The Minnesota Board of Nursing has completed campus and clinical site visits at Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) and officially granted permission to the College to establish a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program. As a result of the State Board’s action, Bethany’s Board of Regents also officially approved the addition of the new major during their August 2016 meeting in Mankato, Minnesota.
The first nursing cohort at BLC will begin their studies in Fall 2017. Pre-nursing courses are already in place and current students may prepare to apply to the nursing program while taking these courses. Dr. Sara Traylor PhD, RN, CNE, is Bethany’s Director of Nursing and has been developing the program’s curriculum and leading the State approval efforts since 2014. With formal State approval, the College is now in the process of hiring nursing faculty and is taking inquiries from prospective students about the program.
The BSN degree is generally considered to be the top degree for undergraduate nursing students. Bachelor of science in nursing graduates at BLC will be qualified to work in a wide variety of nursing positions. The outlook for employment is high, and is among the top of all professions.
Traylor explained the benefits of Bethany’s BSN program. “A bachelor of science in nursing is an exciting and much needed addition to Bethany’s academic programs. Following the mission of the College, students will gain knowledge and skills necessary to provide safe, quality patient care while learning to be a Christian servant-leader within professional nursing practice. Bethany’s nursing program will prepare students to use the nursing process and an inter-professional approach to provide patient centered health care across the lifespan and continuum of care for patients of diverse populations. In addition to the classroom, students will participate in hands-on learning in the nursing applied learning laboratory and a variety of clinical settings including an international immersion experience. I’m confident Bethany will add quality, caring Christian nurse leaders to the nursing profession who will positively affect the lives of many patients.”
The public is invited to a special event focused on the new BSN program featuring tours of the nursing applied learning laboratory with comments from Dr. Gene Pfeifer, Bethany President, and program partners on Tuesday, September 13, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. in Bethany’s Honsey Hall located at 700 Luther Drive in Mankato.