By Brian Riley
Co-Editor-in-Chief
A second undergraduate Nursing program will be introduced during the spring 2016 semester. Previously, Post only offered one undergraduate nursing program, which was only available to registered nurses. This new program has been in the making for two years now. The B.S. in Nursing is based on the balance between practical field experience and class room lectures.
Photo: Anastasia Cusack-Mercendez
This is new program is a result of requests from students, according to Stacy Gropack, Dean of the School of Nursing. It was added “due to the increased interest from enrolled and prospective students and to build upon the already existing RN to BS in Nursing programs,” she said.
In addition to servicing current students, Post is matching the trend in the growing nursing field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 19 percent from 2012 to 2022,” while in other fields the average growth rate is 11 percent.
The original B.S. in nursing was for registered them looking to prepares nurses to “assume advanced clinical and management positions in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals, home-health programs and public health agencies,” according to LIU Post’s website.
In addition to the two undergraduate programs, Post offers several graduate nursing programs, including M.S. in Family Nurse Practitioner, M.S. in Nursing Education, Advanced Certificate Family Nurse Practitioner, and Advanced Certificate Nursing Education.
The B.S. in Nursing requires 129 credits, like several other majors at Post. Unlike most majors, nursing students will be taking nursing classes during their freshman year. The first nursing course will be NRS 100, which is Introduction to Professional Nursing. The first time they get hands on experience is sophomore year.
Nursing students take NRS 130/130C, Fundamentals in Nursing, which includes a practical component for three weeks. This is done through “practical learning in the simulation laboratory where real-world events are safely reproduced using high fidelity patient simulators,” according to Gropack. Nursing students’ junior and senior year will be filled with actual real world experience with a Post affiliated clinic at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.
In order to be eligible for the new nursing program, incoming freshmen must have a solid B average and an average SAT score of 1000, according to LIU Post’s website . Transfer students need a 3.0 to be considered. If you are a current student who has completed fewer than 24 credits, you must also submit high school transcripts and SAT/ACT scores.
LIU plans on funneling students into the program through LIU Promise. The Dean of the School of Health Professions and Nursing trained the Success Coaches on the new program and its requirements.
Senior Associate Director of LIU Promise, Ali DiBona said, “We communicate regularly with students about their interest in Nursing through individual meetings and advising sessions.” According to DiBona, many students are interested in the program, and they are looking to have 30 students enrolled for the spring semester.
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