HEALTH CARE Nurses’ degree path eased at Wright State

WSU to help students get degrees faster. Nurses with bachelor degrees in demand.

Wright State University FAIRBORN — is making it easier for working nurses to earn their bachelor’s degree through the redesigned RN-to-BSN program.

The retooled program begins fall semester, combining online learning with individual support to help nurses earn their degree faster and with more flexibility.

The change will help meet the demand that more nurses with bachelor’s degrees be at the bedside, said Ann Stalter, program director.

“We’re doing all we can to get them prepared, and as rapidly as we can, because the demand is there,” she said. “There’s never been a greater demand in nursing. Because of that we’ve stepped up, reorganized and we’re ready.”

More colleges are changing their programs to offer an easier path to a bachelor’s degree.

Kettering College admitted its last associate degree nursing class in January.

The college now offers a three-year bachelor degree program for nurses as well as an online RN-to-BSN program, said college spokeswoman Mindy Claggett.

“The profession is demanding baccalaureate-prepared nurses right now,” she said.

Wright State’s redesigned program will allow students to schedule their own course work in any sequence.

Accelerated degree completion will allow full-time students to earn their bachelor of science in nursing in one year.

Part-time students will have up to eight semesters, or two years and eight months.

Online courses will coupled with face-to-face contact with faculty two to three times per semester.

The program will offer an easier transition for students who have earned an associate degree at community colleges, including Sinclair Community College, Stalter said.

To enroll in the program or learn more about it, go online to wright.edu/rn2bsn.