Bethel Launches Post-Baccalaureate Nursing Program
The new program is geared for adult students who already possess a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field and are interested in making a career change to nursing.
By Michelle Smith '83, senior content specialist
May 21, 2019 | 4:15 p.m.
Students will be ready for a new career in nursing in as little as 15 months.
Bethel’s healthcare and nursing programs, already widely recognized for their excellence, will be furthered strengthened by the launch of a new post-baccalaureate nursing program in summer 2020. The new program is geared for adult students who already possess a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field and are interested in making a career change to nursing. In as little as 15 months, they’ll be prepared for RN licensure and entry-level professional nursing positions in all types of healthcare agencies, ready to impact the wellbeing of diverse individuals, families, and communities.
Bethel’s new program is distinct in several ways. It offers a learning environment specifically for adult students, and is designed to foster critical thinking skills, continued growth, and a commitment to lifelong learning. And it integrates Christian principles into coursework, providing graduates with a theoretical foundation to practice nursing with integrity and compassion
The new program will utilize hybrid delivery, which means that about 75% of the coursework will be completed online. This will be supplemented by the hands-on training and clinicals essential to nursing. Three skills courses incorporate seven skills intensives of two to three days each, held at Bethel’s nursing skills and simulation labs in Arden Hills, Minnesota.
Then, during the program’s six practicum courses, students work at clinical agencies in the Twin Cities area, including hospital units, transitional care units, and population and community-based settings. Students interact with diverse patients across the lifespan—maternal/newborn, pediatrics (infants to teens), adults, and older adults—and care for individuals, families, and communities, addressing holistic needs including health promotion/disease prevention and acute and chronic illnesses. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the NCLEX® licensure examination for registered nurses.
Bethel’s post-baccalaureate nursing program trains nurses to provide more than just healthcare—it prepares them to provide holistic care infused with compassion, integrity, and excellence. “Bethel’s new post-baccalaureate nursing program, designed specifically for adult students, will equip them to become the nurses our world needs through a mix of experiences: online, skills and simulation intensives, and clinical,” says Program Director Kristi Gustafson. “I can’t wait to see how graduates of this program impact their world and enhance the already-excellent reputation of Bethel nursing.”
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