William Penn University’s interim application to start a nursing program has received approval from the Iowa State Board of Nursing. The news arrived just days after The Higher Learning Commission approved the new program as part of Penn’s reaccreditation. The next step in the process is to submit a program proposal, which, once approved, will allow the university to begin enrollment.

       “The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) is a degree completion program for R.N.s who wish to prepare themselves for advancement into leadership positions and/or graduate education,” explains Fred Allen, Academic Dean. “The program at William Penn has been developed in response to an ongoing shortage of nurses in Iowa and an acute need for bachelor’s degree-trained nurses.”

       Currently, there is approximately one nurse for every 1060 Iowans, which is the seventh smallest ratio in the country and well below the national average of one nurse for every 786 individuals. The lack of an adequate nursing staff will continue to grow as the general population ages. The Iowa Department of Public Health has projected that the shortfall of nurses will increase from eight percent in 2005 to 27 percent in 2020.

       Rachael Beard, coordinator of the nursing program, describes the curriculum for Penn’s new program as “based on the foundation of the associate degree or diploma in nursing, and in addition to general education classes, includes courses supportive of nursing and upper-level nursing core coursework.” She says a total of 124 credit hours must be earned for the B.S.N. and typically, a student with an associate degree in nursing will transfer 61 credits, or nearly half of the requirement.

       Leadership and management will be emphasized in the William Penn B.S.N. curriculum, within a framework that encompasses general, foundational and professional studies within a liberal arts perspective. The program will prepare students to enter the nursing profession as a provider of direct and indirect nursing care to individuals, groups and communities.

       For more information about the William Penn University B.S.N. program, contact Rachael Beard, Coordinator of the Nursing Program, at 641-673-1064 or by email at beardr@wmpenn.edu.

###