Published Wednesday, April 18th, 2018
Students will first earn a bachelor’s degree in the field of their choice at Wayne State, then take one year of classes to receive a nursing degree (B.S.N.) through UNMC.
Wayne State proudly announces the creation of an accelerated nursing program in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). The new program will prepare students for a variety of nursing careers: educators and faculty, managers and administrators, and mental health and counseling. Students will first earn a bachelor’s degree in the field of their choice at Wayne State, then take one year of classes to receive a nursing degree (B.S.N.) through UNMC.
The program provides an attractive pathway to a nursing degree for current students at Wayne State, transfers from other schools, or even current employees of a nursing home or hospital. This is a great opportunity to pair current skills and interests with an education in health care, leading to a fulfilling and lasting career.
“I am particularly excited about WSC’s partnership with UNMC-Norfolk’s new Accelerated B.S.N. program because of the expanded opportunities it offers for WSC students and the nursing profession,” said Dr. Yasuko Taoka, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at WSC. “This partnership allows a student to complete a bachelor’s degree in any field at WSC and layer that with a year of intensive nursing coursework at UNMC. The result is a graduate who is trained as a nurse as well as in another field that complements their medical training, thereby allowing them to fill needs for specialists in nursing like nurse educators and nursing administrators. Other graduates will be prepared to meet particular community needs for bilingual nurses and mental health specialists. The program is also flexible enough to accommodate adults considering a career shift. It will allow them to blend their previous experience with medical training to consider a new career path.”
Here’s how the program works: Students will complete a bachelor’s degree in any major at WSC while also completing UNMC prerequisite courses. Upon prospective graduation from WSC, students apply to the accelerated nursing program at UNMC’s Norfolk campus, where accepted students will complete one year of courses through UNMC (January through December) and graduate with a B.S.N.
Credit hours required for the program include 30 hours in general education, 58 hours of B.S.N. prerequisites, with a total of 120 hours needed to graduate from WSC. Students must also obtain a certified nursing assistant (CNA) certificate.
Well-qualified students may be eligible for UNMC College of Nursing Honors Admission, which guarantees admission based on UNMC criteria: a 3.8 GPA in prerequisite coursework; no repeated courses; no pass/fail in science courses; and no grade below C+ in any course.
“UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division is excited to partner with WSC to offer the one year accelerated program to students who wish to use their four year degree at WSC to launch them into the bachelor of science in nursing degree at UNMC,” said Dr. Liane Connelly RN, NEA-BC, who serves as assistant dean and associate professor for UNMC’s Northern Division College of Nursing. “We have enjoyed a very successful partnership with WSC for many years, knowing that students who complete coursework at WSC are very well prepared for the B.S.N. at UNMC. Students with a four-year degree in any field at WSC (as well as community members with a four-year degree) are eligible to apply for this program, pending successful completion of nursing prerequisite courses. Once accepted into the accelerated program, students enter the one-year accelerated program each January, with graduation in December of the same year.”
Learn more at www.wsc.edu/accelerated-nursing.