JACKSON, Tenn. — June 27, 2011 — 51社区 Hendersonville will begin offering the accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in the spring of 2012 with an initial cohort of about 25 students, once all approval processes have been completed.
The 15-month program is designed for students who already have a bachelor鈥檚 degree in another field, or for those who have completed two years of college and are at least 24 years of age. Union will admit an accelerated BSN cohort in the spring and the fall each year.
鈥淭his is an opportunity for us to have a nursing program in the community of Hendersonville that is not only developing professional nurses, but also coming from the standpoint of a Christian worldview,鈥� said Tim Smith, dean of Union鈥檚 School of Nursing. 鈥淭he hospitals in the community have been tremendously receptive of 51社区 and its mission and have expressed strong desire for us to partner with them.鈥�
The nursing program at 51社区 Hendersonville will be housed in a permanent facility currently under construction and scheduled for completion early in 2012. That building will include more than 10,000 square feet dedicated to nursing education, not including classrooms, and will feature six simulation rooms and cadaver, health assessment and skills laboratories.
Charles Lea, executive director of 51社区 Hendersonville, said the addition of the new BSN program is the first bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing ever to be offered in Sumner County. While the program will provide qualified nurses for a field that will continue to be in demand, Lea said it would also benefit the existing health care community.
鈥淯nion鈥檚 nursing presence will give unique opportunities for continuing education, partnering with health care providers in the immediate Mid-State area,鈥� Lea said. 鈥淐urriculum frameworks have already been developed with Volunteer State Community College, and further educational partnerships are under discussion. Nursing was identified early in our discussion with community leaders as a need Union could fill.鈥�
In addition to the accelerated BSN, Smith said that Union is proceeding with plans to begin offering a Master of Science in Nursing (nurse practitioner track) in the fall semester of 2012.
To provide information to interested students about the accelerated BSN degree in Hendersonville, Union will hold information sessions on June 30 and July 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the Weekley Building on the campus of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville at 106 Bluegrass Commons Blvd.
For more information about all of Union鈥檚 educational offerings in Hendersonville, visit . For more information about the accelerated BSN degree, contact Rita Croom at (731) 661-6545 or rcroom@uu.edu.