Second Accelerated Nursing Cohort Honored; Many to Work Locally

VALDOSTA - Valdosta State University’s College of Nursing will be hosting a graduation recognition luncheon for the second cohort of accelerated BSN students on July 27 from 11 am until 1 pm. in the Magnolia Room of the University Center.

The luncheon will recognize graduating seniors, several of which will receive awards earned during the program. Speakers will include Dr. Louis Levy, vice president for Academic Affairs, Dr. Anita Hufft, dean of the college of Nursing, and Michelle Gilbert. Students will be recognized for their achievements and a PowerPoint slide show will highlight the past 14 months of the students’ education. Representatives from partnering institutions and campus administrators attend as well as families and friends of the graduating students. Guests are invited to return to the College of Nursing for a brief tour of simulated labs immediately after the lunch.

Many of the graduating students have already accepted job positions at institutions in the local area, including South Georgia Medical Center, Smith Northview and Colquitt Regional. The addition of these students to the workforce will help address the shortage of nurses the healthcare field has experienced in recent years - a point of concern for which the program was created to address. The Accelerated BSN program was developed in 2005 as an Intellectual Capital Partnership to address this shortage through the implementation of an expedited BSN program who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing. All of this year’s graduates have previous bachelor’s degrees in other fields and several have masters degrees in other areas. Ages range between 22 and 54 years old.

The program begins each May and ends in July of the following year. Admission requirements are similar to the traditional program with the exception that these students must already possess a bachelor’s degree. Core requirements for nursing curriculum must be met and the Nurse Entrance Test (NET) must be passed for a student to be eligible to be considered for the program. Four-semester curriculum mirrors the traditional program and the main difference is the start and end dates. Traditional students do not attend classes during summer semesters. Partnering institutions include South Georgia Medical Center, Smith Northview Hospital and Archbold Medical Center.