New Nursing degree gains in popularity

Marketability. In this type of economy, everyone wants to get a job. And some, like Nancy Havill, one of the first graduates of the Nursing school to complete the Bachelor/Masters of Science and Nursing program, have it. "And for me it only took four years," Havill said. Since 1989, under the direction of Associate Dean Mary Naylor, the Nursing School has implemented a program where students can earn their Bachelor's and Master's degrees in around four years depending on the particular student's needs. Some students apply to the program with the freshman applicant pool, but this program also attracts other students -- those who already have a Bachelor's degree in some area. The area, however, is irrelevant, as some students in the program hold degrees in fields such as Art History, French Literature and Anthropology. Program Director Carol Ladden said the program strives to build on experiences the students may have had. "Some applicants could've been curators or whatever," Ladden said. "It adds a dimension to the applicant." And people in the applicant pool do not have to be typical college students. "Some are married with children, men, and older," Ladden said. The program requires that students submit high school, transcripts, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0, and take a GRE exam. Both the Undergraduate Admissions Office and the Graduate Admissions review the applications. Once admitted, students begin taking a "bridge" course, taught by Naylor, that helps ease their transition into the program. "They are their own cohorts," said Sue Schwartz, associate director of Nursing School admissions. Later, they take classes with the "generic" students, but still have close contact with a Master's advisor, along with "brown bag sessions," with both Schwartz and Ladden. In advising, Schwartz said, the advisor and student discuss the curriculum the student will follow, as well as "an individualized mode of study." "The program is tailor-made for students," Havill said. "Each student has a unique experience." Advisors also serve as liaisons for student affairs. Unlike "generic" Nursing and School of Arts and Sciences students, the program's participants do not have to fulfill the foreign language requirement or the general requirements. Applications into this program have risen dramatically over the past year, Schwartz said. "The number of applicants have doubled from last year to 65," Schwartz said. "The strong clinical component makes this program attractive." Ladden said "the program does not lock the students into the stereotypical role of nurses," but allows them to move into the administrative and managerial side of the profession. Currently, there are 35 students enrolled in the University's program, which is one of ten such programs nationwide. "The leadership," Schwartz said, "keeps Penn Nursing on the cutting edge of nursing today." Schwartz added that other schools around the country have adopted similar programs because of the University's influence.

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