RICHMOND, Ky. — Eastern Kentucky University announced Friday it would begin enrolling nursing students into a two-year Associate of Science Nursing program (ASN) after a restructuring in the College of Health Sciences and increased demand for a two-year nursing program. The reorganization brings all of EKU’s nursing programs under the umbrella of the newly-renamed School of Nursing in the College of Health Sciences.
“As a school of opportunity, we want program offerings that work for everyone. We know that our nursing graduates are in demand, and this is an additional opportunity for prospective nurses to come to EKU,” said Interim President Dr. David McFaddin. “The newly-named and restructured School of Nursing makes it possible for us to again offer a two-year nursing program that allows students who may be transitioning from one career to the medical field to get a coveted EKU nursing degree.”
The previous Associate Degree in Nursing (AND) program was part of the Department of Associate Degree Nursing, which suspended admissions in fall 2018 due to budgetary constraints. Restructuring to include the associate degree within the School of Nursing umbrella provides the best opportunity for EKU to respond to the needs of the service region. Today, the Kentucky Board of Nursing voted to rescind the ASN program’s suspension of enrollment and approved EKU to begin enrollment for the ASN program for Fall 2020.
“With a nursing shortage still a pervasive problem all across the country, and especially in our rural hospitals throughout our service region, it’s vital that we meet students where they are and offer an ASN degree,” said Dr. Colleen Schneck, interim dean of the College of Health Sciences. “We are excited to be enrolling students into our program because we know they will bring quality healthcare to the communities they serve.”
The ASN program will begin enrolling in fall 2020, with the first graduating class expected in Spring 2022. The EKU School of Nursing will now offer the ASN program, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), the RN-BSN program, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with specialty tracks for a family nurse practitioner or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner degrees, and the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP), all in one department.
“The new program will be structured to ensure that working people with families have the easiest path toward obtaining their degree,” said Dr. Brooke Bentley, department chair of the School of Nursing. “We are structuring classes so that most students will only come to campus one day a week and clinical placements will be throughout our service region.” The program will have web-enhanced instruction and clinical at medical facilities in Rockcastle County, Corbin, and Lake Cumberland, and Richmond.
Graduates of the ASN program can still seamlessly progress to the four-year degree using the 100 percent online RN-BSN program.
For more information or to apply to the program, go to http://nursing.eku.edu/.
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