Aug. 24—The Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Athens State University has grown by 151 students since its inception in the fall of 2021, and the head of the program said after having only a few students the first semester, he was initially concerned about whether it would grow.
“I was actually kind of worried when I arrived and there were only three students in the program,” said Athens State Chief Nurse Administrator and Assistant Professor of Nursing Mark Reynolds. “But it hadn’t been fully developed yet or planned or prepared for, the curriculum. I came in and reworked the curriculum, and it’s really caught on very quickly.”
By the fall of 2022, there were 18 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, and 54 students last fall. This fall semester there are 154 students enrolled. Athens State President Catherine Wehlburg said the growth has been significant.
“I think with nursing there’s a couple reasons,” she said. “One, it’s certainly a high-need area, so that’s part of it. The other is that we have been very much focused on letting people know about programs so they can see that pathway. And we’ve partnered with area hospitals and some of them are providing tuition reimbursement for that program. So, that’s a big piece of what we’re seeing there.”
Reynolds said the BSN is a step up from the Associate of Science in Nursing.
“BSN is really preparing students to take on leadership and management roles,” Reynolds said. “We’re focusing on health care quality assurance, continuous quality improvement, public and community health, as well as a stronger promotion of ethical practices that registered nurses can carry into their bedside practice to improve patient care.”
Those with a BSN, Reynolds said, tend to have a higher annual income.
“They’re able to more quickly move into leadership positions, and that includes as a charge nurse, as a unit director,” he said. “They are more able to be promoted in the workplace, and they tend to have better skills and abilities to utilize better critical thinking and clinical judgment at the bedside.”
Reynolds said a BSN also prepares students who want to enter advanced practice nursing, all the way up to a doctorate.
“In order to become a nurse practitioner or a certified registered nurse anesthetist or a nurse educator, the student first must have a BSN,” he said. “The majority of students in a post-licensure RN (registered nurse) to BSN program like ours has intentions of returning to school to pursue graduate studies. … Several of our current students are interested in being nursing faculty.”
Reynolds said he believes there are three reasons enrollment has increased significantly: cost, quality and access.
Athens State’s tuition, Reynolds said, is the most affordable BSN of any public institution in Alabama or Tennessee. He said they have quality faculty and instruction by experienced faculty members.
“We now have three full-time faculty members, and between those three faculty members there’s 50 years of experience as nurse educators,” he said. “And 80 years of experience in nursing practice.”
There is also quality within the coursework, Reynolds said. He said they meet the standards set forth by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing called The Essentials. Reynolds said the third reason for the enrollment increase is access, because the program is online and learner friendly.
“We now have representation from the majority of the state,” he said. “We were most honed in here around the Madison, Limestone (County), Huntsville area. But now we have representation down in Birmingham, Opelika, Mobile. So, our reach is expanding throughout the state, and I really think that’s helped us to grow as well.”
Reynolds said they have added fast-track or joint enrollment programs with three local community colleges, including Calhoun Community College.
“These programs are where students can complete their Associate of Science in Nursing degree concurrently with our Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree,” he said. “I think that’s helped us to grow. We have 50 students in our fast-track/joint enrollment program, and we have 104 in our RN to BSN program.”
Another reason for the enrollment increase, Reynolds said, is that they offer learning partnership discounts.
“Students who are currently working as registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, pharmacy techs, anything like that, they can get a discount on our tuition,” he said. “We have learning partnerships with Huntsville Hospital Health System, which covers all their hospitals, clinics and offices, Crestwood Medical Center, Cullman Regional Medical Center, WellStone.”
Reynolds said their enrollment numbers overall have increased because their BSN degree is a good program.
“A quality educational program is one that includes academic rigor, identifies standards and clear expectations,” he said. “We offer all of those things to our students at Athens State.”
—erica.smith@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2460.
