Southern Miss Online RN-BSN Nursing Program Ranked Top 50 Nationally
Thu, 10/25/2018 - 09:32am
The University of Southern Mississippi is featured as one of the best online Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degrees for Registered Nurses (RN-BSN) by TheBestSchools.org. Following a review of all accredited online RN-BSN programs in the United States, Southern Miss stands out among its peers.
TheBestSchools.org formulates their rankings based on informational categories including academic excellence, strength of faculty scholarship, reputation, financial aid, and range of degree programs.
Southern Miss landed on this prestigious list of the Top 50 programs after TheBestSchools.org recognized the strength of online instruction offered in the RN-BSN program.
According to Dr. Kathleen Masters, Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions, Southern Miss examined future health care demands and created a unique fully-online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program designed with two tracks, one for RNs who have already earned their Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN) and a second for students who are concurrently enrolled in an ADN Program in Mississippi while simultaneously pursuing the USM online RN-BSN Program.
Dr. Masters emphasizes that increasing access to the BSN is congruent with the 2010 and 2015 Institute of Medicine recommendations to increase the percentage of nurses prepared at the baccalaureate degree level.
Dr. Mary Coyne, RN-BSN Program Director says the ranking by TheBestSchools.org recognizes the unique features of the student-oriented online program. “Our program is focused on the busy lives of registered nurses (RNs), allowing them to work full-time and complete the program in three semesters. Courses are offered in 7-week and 15-week intervals so that students can be successful and concentrate on fewer courses at one time.”
Coyne says the RN-BSN program offers students a “supportive academic bridge for ADN nurses and current ADN students connecting our great Mississippi ADN programs with our fine Southern Miss programs in nursing.”
Coyne notes that faculty are engaged with students, “Our philosophy is that all learning is personal and each student in our RN-BSN program can count on faculty calling, guiding and mentoring them throughout their program of study and this is perhaps why we have an unprecedented 99% retention and graduation rate in the RN-BSN program.”
To learn more about the fully online RN-BSN program at Southern Miss, visit https://www.usm.edu/nursing-health-professions/registered-nurse-bachelor-science-nursing-rn-bsn or call RN-BSN Academic Advisor at 228-865-4555
Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. Available at: http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/reports/2010/the-future-of-nursing-leading-change-advancing-health.aspx
Institute of Medicine. (2015). Assessing progress on the IOM report the future of nursing. Available at: http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/reports/2015/assessing-progress-on-the-iom-report-the-future-of-nursing.aspx