RCC Partnership to Offer RN to BSN Program

RAMAPO – Students interested in furthering their nursing education can now earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Rockland Community College through a new partnership offered by SUNY Empire State College. The program, which begins in the fall 2018 semester, is ideal for current RCC students or recent graduates who have yet to become a licensed registered nurse, and for graduates of an associate’s degree nursing program who are licensed RN’s and want to begin working toward a BSN degree. Students can enroll on a part-time or full-time basis.

“RCC’s partnership with Empire State College is a wonderful opportunity for our graduates to seamlessly transition into a BSN program,” says Dr. Kathleen Hopkins, RCC’s division chair for STEM and Health Professions and an associate professor of Nursing. “This program allows for great flexibility; the new nurse can work and at the same time attend class so they can obtain their BSN within two years of part-time study. A BSN degree is the finishing touch that can open many doors for nurses.”

Nurses working in today’s healthcare setting need to be prepared to meet the needs of a diverse patient population, many of whom have multiple, complex health issues. The entry level for nurses has traditionally been a diploma or an associate’s degree. However, the American Nurses Association has long advocated for a baccalaureate education as the minimum entry level for nurses, and current research indicates that patient outcomes are better when treated by nurses with baccalaureate degrees.

RCC Nursing graduates can smoothly transfer all 68 credits earned from their associate’s degree to the BSN program. Students may take 12 additional general education/liberal arts electives through RCC, along with eight credits of nursing courses offered by Empire State College at RCC. Those nursing courses will be taught by RCC faculty in a hybrid format – half classroom, half online – while the remaining nine nursing courses will be taught by ESC faculty and can be completed online. “This program is perfect for working RN’s as the online format accommodates most schedules,” Hopkins says.

Admission requirements to the BSN program include: a completed AS degree in Nursing; possession of an active, unencumbered New York State Nursing RN license; and the completed ESC admissions application, including essay. Tuition is credit based and prices differ for New York State residents (cost per credit is higher for non-New York State residents). If applicants to ESC are within three years of graduating from RCC’s Nursing program, the orientation fee is waived and the student will receive a one-time transfer scholarship. Eligible students can use the code ECPTRADV on the ESC admissions application.

For more information, contact Empire State College Nursing by email at Nursing.Program@esc.edu, or by phone at 800-847-3000 x3020; or contact RCC’s Kathleen Hopkins at khopkins@sunyrockland.edu.