A new agreement between Southern and the state’s community colleges will make it easier for those with an associate degree in nursing to earn a bachelor’s degree in that field.
Students who are accepted into the nursing program at one of the community colleges will automatically be offered admission into SCSU’s R.N. to B.S.N. program.
This agreement – which was launched during the fall — comes at a time when hospitals and other health-care providers are placing increasing emphasis on bachelor’s degrees when hiring nurses. It also is designed to address a national push for 80 percent of all registered nurses to have a bachelor’s degree.
“We have 75 students who accepted this invitation this fall,” said Lisa Rebeschi, chairwoman of the SCSU Nursing Department. “These students started this semester at one of the community colleges. Upon completion of their associate degree and passing the test to gain a license as a registered nurse, they can begin taking classes at Southern. In the meantime, they are welcome – even encouraged – to use our facilities and resources, such as use of the library.”
While credits earned at the community colleges already were accepted at SCSU, there had been no guarantee the students would be admitted into the nursing program at SCSU. And although students always could apply to SCSU after obtaining an associate degree, relatively few did.
Rebeschi also said studies show that patients who are treated by nurses with a bachelor’s degree tend to have better treatment outcomes.
In addition, the new program will increase the number of nursing students at SCSU. In turn, that will help boost SCSU’s enrollment, as well as address the national nursing shortage.
SCSU – a statewide leader in the field of training nurses – offers a variety of programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
