Nurses wanting to pursue a baccalaureate degree now have an easier way to do so, thanks to the Kent State University College of Nursing’s revised, 100 percent online RN-to-BSN program that was launched this semester. The revision, driven by the Institute of Medicine’s goal to have 80 percent of the nursing workforce educated at the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) level by 2020, will make Kent State’s program more accessible and convenient for practicing nurses. The newly designed, 100 percent online RN-to-BSN program is the first of its kind to be implemented fully through collaboration among all eight Kent State campuses.
“It was important to involve all campuses as Kent State is one university with multiple sites where education is delivered,” says Barbara Broome, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of Kent State’s College of Nursing. “The new program allows us to share the talents of our faculty experts with RN-to-BSN students.”
The redesigned program offers students several distinctive benefits, such as decreased tuition, increased course availability and convenience. Rather than providing classes in a traditional rotation format, each of the required nursing courses will be offered every seven weeks. Many students completing this program work full-time and have families depending on them; therefore, this students-first approach will provide the flexibility they need to complete school work while balancing life’s other obligations.
The RN-to-BSN Memorandum of Understanding was signed in September by Kent State’s provost, the vice president for Kent State System Integration, all Kent State Regional Campus deans and dean of Kent State's College of Nursing. The signing was symbolic of the strong ties between Kent State’s campuses and recognized each person’s desire to provide the best education possible for Kent State students. The Memorandum of Understanding will set forth the roles for each campus, along with the policies and future endeavors for the program.
“We are proud of this project,” Dean Broome says. “Not only are we one of the few programs to offer a RN-to-BSN degree online, we are now a leader in this collaborative arrangement with the Regional Campuses.”
Designed to provide working professionals who already had an associate’s degree or nursing diploma a pathway to complete their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, the Kent Campus first launched its RN-to-BSN program in 2009. The curriculum emphasizes professional knowledge, leadership skills, community-focused healthcare and compassionate nursing practices in order to develop a strong nursing workforce in Northeast Ohio and beyond.
Kent State’s College of Nursing, which has been in existence for 50 years, is one of the largest and most comprehensive nursing programs in the nation with more than 12,000 alumni worldwide.