LCCC to offer bachelor's degree in nursing this fall

Lorain County Community College is taking its nursing program to the next level, as the college announced Tuesday that it will offer a bachelor's degree in nursing starting this fall. The new bachelor of science in nursing program is the third bachelor's program to be offered directly through the college, not through one of its university partnerships. In a news release sent Tuesday, the college said that the new program would be offered fully online and would be a registered nurse to bachelor of science nurse program, meaning that registered nurses who already have an associate degree will be able to work toward their bachelor's. "LCCC has a long history of preparing highly skilled nurses through a rigorous associate degree program that leads to strong licensure and employment outcomes," college President Marcia Ballinger said in the release. "The addition of the RN-to-BSN program allows graduates to continue their education seamlessly at an affordable cost while helping meet the growing demand for highly qualified nursing professionals across Northeast Ohio." The college said that it projects thousands of nursing positions in general to open every year in Northeast Ohio, with more than 400 positions expected to open specifically for nurses with advanced degrees. Tracy Green, the vice president for strategic and institutional development for LCCC, said that since community colleges were empowered to offer bachelor's degrees in 2018, LCCC has been exploring what programs would bring the biggest benefit to the region and polling students to see what programs would be most used. In the process of seeking accreditation for the BSN program, Green said that 20 health providers wrote letters of support saying they needed more nurses with advanced training and that they trusted LCCC to provide that training. "We have been looking at where we can add the greatest value, and through that process the RN-to-BSN pathway really stood out as something that was needed," Green said. "So hearing from our local employers and then polling our graduates and our students on the interest, it was a direct match. By having the RN-to-BSN program, we are helping existing nurses who already have really busy lives. They are working, they are juggling families, but this allows them to move up, take on more leadership opportunities and their career choices while also meeting employer needs." The college recently received accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and the Ohio Department of Higher Education to open the program this fall. In addition to being offered online, BSN students will be able to choose between three different course schedules, each of which offers different numbers of credits per semester, depending on their availability. Green said that the college's application and the design of the new program were spearheaded by Nursing Programs Administrator Mary Grady and Nanci Berman, who will serve as the RN-to-BSN program coordinator. "I am super excited as an alum of (LCCC) who got their associate degree and then advanced that degree since attending LCCC," Berman said. "This allows those who have attended not just LCCC, but other colleges to have a wonderful opportunity close to home, and to not have to seek other means of admissions or learn other processes." Berman said that not only would the new program allow nurses to further their careers and fill needed gaps in the workforce, but their new knowledge would directly benefit patients in the region. "This (program) provides opportunities for nurses to be working at the bedside, obtaining that associate degree and then going back to school to advance their knowledge," Berman said. "We do know and there is research that advanced degrees do have enhanced outcomes for those patients that are being cared for by a bachelor's prepared nurse. It elevates the outcomes of those who are being cared for by our graduates." The new bachelor's of science in nursing degree is the third bachelor's degree added by the college since 2018. It joins the existing bachelor of applied science in microelectronic manufacturing and bachelor of applied science in smart industrial automated systems engineering programs, both of which were added in 2022. Those interested in learning more about the RN-to-BSN program can visit lorainccc.edu/health/nursing/rn-to-bsn/ and sign up for planned informational sessions on the program. The first session will be held virtually on July 14. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.