Nursing Program Changes at Great Falls College MSU
GREAT FALLS – Great Falls College MSU is in the process of making changes to its Practical Nursing program and its Associate of Science in Nursing program to better prepare students to meet workforce demands. All changes described below are pending a series of final approvals.
These changes are part of a statewide effort to create a common Practical Nursing and Associate of Science in Nursing curriculum at all two-year community colleges, and some tribal colleges in the State of Montana who offer nursing curriculum. The project is funded through HealthCARE Montana, a grant from the U. S. Department of Labor with the goal of broadening access to nursing education to meet the changing workforce demands in healthcare fields.
“Having a common statewide nursing curriculum will allow for credits to transfer more easily between schools and will offer more distance learning opportunities for rural students,” said Kaye Norris, project director for the HealthCARE Montana Grant.
Starting Fall 2016, Great Falls College MSU will offer a new Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program that follows the new statewide nursing curriculum.
“This degree prepares students to go directly into the RN workforce or to move seamlessly into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree,” said Dr. Frankie Lyons, GFC MSU Health Sciences Division Director.
The nursing program currently offered at GFC MSU is structured so students spend their first year in a Practical Nursing (PN) program. After they complete their PN, they can go on and apply for an ASN program, which is also one year.
“This model has been difficult for both students and employers,” Lyons said. “Students who want to be an RN must do the PN education first and then apply to the RN program. It also does not provide enough LPNs to the workforce, as most students continue on for their RN.”
The new model of separating the programs into a PN and ASN will create a clearer path for nursing students based on their career goals.
Beginning Spring 2017, Great Falls College MSU will offer a revised PN program, designed for students who want to go to work as an LPN. Prerequisites for the revised PN program will be rolled out starting summer semester 2016.
“The prerequisites for the PN program are still rigorous, but have been adjusted to better align with the LPN scope of practice,” Lyons said.
PN students will take fewer credits of human biology compared to what’s currently required. They will no longer take chemistry and will take a math that focuses on the care provided by the LPN.
The PN program is three semesters, including prerequisites. The rigorous program continues to prepare safe and effective nurses who can go directly into the workforce. LPNs perform a wide variety of nursing, including bedside care, and community and ambulatory care.
The ASN program is five semesters, and the course work is built upon the scope of practice of the RN. ASN graduates can land jobs as registered nurses where they have an expanded set of duties and responsibilities and earn higher pay than an LPN.
“This change lets students choose from the beginning which career path they want to pursue,” Lyons said. “Ultimately, this will get them into the workplace sooner.”
The new ASN program articulates to other schools within the Montana University System that offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for those students wishing to pursue a BSN.
“It offers a seamless transition to the BSN,” Lyons said.
As Great Falls College MSU begins these transitions to the new nursing curricula, it will also be expanding capacity in its nursing programs with hopes to eventually have up to 90 students enrolled in nursing programs through a mix of face-to-face classes and distance delivery methods.
“The changes to the nursing programs are an example of how Great Falls College MSU works quickly to meet community needs,” said Dr. Susan Wolff, Great Falls College MSU CEO/Dean. “We have a waiting list of students interested in our nursing programs and our local healthcare partners continue to tell us that trained LPNs and RNs are in high demand.”
Prior to these changes in nursing being implemented Great Falls College MSU must receive final approval from the Montana University System Board of Regents, Montana Board of Nursing, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and the U.S. Department of Education.
For more information, contact:
Lewis Card
Executive Director—Development, Communications and Marketing
Phone: (406)771.4412, Email: [email protected]
Frankie Lyons
Health Science Division Director
Phone: (406)771.4361, Email: [email protected]
