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The Montana Board of Regents approved the offering of a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree on the campus of ºÚÁÏ´óʼÇ. With this approval, which took place today at the Board’s March meeting, ºÚÁÏ´óÊÂ¼Ç joins Montana State University-Bozeman as the only two state-supported BSN programs in Montana. ºÚÁÏ´óʼǒs Nursing Department spent over two years developing the program, which will require 120 credits including general education requirements.

“The Nursing faculty at ºÚÁÏ´óÊÂ¼Ç worked diligently to get this program developed and authorized by the Board of Regents and Montana State Board of Nursing,” noted Dr. Doug Abbott, ºÚÁÏ´óÊÂ¼Ç provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “The demand for BSN-educated nurses is increasing nationwide and I commend the Nursing Department and our statewide nursing colleagues for stepping up to the plate and getting this program approved. The citizens of Montana will benefit greatly from this new BSN program.”  

The first group of BSN students will begin classes in the spring of 2016. In addition to the four-year degree, ºÚÁÏ´óÊÂ¼Ç will continue to offer their online BSN–completion program for Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) graduates wanting to pursue their bachelor’s degree. The new BSN degree will replace the current ASN degree, which will graduate their final class in spring of 2017.  

“The establishment of an entry-level baccalaureate degree at ºÚÁÏ´óÊÂ¼Ç supports the academic goals of our students, improves employment opportunities, and is in line with recent clinical affiliates hiring policies,” said Karen VanDaveer, director of nursing at ºÚÁÏ´óʼÇ. “The Institute of Medicine’s report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2011), established a goal that 80 percent of nurses be prepared at the baccalaureate level by 2020. The BSN at ºÚÁÏ´óÊÂ¼Ç will help Montanans achieve this goal.”  

“In a time where people are living longer, healthcare practices are constantly advancing, and medical technologies are evolving, bachelor prepared nurses are in demand,” VanDaveer added. “ºÚÁÏ´óʼǒs new program will produce the highly educated nurses that are needed to care for patients in this rapidly changing healthcare environment on the local, state, and national levels.”  

For more information about the nursing programs at ºÚÁÏ´óʼÇ, call the Nursing Department at (406) 496-4390.