession, but to care for patients with the clinical skill, confidence and merciful compassion that define the Carlow approach.
Dr. Ashley Cole, director of Carlow’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, knows that journey personally. She first came to Carlow as a nursing student in 2004, then continued on for her master’s and doctorate before returning as a faculty member. Today, she leads the same program that launched her career.
“As a student, you felt so supported [at Carlow],” Dr. Cole said. “And that’s how I want all of my students to feel.”
With close faculty relationships, students are guided as they move from foundational coursework into simulation labs, hospital settings and direct patient care. “We’re not just treating them like they’re here to take courses and go home,” said Dr. Cole. “We’re rooted in Mercy values. We want our nursing students to be compassionate. We’re not just nurses. We’re healers.”
The result is preparation that goes beyond technical knowledge. Carlow nursing students learn to think critically, respond with compassion and see each patient as a whole person. That perspective is rooted in the University’s Mercy values and carried into every setting where Carlow nurses serve.
Built for Real Life
That mission-driven approach does not come at the expense of practicality. In fact, it is part of it. Students choosing nursing are often making a deeply personal decision, but they are also making a practical one. They are considering cost, time, career mobility and how a degree will fit into the reality of their lives.
Carlow’s nursing programs are designed with those realities in mind. Traditional undergraduate students can begin building toward a BSN from day one. Students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field can pursue an accelerated path into nursing, including a full-time track that can be completed in as little as 15 months. Working registered nurses can build on their experience through a fully online RN to BSN program designed for professionals balancing school, work and family responsibilities.
This is what Carlow University believes nursing education should be. Students need strong clinical preparation. They need pathways that make sense for their lives. And they need an education that prepares them to see patients not as cases, but as people.
Dr. Angela Summer, director of Carlow’s Accelerated Second Degree BSN program, feels this holistic support is necessary because nursing students do not all arrive on the same path. “From my perspective, every student that we get in, I feel like they can be successful nurses,” Summer said. “If we just give them some grace, some mercy, they can get through the program.”