Miami’s regional campuses add traditional BS in Nursing degree

June 20, 2007

Miami University’s regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown will offer a Baccalaureate in Science degree in nursing (BSN) beginning in Fall 2007. The degree complements the University’s existing Associate Degree in Nursing and Registered Nurse (RN) to BSN programs as another option for students pursuing a career in nursing.

The new four-year degree program was approved last month by the Ohio Board of Nursing. It is the only traditional BSN program in Butler, Warren and Preble Counties, the service region of Miami’s regional campuses.

“In the past, our nursing students pursued an associate’s degree, which qualified them to take the state RN examination,” said Dr. Paulette Worcester, Chair of Miami’s Nursing Department. “They could then come back to complete a bachelor’s degree. This new track will have a bachelor’s degree perspective right from the start and it will be a better choice for many of our students.”

Recent graduates of Miami University's nursing programs.

A recent report by the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, an advisory body to the federal Division of Nursing, urged that at least two-thirds of the basic RN workforce hold baccalaureate or higher degrees by 2010. Presently only about 40 percent hold baccalaureate degrees.

The new BSN program is a four-year curriculum (128 semester hours) that capitalizes on Miami’s strength as a liberal arts institution. The nursing curriculum, building on the liberal arts and sciences, focuses on providing care to clients, families, and a variety of populations, such as schools, work places, and entire communities. Clinical experiences are expanded to involve public health agencies and select non-health care sites.

The curriculum incorporates leadership and research, and offers an optional international experience in Africa.

Miami’s Nursing Department maintains relationships with regional health care systems, individual institutions and agencies. Students benefit from experiences at McCullough Hyde Hospital, Fort Hamilton Hospital, Atrium Medical Center (formerly Middletown Regional Hospital), Miami Valley Hospital, Mercy Hospitals (Fairfield and Mt. Airy campuses), Deaconess Hospital, Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University Hospital, Maple Knoll Village, Otterbein Retirement Village, Transitional Living Center, Sojourner, as well as Hamilton and Middletown schools and numerous other community sites.

All full- and part-time members of the Miami nursing faculty are RNs with master’s or doctorate degrees. Faculty members maintain their expertise through practice, research and certification.

The new program's first class will be made up of students who were accepted into the University's nursing program in March 2007.

For more information about the nursing program at Miami University, call the Hamilton campus at (513) 785-7752 or the Middletown campus at (513) 727-3266.