March 29, 2024

Patient Care

Veteran nurse Mary Loyd doubles as a student in new BSN program.

UMW Receives Approval for Residential Nursing Program

Beginning fall 2015, students in a unique nursing program at the University of Mary Washington will be able to live on the Fredericksburg campus while taking courses at both the university and Germanna Community College (GCC).   NursingThe Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Academic Partnership Plan (BSN-APP), commonly referred to as the “1+2+1” BSN Plan, recently received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges,  the accreditation body for degree-granting higher education institutions in the southern region. Through the program, students complete required liberal arts and nursing prerequisite courses at both UMW and Germanna during the first year; attend the community college during the second and third years to complete an associate’s degree in nursing; then return to UMW for course work during the fourth year to complete the BSN-completion program. “This partnership allows UMW students to major in nursing,” said Pamela McCullough, director of the UMW’s BSN-completion program. “Students can experience the rich residential life of the university while attending both UMW and Germanna.” The program is just one of the nursing education initiatives taking place through partnerships with Germanna Community College and Mary Washington Healthcare. The BSN-completion program began accepting students in June 2014 and currently has 33 registered nurses enrolled to complete their degree. The first cohort of students will graduate in spring 2016. For more information about the 1+2+1 program, please visit http://cas.umw.edu/bsn-program/or email BSNProgram@umw.edu.

UMW, Germanna, Mary Washington Healthcare Partner to Improve Nursing Education

A unique partnership in nursing education among the University of Mary Washington, Germanna Community College and Mary Washington Healthcare will bolster healthcare services in the region. As an integral step, UMW’s President Richard V. Hurley and Germanna’s President David A. Sam signed three transfer and co-enrollment agreements for nursing education. The articulation agreements were signed on August 11 at the University’s Stafford campus. UMW Provost Jonathan  Levin, left, President Richard V. Hurley, middle, and Germanna's President David Sam sign nursing education agreements. “The University of Mary Washington and Germanna Community College recognize the need for registered nurses to achieve advanced learning through an improved education system that promotes a seamless academic progression,” said Hurley. “We want to make sure that our students are ready to be nurses and that we provide the caliber of nursing education that the healthcare industry needs.” Sam added, “Germanna is pleased at this opportunity for nursing students. It is yet another stride forward in the ongoing partnership between GCC and UMW, a partnership that benefits students, our community, and the Commonwealth.” This fall, UMW launches its Bachelor of Science in Nursing-Completion Program, started with a $25,000 grant from Mary Washington Hospital’s Community Benefit Fund. The program is designed for registered nurses who have graduated with an accredited associate’s degree in nursing or from a diploma nursing program. The new articulation agreements:
  • Guarantee admission to UMW’s BSN-completion program for Germanna graduates who have an associate’s degree in nursing, have maintained at least a 3.0 grade point average and meet criteria established by UMW. Under the BSN-completion program direct transfer plan, also known as the “3 + 1” BSN plan, students attend Germanna for three years and spend one year at UMW. The guaranteed admission program is effective beginning with the fall 2014 semester.
  • Allow nursing students who want a four-year residential experience to live on the Fredericksburg campus while taking courses at both Germanna and Mary Washington. Through the BSN Academic Partnership plan, also known as the “1 + 2 + 1” BSN plan, students complete required liberal arts and nursing prerequisite courses at both UMW and Germanna during the first year; attend the community college during the second and third years to complete an associate’s degree in nursing; then return to UMW for course work during the fourth year to complete the BSN-completion program. This program will begin in 2015 pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
  • Permit Germanna nursing students to enroll in the BSN-completion program while working toward an associate’s degree in nursing. In addition, the students may take liberal arts courses at UMW. The BSN Concurrent Enrollment plan begins in 2015, pending SACSCOC approval.
“These agreements will open more doors for nursing students to experience a higher level of learning,” said Pamela McCullough, director of the University’s BSN-completion program. “We’ve created multiple pathways to which members of our community can earn their degrees in nursing.” In addition to the Germanna and UMW agreements, the University has partnered with Mary Washington Healthcare to offer the BSN-completion program to practicing registered nurses who desire a BSN degree. Registered nurses must have earned an associate’s degree or an associate of applied science degree in nursing from a community college or university; or a diploma from a school of nursing. They also must have passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Register Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and hold an active license to practice in Virginia. This program begins August 25. The agreements evolved from a cooperative effort involving Mary Washington, Germanna and Mary Washington Healthcare to meet the nursing education needs of the region. Nursing leaders in each institution examined and discussed “Nurse of the Future” guidelines developed by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. “We came together to develop comprehensive nursing programs to deliver the qualified nurses that healthcare agencies demand,” said McCullough. “In nursing, we teach the collaboration of care. This is an excellent example of three nurse leaders coming together to ultimately improve the health of the community.” Marianna Bedway, senior vice president and chief nursing officer of Mary Washington Healthcare, agrees. “All chief nursing officers across the country are challenged to increase the academic preparation of our professional nursing workforce,” said Bedway. “As the CNO of MWHC, I am blessed to have such wonderful community academic partners in GCC and UMW to develop our RNs, their skills and competencies to the highest degree possible. Our partnership will translate into the very best care for our community.” UMW already participates in co-enrollment and direct transfer agreements with Germanna that permit concurrent enrollment and automatic transfer for eligible students. The University also has a guaranteed-admission agreement with Virginia’s two-year colleges, including 23 branches of the Virginia Community College System and Richard Bland College. Students who graduate with an associate’s degree in arts, sciences, or arts and sciences and meet a minimum GPA requirement may obtain guaranteed admission to the University.  

UMW Accepting Applications for Nursing Completion Program

The University of Mary Washington will begin accepting applications on Tuesday, April 1, for its inaugural bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) completion program. The program, which will begin this fall, received final approval by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) on March 18. UMW's bachelor of science in nursing completion program will begin in fall 2014. Image courtesy of Mary Washington Healthcare. The program is designed for registered nurses who have graduated with an accredited associate’s degree or diploma nursing program and have a registered nurse (RN) license. The program, available both full-time and part-time, will combine online and face-to-face classroom learning. UMW plans to maintain the tradition of small class sizes to allow students to have a one-on-one relationship with faculty. In addition to higher level nursing courses, the BSN completion program includes coursework which allow nurses to make connections between their everyday clinical nursing situations and the liberal arts disciplines, including advanced writing techniques, sociology courses on global health and medicine, and medical ethics. “Continuing one’s education to the bachelor level encourages the registered nurse to see a more global picture of healthcare,” said Dr. Pamela McCullough, director of the program. “The nurse is looking at populations instead of individuals and is learning how to think using different models. It’s exposure to different ways of thinking.” For more information about admissions criteria or the program’s curriculum, visit http://cas.umw.edu/bsn-program/. For admission questions, contact Sarah Lindberg at slindber@umw.edu. For questions related to the curriculum, contact Pamela McCullough at pmccullo@umw.edu.

UMW Receives Grant to Establish Nursing Program

Mary Washington Hospital’s Community Benefit Fund has awarded the University of Mary Washington a $25,000 grant to create a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Completion Program at the university. The program, tentatively planned for fall 2014, will be designed for registered nurses who have graduated with an accredited associate’s degree or diploma nursing program.  The grant supports the hiring of a consultant to help plan the curriculum. Approval for the program will come from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. “The university is delighted to be the recipient of the Mary Washington Hospital grant,” said President Richard Hurley. “The funding will be instrumental in developing this essential program to address the need for a highly educated nursing workforce and to improve the quality of healthcare in the region and the commonwealth.” Marianna Bedway, chief nursing officer and senior vice president for Mary Washington Healthcare, said creation of an RN-BSN completion program will enhance and encourage further education of registered nurses in the region. Currently, only one-third of nurses in Virginia hold a baccalaureate degree and 11 percent have a master’s degree or higher. “Mary Washington Healthcare provides some of the highest quality care in the country, and our nurses play a critical role in delivering that care.  In order to respond to the demands of an evolving healthcare system and continue to meet the changing needs of patients, nurses must achieve higher levels of education,” she said. According to the grant proposal, Virginia’s population is expected to climb by a million within the next 20 years, faster than the projected growth of registered nurses.  By 2017, approximately 10,000 more registered nurses will be needed in the commonwealth, with an additional 30,000 needed by 2028. The need for additional nurses in the greater Fredericksburg area is expected to increase by 23 percent. “There is great value in having baccalaureate-prepared nurses at Mary Washington Healthcare, and in this community.  The program will afford nurses a unique opportunity to meet current standards of nursing, while enhancing the overall education experience within a liberal arts curriculum. We are excited to partner with the University of Mary Washington in support of this program,” said Bedway. The UMW program is aimed at nurses within the Fredericksburg area planning district. The closest similar program is nearly 50 miles away at George Mason University. “We anticipate that our BSN completion program will attract nurses in this region as well as graduates of local community colleges,” said Richard Finkelstein, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who will oversee implementation of the program at UMW. The university will hire a director who will act as the academic administrator. Because the program is a completion curriculum, courses will not require UMW to create new labs or to purchase nursing-related equipment. “This degree primarily engages students in courses that connect them to liberal arts perspectives on issues related to health care delivery,” said Finkelstein.