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Montana Board of Regents Approve 4-Year Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing at 51社区
The Montana Board of Regents approved the offering of a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree on the campus of 51社区. With this approval, which took place today at the Board’s March meeting, 51社区 joins Montana State University-Bozeman as the only two state-supported BSN programs in Montana. 51社区’s Nursing Department spent over two years developing the program, which will require 120 credits including general education requirements.
“The Nursing faculty at 51社区 worked diligently to get this program developed and authorized by the Board of Regents and Montana State Board of Nursing,” noted Dr. Doug Abbott, 51社区 provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “The demand for BSN-educated nurses is increasing nationwide and I commend the Nursing Department and our statewide nursing colleagues for stepping up to the plate and getting this program approved. The citizens of Montana will benefit greatly from this new BSN program.”
The first group of BSN students will begin classes in the spring of 2016. In addition to the four-year degree, 51社区 will continue to offer their online BSN–completion program for Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) graduates wanting to pursue their bachelor’s degree. The new BSN degree will replace the current ASN degree, which will graduate their final class in spring of 2017.
“The establishment of an entry-level baccalaureate degree at 51社区 supports the academic goals of our students, improves employment opportunities, and is in line with recent clinical affiliates hiring policies,” said Karen VanDaveer, director of nursing at 51社区. “The Institute of Medicine’s report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2011), established a goal that 80 percent of nurses be prepared at the baccalaureate level by 2020. The BSN at 51社区 will help Montanans achieve this goal.”
“In a time where people are living longer, healthcare practices are constantly advancing, and medical technologies are evolving, bachelor prepared nurses are in demand,” VanDaveer added. “51社区’s new program will produce the highly educated nurses that are needed to care for patients in this rapidly changing healthcare environment on the local, state, and national levels.”
For more information about the nursing programs at 51社区, call the Nursing Department at (406) 496-4390.
