Piedmont Community College (PCC) partners with the University of North Carolina-Greensboro’s (UNC-G) School of Nursing with Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) classes taught weekly on PCC’s Person County Campus.
“Instructors from UNC-G teach classes at PCC, allowing students to enroll in and complete their degree close to home,” shares Alisa Montgomery, PCC Dean of Health Sciences and Human Services. “In fact, the first class will earn their BSN degree this semester.”
Eleven of the 16 December graduates previously completed the Associate Degree Nursing program at Piedmont Community College, thus allowing them to easily enroll in the locally offered RN to BSN program.
The first graduates of this partnership included:
Front row, left to right: April Dickerson, Melissa Shaw, Zelvia Franks, Tamara Owens, Veronika Young; Back row, left to right: Amanda Burton, Paul Long, Jo Lynn Day, Tyler Adcock, Melissia Spencer, Morgan Cash, Brittany Carthren, Michelle Porterfield, Tammy Lewis; Not pictured: Caitlin Hart, Mollie Whaley
UNC-G is currently accepting applications for a Spring BSN cohort. Fifteen students are required to begin the curricula in January. Classes are held on Monday afternoons at PCC from 1-4 p.m. for three semesters. For additional information, contact Dean Montgomery at (336) 322-2213 or Alisa.Montgomery@piedmontcc.edu.
In addition to articulation agreements with public North Carolina four-year institutions, North Carolina Community Colleges are increasing the number of opportunities open to students at private schools across the state.
William Peace University, which recently added an RN to BSN program, is the latest private university to sign an agreement, making it easier for registered nurses to transfer their community college credits to the university in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
William Peace University is the 12th private college in the state to sign the RN to BSN articulation agreement between North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) and the NC Community College System. The other universities include:
• Barton College
• Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
• Catawba College
• Gardner-Webb University
• Lees McRae College
• Lenoir-Rhyne University
• Mars Hill University
• Pfeiffer University
• Queens University of Charlotte
• University of Mount Olive
• Wingate University
These agreements were established specifically to address the growing need for highly-qualified nursing professionals.
“William Peace’s outreach to RNs in the Triangle region and beyond who seek to advance their careers with Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing will help meet a growing need,” said NCICU president A. Hope Williams. “We are delighted that the university will be participating in the RN to BSN agreement with the NC Community College System.”
The RN to BSN articulation agreement describes a progression plan that includes required general education and nursing prerequisite courses acceptable to all participating RN to BSN programs. Students who follow the plan and take those courses at community colleges will meet the entrance requirements for those RN to BSN programs. Nurses may apply to any of the programs without taking duplicate courses.
Under the agreement, a student who completes an Associate in Applied Science degree in Nursing with a GPA of at least 2.0 and a grade of C or better in specified courses, and who holds a current unrestricted license as a Registered Nurse in North Carolina, will have fulfilled the lower-division general education requirements and nursing program entry requirements for the participating four-year colleges and universities.
“Lifelong learning is essential in the nursing profession. With many of the larger local hospitals requiring a BSN within five years of employment, new articulation agreements provide additional opportunities for Associate Degree Nursing graduates to continue their education and achieve their BSN,” notes Montgomery.
Photo: December RN to BSN graduates from UNC-G BSN program offered at PCC’s Person County Campus
Front row, left to right: April Dickerson, Melissa Shaw, Zelvia Franks, Tamara Owens, Veronika Young
Back row, left to right: Amanda Burton, Paul Long, Jo Lynn Day, Tyler Adcock, Melissia Spencer, Morgan Cash, Brittany Carthren, Michelle Porterfield, Tammy Lewis
Not pictured: Caitlin Hart, Mollie Whaley
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