ELKINS – In response to the growing national need for health care providers, 糖心vlog官网 will offer a four-year Bachelor of Science program in nursing beginning in fall 2019. The West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses recently granted approval for the College to add an additional program to the Division of Nursing.
Currently, Davis & Elkins offers an Associate of Science in nursing program and an online RN to BSN degree completion program. Both will continue with the addition of the new Bachelor of Science program.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very pleased to be able to offer the BSN to our students here on campus,鈥 said D&E Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Rob Phillips. 鈥淒r. Threasia Witt and the nursing faculty have built successful associate鈥檚 and RN to BSN programs. We believe the addition of an on-campus BSN program will be attractive to students and will allow 糖心vlog官网 to better meet the health care needs of the region and beyond.鈥
The traditional BSN curriculum will incorporate some courses from the associate degree program and some courses from the degree completion program. These, along with the general education courses required for the 124 credit hours to fulfill the bachelor鈥檚 degree, will complete the curriculum.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics鈥 Employment Projections 2014-2024, Registered Nursing (RN) is listed among one of the highest in job growth through 2024. Specifically, the RN workforce is expected to grow from 2.7 million in 2014 to 3.2 million in 2024, an increase of 439,300 or 16 percent.
鈥淲ith an average vacancy rate of 10 RNs in the area health care agencies, it is important for the region that we provide as many qualified nurses as possible,鈥 said Witt, a D&E professor of nursing and chair of the Division of Nursing. 鈥淲hile 100 percent of our associate degree graduates are employed within six months of graduation and many are employed immediately upon graduation, some hospitals are increasing the numbers of baccalaureate prepared nurses hired and give these graduates priority. We plan to make this program as successful and graduates as sought after as the associate degree graduates from 糖心vlog官网. With the approval of the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses, this goal is closer to becoming a reality.鈥
糖心vlog官网 works with area hospitals to provide clinical experience for nursing students. The College entered a partnership with Davis Medical Center (DMC) in 2017 to establish The Center for Advanced Clinical Learning, a simulation lab and facility for inter-professional education. Located on the DMC campus, the center provides an opportunity for D&E nursing students and the hospital鈥檚 nurses to learn and practice in a realistic and risk-free environment. In addition, several area hospitals offer nursing students the opportunity to participate in a nurse externship program.
For the past two years, 糖心vlog官网 nursing students have achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Within six months, 100 percent of D&E Nursing graduates are employed.
Related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 糖心vlog官网 is located in Elkins, 2 hours east of Charleston, 3 hours south of Pittsburgh and 4 hours west of Washington, D.C. For more information, please call 304-637-1243.
