Patrick & Henry Community College is committed to assisting potential nursing students, current nursing students, and nursing graduates to continue their education. In Fall 2014 a new curriculum of study was developed and offered to P&HCC students: Associate of Science: Health Science.
- To prepare Associate Degree Nursing graduates to enter university RN-BSN bridge programs
- To provide a curriculum of study for eligible students who are waiting to apply to the Associate Degree Nursing program
- To assist Health Science Certificate completers who are waiting to apply to the Associate Degree Nursing program
- To prepare transfer students to enter university BSN programs
- There are two educational paths to becoming a registered nurse (RN): Associate Degree “ADN” (2-year community college program) OR Bachelors Degree “BSN” (4-year university program)
- Graduates from both programs take the same state licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) to become a registered nurse (RN) – the core nursing content is the same for both programs.
- In 2008, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) launched a two-year initiative to respond to the need to assess and transform the nursing profession. Their purpose was to produce a report that would make recommendations for the future of nursing.
- In October 2010 the Institute of Medicine published “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. The committee developed four key messages, one of which reads “Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.”
- Prompted by this report, the RWJF and the American Association of Retired People (AARP) partnered to establish The Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, aimed at improving the health of Americans by transforming the nursing profession, using the IOM report as a framework. The campaign has helped form action coalitions – groups of nurses and other healthcare providers, employers, patients, and others – in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Most of these groups have focused on implementing the IOM’s recommendation that 80% of the nursing workforce have a BSN degree by 2020.
- Consequently, hospitals and other healthcare facilities are encouraging registered nurses to seek their BSN rather than ending their education with an ADN.
- Colleges and universities across the country have responded to this demand by offering RN-BSN and other educational progression tracks for licensed RN’s to advance their education. These RN-BSN & other progression tracks are often delivered in an online format, allowing nurses to be employed while pursuing advanced nursing degrees.