Waynesburg U., WCCC partner for nursing program
WAYNESBURG – Westmoreland County Community College and Waynesburg University have formed a partnership that will allow students who complete the community college’s nursing associate degree program to easily transfer into the university’s nursing curriculum.
The agreement, signed earlier this month, applies to the registered nurse program for students who wish to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing at Waynesburg University.
WCCC President Tuesday Stanley hailed the agreement as a way to provide nursing students at the community college “with a seamless pathway to a bachelor’s degree in nursing, which is a professional and personal goal for many.”
Students at WCCC must first complete the associate degree nursing program and be in good standing with no history of academic probation and have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 to transfer into Waynesburg’s nursing program.
There are 484 students currently enrolled in WCCC’s associate degree nursing program taught at the WCCC centers in Greene and Indiana counties and the main campus in Youngwood. About 27 percent of nurses have attained a bachelor’s degree in nursing in Pennsylvania, according to WCCC officials.
The partnership gives the community college’s students an opportunity for additional training and certification, said Rebecca Gediminsksas, interim dean of health professions and natural sciences at WCCC.
She said the agreement is in line with the Institute of Medicine’s nursing education initiative to increase the proportion of nurses with bachelor’s degrees from 50 percent to 80 percent by 2020.
“Intrinsic to nursing education is instilling that learning is lifelong, and further education is imperative,” Gediminsksas said.
Gediminsksas said the cost of a four-year degree is an “obstacle” for many of the community college’s students, and that the partnership will give their nursing students more opportunities.
“After they earn their associate degree, they’re able to join the workforce, and many employers offer tuition assistance for degree advancement,” Gediminsksas said.
Dana Cook Baer, interim provost at Waynesburg, said the partnership comes at a time when the “country and the region need well-trained and compassionate health care professionals.”
Dr. Kimberly Whiteman, co-director of Wayensburg’s Graduate and Professional Studies Nursing Programs, said the advanced courses will offer new learning opportunities for WCCC nursing students.
“Our curriculum at Waynesburg University builds on what students have learned in their associate degree nursing program and is not a repeat of courses,” Whiteman said.
The partnership is effective immediately, meaning WCCC nursing graduates will be able to transfer into Waynesburg’s nursing program as early as this summer.