Ohio State’s College of Nursing, located at 1577 Neil Ave., is launching a new Accelerated Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program this summer. Credit: Brooke Tascar | Lantern Reporter
A new academic initiative designed for non-nursing graduates was recently established by the College of Nursing, providing an accelerated pathway to a nursing career and a potential remedy to staff shortages.
Launching this summer, the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will allow students who already hold a bachelor’s degree to take part in a full-time curriculum spanning 18 months, or five consecutive semesters, said Wendy Bowles, the assistant dean for baccalaureate programs in the College of Nursing. Successful completion of the program makes students eligible to take the State Board’s National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nursing.
“We’ve been talking about [this program] for several years now,” Bowles said. “It was really in response to the needs of the workforce for more nurses and how we can help encourage people to come back to school to become nurses and streamline for those that already have degrees that want to have a change of career.”
Bowles said the idea for the program arose after the need for nurses grew in recent years, which was especially visible after COVID-19. Even so, Amy Jauch, an assistant clinical professor and director of pre-licensure programs in the College of Nursing, said this shortage was present before the pandemic.
“Before COVID, there was talk of nursing shortages because people coming into the profession was lower than people retiring from the profession, so [the nursing shortage] is multifactorial,” Jauch said. “But there’s national data that says in pockets, there is either currently, or will be, a shortage.”
Bowles said the program is accelerated in part because students are exempted from taking general education courses — required classes that are outside a student’s major course requirements — if they already completed them in their prior bachelor’s degree.
Similarly, while undergraduate students typically do not take coursework during the summer academic break, Bowles said the accelerated program would require participants to work through the summer.
Bowles said the eligibility requirements for the program include a completed non-nursing bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
The required prerequisite coursework includes human anatomy, human physiology, human nutrition, microbiology with a lab, psychology and chemistry with a lab, Bowles said.
Jauch said to apply, students must complete an online application as well as a recorded online interview.
The application is currently open and closes March 1. Students will hear back by April 15 and begin in May with the first 12-week semester during the summer.
Jauch said the College of Nursing — whose bachelor’s of nursing is ranked No. 1 among public institutions and No. 4 overall according to the U.S. News and World Report — is always looking to improve.
“It really does come down to the faculty and what they do,” Jauch said. “We don’t have faculty that are okay with the good enough. We’re always looking for better ways to do things.”
Beyond the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, Bowles said the College of Nursing is also launching an online Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist degree program in the autumn 2024 semester. Through coursework, students will become advanced practice registered nurses who administer anesthesia or provide care to patients who have received it.
Jauch said the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is also the first in Ohio to use the state-approved Industry-Recognized Credential Transfer Assurance Guide. This allows students with relevant workforce experience accepted by the guide to receive coursework credit for the knowledge and skills they obtained outside of a university.
“It’s a way to acknowledge their experience and give them credit for what they already know,” Jauch said.
