ASU BSN Program granted approval
The Georgia Board of Nursing has granted approval for Augusta State to begin enrolling students in its new Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program.
According to Dr. Charlotte Price, chair of the Department of Nursing, the board granted the permission after reviewing the program’s curriculum in July, and now ASU is ready to begin its first BSN classes in the 2010 spring semester that begins in January.
“We are excited about this program, because we know it will definitely open more doors for our students,” says Dr. Price. “Having the BSN will be a plus for our graduates as they enter their professional careers. Our students will graduate being highly qualified to enter any area of nursing and meet the needs of the 21st century.”
In 2008, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved the four-year undergraduate program which prepares students for the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses. The program is also designed to give students an in-depth education in nursing and liberal arts.
Since phasing out ASU’s Associate Degree in Nursing program this year, Dr. Price says the university has already started getting positive feedback from both current students and alumni who want to return to obtain their BSN.
Dr. Samuel Sullivan, vice president for Academic Affairs, says the institution sees this program as a way to help students increase their career mobility and be an asset to the overall medical community. “With this new degree program, the institution is doing its part in helping satisfy the nursing shortages found across the country,” says Dr. Sullivan. “We not only see this as a way to attract more students to the university, but it is a way to give them the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the nursing field.”
Applications for the BSN program will be accepted until Saturday, Oct. 31. Dr. Price encourages all students who are interested in this program to speak with an advisor in the nursing department at 706-737-1725.