A new bachelor’s degree in nursing program will begin in fall 2010 at IUPUC.
The program, from Indiana University School of Nursing, will be the first standalone Bachelor of Science in Nursing offered in Indiana Workforce Development Region 9.
Deb Harmon, head of the Division of Nursing, said the degree is “something the community has wanted and needed for a long time.
“To say that I am excited is an understatement, I am elated,” she said.
According to Indiana Workforce Development, southern Indiana lacks about 150 Registered Nurse positions. Employment is projected to increase 23 percent from 2006 to 2016, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Region 9 includes Bartholomew, Dearborn, Decatur, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Ohio, Ripley and Switzerland counties.
Until now, no college or university in the region has offered a BSN. Students traveled out of the region to find a program or stair-stepped their education by obtaining an associate degree in nursing at a school in the region and then transferring to another school to finish the program.
While helping students, the new degree program also will allow local hospitals to better serve patients, said Cheri Goll, vice president and chief nursing officer at Columbus Regional Hospital.
Research indicates patients have improved outcomes in hospitals with higher percentages of BSN-prepared nurses, she said.
Vicki Johnson, vice president of nursing services at Schneck Medical Center, agreed and said the new program supports her hospital’s efforts toward quality and safety.
Students can begin taking prerequisites at IUPUC this fall; between 53 and 55 credit hours of general education course work is required for the degree.
Applications for the program’s first class will be accepted between Jan. 15 and March 15 2010, Harmon said. The degree requires between 70 and 72 credit hours of nursing courses.
The competitive admission process emphasizes math and science. Cohort class sizes will be limited to the top candidates.
Students accepted into the nursing program will use the IUPUC’s newly renovated nursing lab, which includes three patient care areas with hospital beds, IV pumps, monitors and simulation mannequins with virtual reality software.