URI-Lifespan team up to graduate nurses

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – With systemwide changes in the health care industry unfolding at an unprecedented rate, registered nurses are looking for ways to stay maximally useful and maximally competitive. In response, the University of Rhode Island and Lifespan have partnered to increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s degrees.

Dozens of nurses from Rhode Island and Massachusetts boosted their professional careers recently by earning their bachelor’s degrees in nursing, thanks to the collaboration between URI and Lifespan.

The 61 students awarded degrees Aug. 21 were already registered nurses, which required either two years of study to earn an associate’s degree or a three-year hospital diploma. All the nurses studied an additional two to three years to get their bachelor of science degree.

R.N. to B.S. programs are becoming more popular throughout the country as registered nurses look for ways to enhance their careers. The health profession today also demands higher education to improve the quality of health care, from prenatal to old age.

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URI started offering the program through the College of Nursing 12 years ago with The Miriam Hospital.

That partnership led to an expansion three years ago to include all Lifespan hospitals, including Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Newport Hospital, Bradley Hospital, as well as The Miriam.??

“We are honored by the long-term success of our partnership with Lifespan,’’ said Mary C. Sullivan, interim dean and professor at URI’s College of Nursing. “Over the past 12 years, hundreds of nurses have earned a URI bachelor’s degree in nursing. Nurses play a valuable role as the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce. Advancing educational preparation for nurses at the bedside can improve quality and coordination of health care.”

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