Central Penn College adds RN to BSN degree program

SUMMERDALE, Pa. - Aug. 27, 2015 - PRLog -- Central Penn College is excited to announce the addition of a new registered nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. Increasingly, studies are showing baccalaureate level registered nurses achieve better patient outcomes than their associate level counterparts, including lower mortality rates.

“The college has been closely monitoring trends in health care as well as need and demand in the central Pennsylvania area workforce,” said Krista Wolfe, dean, School of Health Sciences. “We have found an increased need for bachelor’s degree level nurses in our area, with many local hospitals seeking registered nurses holding higher degrees.  Most hospitals now require Registered Nurses without a bachelor’s degree to enroll in a degree completion program shortly after being hired.”

A report released in 2010 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called for an increase in nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020. “Nurses are being called upon to fill expanding roles and to master technological tools and information management systems while collaborating and coordinating care across teams of health professionals,” the report states. “To respond to these increasing demands, the IOM committee calls for nurses to achieve higher levels of education and suggests that they be educated in new ways that better prepare them to meet the needs of the population.”

The need for skilled medical professionals in all areas is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years due to several factors. The aging of the baby boomer generation is creating a need for higher level healthcare professionals as current workers approach retirement. In addition, the Affordable Care Act has caused an influx of those who could not afford regular medical treatment previously to flood the healthcare market place. For those reasons Central Penn College hopes this new degree program will help existing RNs take advantage of a growing number of opportunities in their fields by maximizing on their potential, while also filling the increasing community demand for experienced and educated nurses.

The program was granted approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Education on August 19, 2015. Central Penn’s academic calendar operates on accelerated, 11-week terms. The college is currently enrolling students for the upcoming winter term, which begins January 4, 2016.

The new RN to BSN degree program is the latest of four new health sciences related degree programs at Central Penn College approved by the Department of Education this year. In May three programs were added to the college’s degree offerings; Bachelor of Science in Health Science, Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and Bachelor of Science in Radiology Sciences.

To learn more, visit centralpenn.edu/rnbsn (http://www.centralpenn.edu/rnbsn).

Central Penn College has been helping students turn potential into career success since 1881, now offering career-focused associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a variety of fields. Degree programs are available in: accounting, business administration, communications, criminal justice, healthcare, homeland security, information technology, legal studies and organizational leadership. The college, currently serving students at its Summerdale and Lancaster locations, attributes its high rate of student success to a caring faculty and its hands-on learning approach. Based on Central Penn’s most recent One-Year Graduate Survey, 88.6 percent of graduates were employed in their chosen field or continuing their education within one year of graduation. Central Penn College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. www.centralpenn.edu