URI-Lifespan team up to graduate registered nurses from College of Nursing

Posted 10/9/14

Nurses from Rhode Island and Massachusetts boosted their professional careers recently by earning their bachelors degrees in nursing, thanks to a successful collaboration between URI and …

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URI-Lifespan team up to graduate registered nurses from College of Nursing

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Nurses from Rhode Island and Massachusetts boosted their professional careers recently by earning their bachelors degrees in nursing, thanks to a successful collaboration between URI and Lifespan.

The 61 students awarded degrees Aug. 21 were already registered nurses, which required either two years of study to earn an associate degree or a three-year hospital diploma. All the nurses studied an additional two to three years to get their Bachelor of Science degree. R.N. to B.S. programs are becoming more popular throughout the country as registered nurses look for ways to enhance their careers. The health profession today also demands higher education to improve the quality of health care, from prenatal to old age. URI started offering the program through the College of Nursing 12 years ago with The Miriam Hospital. That partnership led to an expansion three years ago to include all Lifespan hospitals, including Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Newport Hospital, Bradley Hospital, as well as the Miriam Hospital.

“We are honored by the long-term success of our partnership with Lifespan,” said Mary C. Sullivan, interim dean and professor at URI’s College of Nursing.

Over the past 12 years, hundreds of nurses have earned a URI bachelor’s degree in nursing. Nurses play a valuable role as the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce.

“Our nurses are at the heart of the care we provide at all of our hospitals and they play a vital role in helping us fulfill the Lifespan mission of delivering health with care. Our partnership with the University of Rhode Island through the R.N. to B.S program means our nurses can receive the advanced education they need to succeed in today’s ever-changing health care landscape,” Cathy Duquette, Lifespan’s executive vice president of nursing affairs, said in a statement.

The nurses who received bachelor’s degrees all work at Lifespan hospitals. They continued working there four days a week and took classes one day a week at URI’s Alan Shawn Feinstein campus in Providence. The partnership with Lifespan is thriving, in part, because it allows the nurses to keep working while studying.

“We’re proud to partner with Lifespan to provide advanced education for Rhode Island’s health professionals,” said John O’Leary, director of URI’s Special Programs Office.

Warwick graduates include Jennifer Bernache, Michaella Brown, Allison Durand, Jennifer Goslin, Nicole Nappe and Lindsay Russolino.

For more information about the R.N. to B.S. program at URI, contact Diane Martins, an associate professor of nursing at the University, at 874-2766 or dcmartins@uri.edu.

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