By Nadji Grizzle//In the upcoming Fall 2015 semester, Hood will welcome undergraduate nursing students for the first time in school history. In doing so, Hood College becomes the first school in the immediate area to offer a four year nursing program. The program was created and designed to complement the two year BSN completion program which began in 2011, designed for registered nurses who already have an associate degree.

Kelly Watson, assistant professor of nursing, explained.

“Hood College started a BSN Completion program about 4 years ago, answering a need from Frederick Memorial Hospital to increase the number of Bachelors prepared nurses. This program is designed for the working RN (registered nurse) to complete the degree on a part time basis in about 2 years.”

“Once the BSN program was advertised, students started to inquire about a 4 year program. Since there are no other 4 year programs in Maryland within our immediate area, Hood began the process for approval of a Pre-licensure 4 year program. The new 4 year program will begin in the fall of 2015.”

Watson teaches Dimensions of Professional Nursing, Trends in Health Care Delivery, and Health Assessment in the BSN Completion program, and had a big part in development of the new four year program. She says the general reaction to the program has been positive, and that many students have inquired about admittance.

“We have seen an increase in the interest for the program since it has been marketed to the public. We have a small cohort of about 10 students that will begin the nursing classes in the fall of 2015,” she said.

This number is expected to rise, and with growing numbers come growing expectations.

“The fall cohort (for sophomores) consists of approximately 8-10 students. New freshmen admits are projected at 50 students,” Watson said.

“The program is projected to grow to approximately 35 students per cohort. When all 3 years of nursing are being taught, that would equal approximately 105 total students in the program. Our goal is for 100% pass rate on the National Licensing exam (NCLEX) at the end of the program.”

Mia Redmond could be included in those 105 students. She currently takes certified nursing assistant classes at Prince George’s Community College, and heard about the new program at Hood.

“I’ve actually been looking to transfer but found most schools are really expensive and have high class sizes. Hood is small and seems like a good fit-I might just check it out,” she said.

Watson encourages those who, like Redmond, are interested in Hood to apply and also has a special message to those who aren’t yet sold.

“For the student that is interested in nursing but may have overlooked Hood, I would encourage them to apply. Hood is a small college with individual attention given to students. We are committed to helping students achieve their goal of becoming an RN. We offer high quality instruction and a rigorous program that will prepare them for a rewarding nursing career.”

As for those students who are set to embark in Fall 2015, Watson says to expect a challenging and demanding workload, and to anticipate classes with clinical rotations and work in the newly created nursing laboratory.

Both the four-year undergraduate program and the BSN completion program are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing, and features liberal-arts components mainly in biology and chemistry.

Watson, along with Carol Snapp who was named as director of the BSN completion program in 2010, led a tour of the new facilities for accepted students last month. Such has been the interest and general reaction to the program.

Such positive reception and interest was not easily foreseen, as some would argue that nursing has no place in a Liberal Arts institution. For that, Watson offers some perspective and a bit of profound historic context.

“Nursing is not a program that is typically found in a Liberal Arts College. We chose a school in southwestern PA, Waynesburg College, to be our mentor school throughout this process. Waynesburg is a small Liberal Arts college about the same size as Hood, with a very successful nursing program.”

“Nursing has been defined by Florence Nightingale as both an art and a science. A strong foundation in the liberal arts makes for an educated nurse with a global perspective. It is our belief that the Liberal Arts education enhances critical thinking and problem solving so necessary in the field of nursing.”

Watson and the rest of the nursing staff are eagerly anticipating the Fall semester, as is the school as it continues its efforts to expand. The nursing program is amongst the latest in four new major programs recently added to the college which also include accounting, global studies, and law and criminal justice.

The program will be based in the Hodson Science and Technology Center, and includes 124 credit hours in the curriculum.