In response to the nursing shortage, second-degree accelerated nursing programs have proliferated in the past few years. Despite the popularity of these programs, little research has been conducted regarding the effectiveness of these programs in educating professional nurses in 12-18 months. This study explored the student experiences of accelerated second-degree nursing graduates to understand how these experiences best prepared them for practice after graduation. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, 19 second-degree graduates from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States were interviewed face-to-face. Unstructured audiotaped interviews, in which participants were asked to relate an incident that they experienced as a second-degree accelerated nursing student that best prepared them for their current clinical position, were conducted. Data were analyzed utilizing van Manen's approach to human science research. The pattern, "Clearing a Path Toward Possibilities," was identified. Students described the faculty as integral to their success in overcoming barriers to move along a pathway toward their goals. Data suggested that pedagogies that incorporate the rich life and prior educational experiences of second-degree students are needed in accelerated nursing programs.
