LEXINGTON, Ky. — To help address Kentucky’s nursing shortage and as part of a longtime commitment to career-focused healthcare education, Sullivan University is launching a new nursing program at its Lexington campus.
Sullivan has announced it is now offering An Associate of Science in Nursing (Traditional) that can be completed in 21 months. The launch of the new program is in response to nursing shortages that are so dire that the situation prompted a recent state of emergency declaration from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. It is estimated that Kentucky is operating at 12 to 20 percent short of needed nursing staffing and that Kentucky is projected to need more than 16,000 additional nurses by 2024.
“Both locally and nationally, healthcare facilities have numerous nursing vacancies and are offering many incentives to hire new graduates in specialties where new graduates were not being hired in the past – Intensive Care Units, emergency departments, pediatrics and labor and delivery,” said Sullivan University Dean of Nursing Carla Carter. “There are also career opportunities in legal consulting, disease and case management, telephonic nursing, teaching and bedside nursing.”
In the programs, students will learn the skills – including bedside skills – to perform nursing functions in a healthcare setting. But they will also learn to think and reason critically to ensure positive patient outcomes, Dean Carter said.
Classes will be held on campus in face-to-face settings where students experience hands-on training. Clinicals are offered at several area hospitals and healthcare facilities. Some classes are also offered online.
“Sullivan University has been helping the community meet its education needs for decades,” said Sullivan University Vice President of Enrollment Management Nina Martinez. “The creation of the new Lexington Nursing program is another opportunity the University has to make a positive and impactful difference in the community.”
“Sullivan University has always been student-focused,” Martinez said. “We developed a curriculum that puts the student’s interests first so that they can receive the education they need to become an essential member of the workforce.”
Classes begin June 29 and applications are being accepted for admissions in both Lexington and at Sullivan’s main campus in Louisville. For more information call 502-447-1000 or visit www.sullivan.edu.
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