The Board of Trustees of Oregon State University has approved a new program- at their OSU-Cascades Branch- for licensed registered nurses to get a Bachelor of Science degree—online. The program is geared toward nurses in Central Oregon and the greater Bend area, where the need is greatest.
The bachelors program is scheduled to launch in the next academic year. It will be part-time and fully online. This gives RNs the opportunity to keep working and complete their studies at home. With five to seven credits per term, the program can be completed in two years.
OSU’s Steve Clark says the nursing program was approved because of a shortage.
“Only 40% of those nurses working in acute care settings in Central Oregon have completed their Bachelor of Science degree,” Clark says. “That doesn’t mean they’re not licensed nurses. It means that this is an opportunity for them to advance their career with education that will serve them and their patients.”
Clark says the program will be about half the cost of similar degrees in Oregon. And there will be a specific interest in achieving diversity in rural nursing care. Particular attention will be given to bi-lingual students.
