Thought this would be of interest: http://www.wbaltv.com/r/24527832/detail.html
Two Maryland colleges have linked one nursing program as a way of dealing with a serious shortage of nurses and professors.
The unique nursing program is geared primarily toward college graduates eager to land health care jobs in Maryland hospitals and nursing schools.
Community College of Baltimore County and Towson University have joined in the program, called Associate to Master's Degree in Nursing (ATM).
The program offers a fast-track curriculum to non-nursing students who have bachelor's degrees, according to 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten. At the master's level, a nursing education track is being offered with an aim to create a future pipeline of nursing faculty.
"It was much quicker," said nursing student Melanie Transprenti. "It was cost-effective in terms of what I was gaining along the way. It's half the price of what it would have been had I gone to a private college.
"We follow the same track as someone who is in a traditional RN program," Transprenti said, "but we get it within a year, so it's nice. I get to come out in 13 months. I pass the nursing test and begin working."
CCBC's Mary Kay DeMarco said the advantage of the ATM program is that it's for students who'd like to go into nursing and teaching at the same time.
"I think the biggest problem in the nursing shortage in the United States right now is the lack of qualified faculty." CCBC's Mary Kay DeMarco
"I think the biggest problem in the nursing shortage in the United States right now is the lack of qualified faculty," DeMarco said. "The students from the ATM program will become qualified with some experience in the nursing field to teach with the master's degree."
The program was made possible in part with $1.5 million worth of funding from the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) Nurse Support Program, Tooten reported.
It was launched as a pilot program in January and is the only one of its kind in the state.
"We believe this was the joining of the best of both worlds here," said Towson's Dr. Vicky Kent.
"Students would get a great associate degree program initiation at CCBC and then they would come to Towson and complete a bachelor's degree and master degree all within three years."
To find out details about the nursing program, attend an hour-long information session with representatives from the faculty, admissions offices and financial aid. The scheduled dates are:
Tuesday, Aug. 17, 5 p.m.
CCBC Essex
J Building, Room J-100
To register or for additional information, call 443-840-1989.
Attendees should park in any of the parking bays in Parking Lot 1. For directions and a campus map, please click here.
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 5 p.m.
Towson University
Burdick Hall, Room 120
To register or for additional information, call 443-840-1989.
Attendees should park in the visitors’ spots in the Towsontown Parking Garage. For directions and a campus map, please click here.
Two Maryland colleges have linked one nursing program as a way of dealing with a serious shortage of nurses and professors.
The unique nursing program is geared primarily toward college graduates eager to land health care jobs in Maryland hospitals and nursing schools.
Community College of Baltimore County and Towson University have joined in the program, called Associate to Master's Degree in Nursing (ATM).
The program offers a fast-track curriculum to non-nursing students who have bachelor's degrees, according to 11 News education reporter Tim Tooten. At the master's level, a nursing education track is being offered with an aim to create a future pipeline of nursing faculty.
"It was much quicker," said nursing student Melanie Transprenti. "It was cost-effective in terms of what I was gaining along the way. It's half the price of what it would have been had I gone to a private college.
"We follow the same track as someone who is in a traditional RN program," Transprenti said, "but we get it within a year, so it's nice. I get to come out in 13 months. I pass the nursing test and begin working."
CCBC's Mary Kay DeMarco said the advantage of the ATM program is that it's for students who'd like to go into nursing and teaching at the same time.
"I think the biggest problem in the nursing shortage in the United States right now is the lack of qualified faculty." CCBC's Mary Kay DeMarco
"I think the biggest problem in the nursing shortage in the United States right now is the lack of qualified faculty," DeMarco said. "The students from the ATM program will become qualified with some experience in the nursing field to teach with the master's degree."
The program was made possible in part with $1.5 million worth of funding from the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) Nurse Support Program, Tooten reported.
It was launched as a pilot program in January and is the only one of its kind in the state.
"We believe this was the joining of the best of both worlds here," said Towson's Dr. Vicky Kent.
"Students would get a great associate degree program initiation at CCBC and then they would come to Towson and complete a bachelor's degree and master degree all within three years."
To find out details about the nursing program, attend an hour-long information session with representatives from the faculty, admissions offices and financial aid. The scheduled dates are:
Tuesday, Aug. 17, 5 p.m.
CCBC Essex
J Building, Room J-100
To register or for additional information, call 443-840-1989.
Attendees should park in any of the parking bays in Parking Lot 1. For directions and a campus map, please click here.
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 5 p.m.
Towson University
Burdick Hall, Room 120
To register or for additional information, call 443-840-1989.
Attendees should park in the visitors’ spots in the Towsontown Parking Garage. For directions and a campus map, please click here.