Eighteen nursing students created history in December simply by graduating. Two years prior, the students had been the first class to take advantage of the newly expanded Nursing program by being admitted during the spring semester rather than the fall. The revised nursing program took flight in 2007, accepting two classes of 24 students each semester—nearly doubling the nursing enrollment.
With the increasing need for nurses becoming apparent, creating more opportunities for students to enter the program at Union is significant, explained Deborah Yancer, chair of the Division of Health Sciences.
To accommodate the influx of new students, an annex with a direct entrance toward the health sciences complex was incorporated into the Done Love Building. Two classrooms, three faculty offices and two simulations labs were added. In the labs, a robotic patient allows students to practice on a lifelike patient that talks and coughs.
“Expanding the program also lets faculty specialize, preparing graduates for the full lifespan of patients—from pediatrics to geriatrics,” said Yancer. Admitting students during the spring semester also helps when life doesn’t go as planned. “If students change their major, need more time to complete pre-requisites or enter college late, having a January admission means students don’t need to wait an entire year to re-apply,” Yancer said.
For more information on Union College's Nursing Program, visit www.ucollege.edu/nursing or call 402.486.2524. The application deadline for the August class is in March, while the January admissions deadline is in October. Students admitted to the program must have already been accepted by Union College and completed 32 semester hours of prerequisite courses with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75.