Students and healthcare professionals interested in completing their RN-to-BSN degree through a convenient, flexible, entirely online program are encouraged to contact the BC Admissions Office by phone at 800.872.0176 or by e-mail at [email protected], or visit the Bluefield College web site at www.bluefield.edu/inspire.
Bluefield College announced the creation of its new nursing program in the fall of 2010 to meet a critical need in southwest Virginia for baccalaureate nursing education. Soon after, the school developed RN-to-BSN partnerships with regional community colleges to make the program more accessible to students seeking to serve or those already serving in health-related fields within their communities.
In the spring of 2011, the college hired Tazewell, Virginia, native Dr. Carolyn Keen Lewis, a nurse with more than 20 years of experience in health care, to direct the RN-to-BSN program. The school then partnered with Clinch Valley Medical Center in Richlands, Virginia, on a plan to provide clinical training for its nursing students.
“The healthcare needs of individuals, families and communities demand and deserve a high skilled nursing workforce that is prepared and equipped for the future,” said Dr. Lewis. “Building upon a strong foundation that the nurses have already received in their basic program, Bluefield College’s RN-to-BSN program enables students to meet new challenges and elevate the level of healthcare in our rural communities of southwest Virginia.”
Recently awarded accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the RN-to-BSN degree is delivered through BC’s inSPIRE online degree-completion program, a convenient, accelerated degree-completion program designed to allow a working adult with prior college credit the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree in as little as 13 months.
In addition to being available online for added convenience, the nursing program features continuous scheduling every two months, six times a year. Classes include guided reading assignments, video lectures, interaction with faculty and fellow students, research, reflective engagement, and systematic review.
“Students can learn at their own pace in a place and at a time that is best for them,” said Dr. Robert Shippey, vice president for academic affairs. “It’s all about convenience and quality. This is not a diploma mill, but rather the opportunity for a first-rate online education taught by Christ-centered faculty at a very affordable price.”
With the move to an entirely online format and the addition of the nursing degree, BC also reduced tuition for its inSPIRE degree completion students by 16 percent and added a free netbook computer and complimentary e-textbooks to the tuition package. As a result, students looking to complete their RN-to-BSN degree can do so for less investment.
“We want to ease the economic burden of adults who are trying to go back to college to complete their bachelor’s degree,” said Dr. Shippey. “Our reduction in tuition puts us in a position to be a better value for students and helps them get the quality higher education they so deeply desire.”
For more information about the new RN-to-BSN classes at Bluefield College, call 800.872.0176, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.bluefield.edu/inspire.