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Westfield State College banks on commuters filling program |
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April 7, 2010.
By Katelyn Gendron
Reminder Assistant Editor
WESTFIELD -- Westfield State College (WSC) may be at 104 percent residential occupancy but administrators have decided to take in even more students when the new nursing program begins this fall.
The program will admit 30 to 32 students to the four-year Bachelor of Science program, with the first graduating class slated for 2014.
"The admissions process hasn't closed yet so we're still waiting to see how many will enter this new program. We hope that within the nursing students are commuters that won't need on-campus housing and amenities," Barry Maloney, vice president of student affairs at WSC, told Reminder Publications.
The program is designed with the needs of the region in mind, according to information released by WSC. Graduates will help fill increasing staff shortages in the medical field, in conjunction with the college's partnership with Collaborating for the Advancement of Nursing: Developing Opportunities (CAN DO). The organization is a branch of the non-profit Regional Employment Board of Hampden County Inc.
"The nursing shortage is a national and statewide healthcare issue," Jacquelyn Jordan, Ph.D., RN, chair of the department of Nursing & Allied Health, said. "Westfield is responding to the shortage by its development of a baccalaureate level nursing program in Western Massachusetts.
"Graduates of the program will be eligible to apply for licensure as registered nurses and will have a diversity of employment of opportunities," she added.
Jordan explained the program will include clinical work with Noble Hospital.
"The program development has been encouraged by the Department of Higher Education's Nursing Initiative and embraced by stakeholders throughout the region," Robert Hayes, vice president of academic affairs at WSC, said. "It is an important next step in meeting the healthcare needs of Western Massachusetts and beyond."
Applications to the program are due no later than April 9.
For more information about WSC's new nursing degree, visit www.wsc.ma.edu.
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