Western’s RN-to-BSN Completion Program to Hold Information Session on Sept. 10
Contact: Jacob Kinser, program coordinator, Western Washington University RN-to-BSN program, (360) 650-6700; bsn.info@wwu.edu.
BELLINGHAM – Western Washington University will hold an information session for its new RN-to-BSN completion program at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10 in Academic West Room 203 on Western’s campus.
The program, which begins in fall 2013, allows for registered nurses to complete their bachelor’s degrees in nursing (BSN). Space is still available for the fall 2013 cohort and applications can be submitted online at .
The information session will be led by Casey Shillam, newly appointed director of Western’s RN-to-BSN program. Information session participants will have an opportunity to meet Western’s BSN staff and faculty, and other university representatives, to help them better understand:
- How to apply for the program, tips and deadlines
- Financial aid resources
- Course requirements for admission
Free information session parking will be available in Lot C located on the south end of Western’s campus. For parking directions and a campus map, visit .
The new program, offered through Western’s Woodring College of Education, is designed for associate-degree and diploma-prepared nurses who have completed their pre-licensure registered nurse (RN) studies. It will provide RNs in Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties the opportunity to continue their professional education to the bachelor’s degree level, along with structure to support students’ ability to balance school with busy work, family and personal lives. Classes are scheduled to meet one day per week on Western’s campus.
A number of studies link better patient outcomes in facilities having greater percentages of more highly prepared nurses with bachelor’s degrees. The 2011 Institute of Medicine “Report on the Future of Medicine” recommends that 80 percent of the national RN work force hold BSNs by 2020.
Statewide estimates show that only 51 percent of the state’s nursing work force is baccalaureate-prepared. The figure for Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties is even lower, at 45 percent.
Western’s innovative RN-to-BSN program responds to these local, state and national recommendations to increase the proportion of BSN-prepared nurses through seamless academic progression between associate degree and BSN-completion programs.
For more information, please visit , email bsn.info@wwu.edu or call (360) 650-6700.