Beginning this fall, St. Bonaventure University will offer a four-semester program for registered nurses to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

The New York State Education Department approved the university’s innovative program Thursday.

“Maybe the best feature of our program is its hybrid approach,” said Connie Perkins, Ph.D., RN, CNE, founding director of the program. “We’ll be offering students face-to-face and online/distance-education instruction. What’s more, we are partnering with regional hospitals and other healthcare institutions in order to bring the classroom to you. We do the commuting, not you.”

In 2017, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation requiring future nurses graduating from associate degree or diploma nursing programs to obtain a baccalaureate in nursing within 10 years of initial licensure. The National Academy of Medicine also recommends that RNs seek a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

The nursing program is the third undergraduate degree program in St. Bonaventure’s School of Health Professions, which launched in 2016. Health science is already the university’s fourth-largest major.

The university is also building graduate programs in physician assistant studies and occupational therapy.

“Our ability to provide this opportunity to registered nurses is so important to improving the quality of healthcare in our region,” said Dennis R. DePerro, Ed.D., president of St. Bonaventure. “Dr. Perkins has developed an exciting and innovative program that will make earning a bachelor’s degree from Bonaventure as convenient as possible.”

St. Bonaventure’s RN to B.S. in Nursing program aims to build upon a skilled registered nurse’s foundation with coursework in collaborative and quality care. Nurses will be introduced to technologically advanced concepts to help them keep pace with the rapidly changing healthcare industry, Perkins said.

“Our program is also designed to enhance leadership skills, professionalism, and to encourage nurses to learn more about themselves so that they may become more emotionally intelligent providers,” she said.

Acceptance to St. Bonaventure’s RN to B.S. in Nursing program requires:

• an unencumbered RN license and current registration in the state to which you want your clinical completion hours to apply;
• an associate degree or diploma degree in nursing from a registered and accredited nursing program in New York state, or from an institution nationally accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN-CNEA);
• that you practiced nursing within the past five years, or that you graduated from an associate degree or diploma nursing program within the past five years.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things. St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition.