Georgian Court approved to offer nursing program

LAKEWOOD- The New Jersey State Board of Nursing has approved the new Georgian Court-Meridian Health School of Nursing to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (B.S.N.) this fall on the Georgian Court University campus. The announcement follows approval of the degree by the New Jersey Presidents' Council of the Commission on Higher Education.

"The need for nurses across the state and in our local communities is acute," said Rosemary E. Jeffries, university president. "We're glad that we can now offer a B.S.N. program to help meet that need and give our students access to a respected, rewarding and well-paying career."

Jeffries said nursing is a perfect fit with Georgian Court University's core values.

"Those who practice nursing practice our core values of compassion, respect, service and integrity," she explained. "Our goal is to graduate students who can bring these values to their professions and make a difference in the world. Nursing is another avenue to make that happen."

According to a press release from the university, recent studies indicate that the number of new nurses - graduates from diploma, associate, or generic (i.e., four-year) programs - in New Jersey needs to triple each year from the current 2,000 to 6,000 to prevent the nursing shortage crisis predicted for 2020. And nationwide, there is expected to be a demand for nurses that exceeds the supply by almost 1 million nurses by 2020.

"We looked at the numbers for Georgian Court University's primary service area," said John Lloyd, CEO of Meridian Health, the largest employer in Monmouth and Ocean counties. "The expected shortfall is nearly 600 nurses a year - and this would be every year unless we are able to educate more nurses. Georgian Court will help us better meet the demand and make sure patients in our area will get the excellent nursing care they need and deserve."

According to the press release, the ideal candidate for the nursing program will be a high school graduate who has earned a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and grades of B or higher in Biology with lab, Chemistry with lab, and Algebra I. For a full listing of requirements, go to www.georgian.edu/nursing.

The total number of credits for graduation in the B.S.N. program is 129; 64 of which are nursing courses. During the freshman year, students will mostly take general education and natural and social science prerequisite courses. The proportion of nursing courses increases each year.

Joseph Gower, Georgian Court University provost, said the university is perfectly suited to provide the much-needed nursing graduates for the region.

"Georgian Court has a strong tradition of educating students for service professions from social work to education," he said. "We already have a number of health-related programs, a new science facility and a wellness center."

Georgian Court's labs will be enhanced with additional equipment for the nursing program, such as hospital beds, a patient care simulator, a mobile cart for medication preparation, and intravenous access models.

Much of the clinical coursework will take place at Meridian facilities.

"GCU nursing students will also be taught in Meridian Health's learning laboratory with a state-of-the-art environment for the practical application of clinical skills in a simulated health care setting," Lloyd said. "They will be rotated across Meridian's continuum of care at acute care hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home care settings, and hospices."

Nursing scholarships are available for those who qualify. For more information, call 800-458-8422, ext. 2700 to sign up for an information session on June 3 or June 10; both will be held from 4-7 p.m. in the North Dining Room, Raymond Hall, on the Lakewood campus at 900 Lakewood Avenue. For additional information, visit www.georgian.edu/nursing.