Students interested in furthering their nursing education can now earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from SUNY Empire while taking initial classes at Rockland Community College. This new partnership, which begins in fall 2018, is ideal for current RCC students or recent graduates who have yet to become a licensed registered nurse. Other graduates of Associate’s degree nursing programs who are licensed RNs and want to begin working toward a BSN degree are also eligible. Students can enroll on a part-time or full-time basis.
“RCC’s partnership with Empire State College is a wonderful opportunity for our graduates to seamlessly transition into a BSN program,” said Dr. Kathleen Hopkins, RCC’s division chair for STEM and Health Professions and an associate professor of Nursing. “This program allows for great flexibility; the new nurse can work and at the same time attend class so they can obtain their BSN within two years of part-time study. A BSN degree is the finishing touch that can open many doors for nurses.”
“Graduates of Rockland Community College’s nursing program are very well prepared to complete their RN to BSN with SUNY Empire,” said Bridget Nettleton, dean of the SUNY Empire State College School of Nursing and Allied Health. “SUNY Empire is uniquely positioned to be a statewide resource for all of the community college nursing programs statewide. SUNY Empire’s partnership with Rockland Community College is the most recent example of how community colleges and SUNY Empire can work together to create seamless transition pathways for nurses seeking their next degree or credential.”
Nurses working in today’s healthcare setting need to be prepared to meet the needs of a diverse patient population, many of whom have multiple, complex health issues. The entry level for nurses has traditionally been a diploma or an associate’s degree. However, the American Nurses Association has long advocated for a baccalaureate education as the minimum entry level for nurses, and current research indicates that patient outcomes are better when treated by nurses with baccalaureate degrees.
RCC Nursing graduates can smoothly transfer all 68 credits earned from their associate’s degree to the BSN program. Students may take 12 additional general education/liberal arts electives through RCC, along with eight credits of nursing courses offered by Empire State College at RCC. Those nursing courses will be taught by RCC faculty in a hybrid format – half classroom, half online – while the remaining nine nursing courses will be taught by ESC faculty and can be completed online. “This program is perfect for working RNs as the online format accommodates most schedules,” Hopkins said.
Admission requirements to the BSN program include: a completed AS degree in Nursing; possession of an active, unencumbered New York State Nursing RN license; and the completed ESC admissions application, including essay. Tuition is $286 per credit for New York State residents ($694 per credit for non-New York State residents). If applicants to ESC are within three years of graduating from RCC’s Nursing program, the $50 orientation fee is waived and the student will receive a one-time $100 transfer scholarship.
For more information, contact Empire State College Nursing by email at Nursing.Program@esc.edu, or by phone at 800-847-3000 x3020; or contact RCC’s Kathleen Hopkins at khopkins@sunyrockland.edu.
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