Baker College ramps up nursing program

Officials at Baker College’s School of Nursing have announced that a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) pre-licensure track will replace the existing Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program at the Flint campus beginning 2015 fall quarter.

Students choosing to pursue the pre-licensure BSN can begin prior to 2015 fall quarter by taking prerequisite classes.

“The move to the higher level degree was the result of extensive research and consultation with area health care professionals, including our clinical partners and advisory committee,” said Wen Hemingway, MBA, CTP, Baker College of Flint president. “The trend of employers preferring nurses who have earned bachelor’s degrees is clear. This is definitely in the best interest of our students.”

Baker College’s pre-licensure BSN is an on-ground degree for all four years. It is a limited-enrollment program with no waiting list. The program is approved to accept 80 students a year into the professional track, or core nursing classes. To meet the admission threshold, the Flint campus plans to admit 40 students twice a year—fall and spring quarters. The BSN is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

“This is an exciting time for the Baker College School of Nursing,” said Lesley Morgan, Ph.D., MBA, ARNP, dean of the School of Nursing for Baker College. “As a career-oriented college, we stay abreast of current employment trends in order to offer the most relevant education programs.”

The push for more nurses with BSNs is partly the result of hospitals pursuing credentialing through the Magnet Recognition Program offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The program measures nursing care based on set criteria, one of which is the percentage of registered nurses with BSNs who are providing direct patient care.

Baker College of Flint Director of Nursing Georgia Wilson, MSN-ED, RN, CNN, said that some hospitals are already giving hiring preference to BSN graduates or requiring candidates and employed nurses with an ADN to obtain a BSN within a specified time.

Wilson also noted a 2010 study by the Institute of Medicine that recommends hospitals increase the percentage of employed nurses who have earned a BSN from 50 percent to 80 percent by 2020.

“This transition to a pre-licensure BSN program will benefit our students and our community,” Wilson said. “Our graduates will have the knowledge and skills to be an entry-level registered nurse, and the community will have nursing care provided by a highly qualified health care professional.”

Students currently enrolled in Baker College’s ADN program will be able to complete it at the Flint campus.

In 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the average annual salary for a registered nurse was $69,790. Nationally, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 19 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations.

For more information about the Baker College School of Nursing, contact Jodi Cuneaz in the Baker College of Flint admissions office at jodi.cuneaz@baker.edu or 810.766.4000, or visit www.baker.edu.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is a not-for-profit higher education institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It serves more than 28,000 students on multiple campuses and online. Baker grants certificates and associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 150 programs across diverse academic fields, including business, health sciences, engineering, information technology, education and human services. An impressive 97 percent of available graduates are employed. Every Baker graduate receives Lifetime Employment Assistance—free and forever. Baker is a pioneer in online education and offers students the option of completing a degree 100 percent online, without ever visiting a campus. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.