Edwardsville, Ill. (PRWEB) March 16, 2016 -- The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) School of Nursing (SON) and Lewis and Clark Community College (L&C) have announced a new partnership. The Bachelor of Science in nursing degree track enables community college students to rapidly achieve their baccalaureate degree from the SON. Students must have previously attended Lake Land College to complete an associate degree and the majority of the general education requirements.
“This is going to benefit students who may not have originally seen themselves going into a four-year program,” said Roberta Harrison, PhD and assistant dean of the SON. “They can complete the coursework for an associate degree at the community college level. When they transition into our online program, they can already see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
A student, who successfully completes the first two semesters of outlined BS in Nursing Partnership curriculum at Lake Land College, can enroll in the first two SON courses for their third and fourth semesters. Once a student has successfully completed the ADN program at Lake Land College and obtained licensure as a registered nurse, the student may progress through the remaining four RN to BS nursing courses through the SON online program.
“This will definitely accelerate the process towards my BSN and my ultimate career goal of being an advanced practice nurse,” said Christine Martin, a Lake Land College student from Toledo. “It is huge that it will be so easy to accomplish the bachelor’s in nursing with a smooth application process and transition from Lake Land to SIUE.”
Mackenzie Wermert, a Lake Land College student from Teutopolis, is excited about the cost savings the agreement will afford her. She will be able to take her general education requirements at Lake Land and earn her nursing bachelor’s in a shorter amount of time. “I’ve looked into other programs and this will be less than half the cost, because I can take my gen-eds at Lake Land.”
In October 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” detailing how nurses’ roles, responsibilities and education should change to meet the needs of an aging, increasingly diverse population and to respond to a complex, evolving healthcare system. The report recommended increasing the percentage of the Bachelor of Science prepared registered nurse workforce to 80 percent by 2020.
“Lake Land College is the second community college to work with us on a program of this nature,” said Laura Bernaix, PhD and interim dean of the SON. “This is an agreement that other community colleges in Illinois also desire, because it is a seamless, cost-effective way to help meet the demand for baccalaureate prepared nurses.”
Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said the college’s nursing program is vital to the region’s economic viability.
“Graduates of our associate degree in nursing program excel on their board exams and become valuable members or our area’s healthcare industry. Lake Land College is committed to providing additional options to enhance the training and educational level of our workforce. We are very pleased to partner with the SIUE School of Nursing to offer this online bachelor degree completion program to our students,” Bullock said.
The SIUE School of Nursing’s fully accredited programs are committed to creating excellence in nursing leadership through innovative teaching, evidence-based practice, quality research, patient advocacy and community service. Enrolling nearly 1,300 students in its baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders in pursuit of shaping the nursing profession and impacting the health care environment. SIUE’s undergraduate nursing programs on the Edwardsville campus and the regional campus in Carbondale help to solve the region’s shortage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and enhance the quality of nursing practice within all patient service venues. The School’s graduate programs prepare nurses for advanced roles in clinical practice, administration and education.
Doug McIlhagga, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, http://www.siue.edu, +1 (314) 402-8655, dmcilha@siue.edu
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