Online degree program helps nurses learn while working

DEGREE DAYS: Douglas Sherman, senior vice president and provost at the New England Institute of Technology, said the school believed that there was a need for “practicing RNs with associate degrees to have a flexible program in order to achieve their BSN degree.” / COURTESY NEIT
DEGREE DAYS: Douglas Sherman, senior vice president and provost at the New England Institute of Technology, said the school believed that there was a need for “practicing RNs with associate degrees to have a flexible program in order to achieve their BSN degree.” / COURTESY NEIT

In March, Douglas Sherman, the senior vice president and provost at the New England Institute of Technology, saw his work to introduce an online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program bear fruit when the program was accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
The program is conducted entirely online, with the exception of a final clinical capstone project, making it unique among Rhode Island nursing programs.

PBN: When did the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program officially start and why did the institute introduce it?
SHERMAN: It started in the fall of 2012. We introduced it because we believed that there was a need for practicing RNs with associate degrees to have a flexible program in order to achieve their BSN degree. All of the programs in the state that offer BSN degrees are substantially on-the-ground programs, so nurses have to be physically in the building or on campus at certain times. And we know that hospitals are pushing for the BSN degree as a nursing credential. So [nurses] can take this [program] one, two, or three classes at a time based on what they can handle in their lives.

PBN: How many students are in the program now and how many will graduate this May?
SHERMAN: There are 30 students enrolled. We have two graduates who took a full-time load and are part of our first cohort. The others in the first cohort took a less-aggressive schedule and are taking one class at a time.
PBN: Before NEIT even decided to pursue an online program, what was the market for college degrees telling you about the viability of a nursing program that is almost completely online? SHERMAN: We have a career-services group who did some market research for us and it definitely showed us the need for an RN-to-BSN program in the area for those that are practicing with just a nursing associate degree. There was one other factor, and that was: we have a very successful associate-degree program in nursing and many of the graduates were asking us when we were going to have a BSN program.

PBN: Why did you choose an online instead of an on-the-ground program?
SHERMAN: The way that our associate-degree program is structured, our students get all their clinical experiences required to sit for the nursing-license exam. So, since we didn’t have to offer any additional clinical experiences, we decided an online program would be much more flexible. They can do their course work whenever it’s convenient for them, depending on the shifts they’re pulling at the hospital.

- Advertisement -

PBN: But technically, isn’t this a hybrid program, because the capstone portion will be clinical? How will that work?
SHERMAN: Yes. The capstone course is set up so that the student can select the site where they perform the one clinical experience that is required by the program. That’s just part of that flexible experience. We’re not dictating where they have that clinical experience. We’ll evaluate the site and the credentials of the person overseeing the clinical educational experience of that student.

PBN: What are the prerequisites for the program and requirements to earn the degree?
SHERMAN: The prerequisites are: the students coming in [need] an unencumbered license as an RN.

PBN: So they have to be working as an RN?
SHERMAN: No. But the nursing profession is pushing all nurses to be BSN-qualified and pushing their degrees seamlessly, without a lot of prerequisites. So we developed a program where our students with an associate degree can obtain their BSN by entering right into the BSN program as long as they pass their licensing exam within the first three academic terms of the BSN program.

PBN: What does the online format facilitate, as compared with a traditional, on-the-ground program?
SHERMAN: Really what it allows is for the student to complete their course work whenever it is convenient for them. [For] a practicing nurse working a 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, it allows them the flexibility … to work on their course work when they want to.

PBN: Who is the accrediting institution and how does their endorsement affect the program?
SHERMAN: It is ACEN: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. The reason why we only have enrollments of 30 right now is, up until recently we were not able to tell students we had achieved full accreditation. Now that we’ve achieved full accreditation we expect our enrollment numbers to increase significantly.

PBN: How many students are in your associate nursing program and of those, how many are likely or expected to pursue your online degree?
SHERMAN: We have just over 200 currently in our associate-degree program. We would hope all of them would continue into the BSN. However many want to graduate and get out into the workforce. We would like to see all of them [in the online program], but we know that’s not realistic. •

INTERVIEW
Douglas Sherman
POSITION: Senior vice president and provost at the New England Institute of Technology
BACKGROUND: Douglas Sherman began his career at NEIT as a professor in the electronics engineering technology program in the 1990’s while working in the engineering field. In 1998, he became associate provost in the Office of Teaching and Learning and also served as a special assistant to the president. Responsible for overseeing the design of the college’s main campus in East Greenwich, he is also a member of the college’s executive committee.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of science degree, 1986, University of Rhode Island; master of science degree, 1994, URI
FIRST JOB: Entry-level electrical engineer
RESIDENCE: Cranston
AGE: 50

No posts to display