RICHMOND, Va. – Registered nurses at VCU Health who may not have a bachelor’s degree now have an easier path to obtain one without compromising their careers.
A new partnership between VCU Health and the VCU School of Nursing offers guaranteed admission to the school’s RN to B.S. program.
“It’s a great opportunity for professional development for our nurses as they continue to grow in their role,” said Ellen Derry, Interim Chief Nursing Officer at VCU Medical Center.
Derry said that while the program is open to all RNs seeking a higher degree, the program offers additional financial incentives for nurses who received their associate degree through VCU.
“We offer a really generous tuition waiver, so their continued education is at no cost to our nurses,” Derry said.
The six-semester program is online and part-time, a flexibility that VCU School of Nursing Interim Dean Patricia Kinser said should meet the needs of nurses who are already practicing in hospitals.
“With the growing demand for nurses to hold a B.S. degree, it’s important for our health systems to support that,” Kinser said. “Because we know that nurses who hold a B.S. degree gain additional learning in leadership, clinical, critical thinking, and then on the other hand it helps with retention.”
That retention piece is especially critical because there is a nationwide nursing shortage. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the need for more qualified nurses has continued to increase amidst an aging Baby Boomer generation.
One solution is creating new pathways to admit more nursing students to combat the demand for care.
Kinser says the guaranteed admission program partnership is just one of those solutions.
“We’re excited to be partnering with the health system so that we can take away some of the psychological barrier too,” Kinser said. “Where we can say, ‘We believe in you, we want to invest in you, so that you can finish you’re degree at VCU.”
Admission starts on May 1 and closes on August 1.
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