Salve Regina University Takes Aim at Nursing Shortage through Unique Partnership

RN-BSN program taps potential of online learning in response to heightened demand from hospitals, health systems to upskill nursing corps by 2020

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NEWPORT, R.I., April 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Salve Regina University, today announced the selection of iDesign to provide instructional design, marketing and retention services to develop an online RN-BSN program that expands access for nurses and healthcare professionals. Offered at a fraction of the cost of most traditional in-person RN-BSN programs, the new online program will provide registered nurses with one of the most affordable and convenient options for obtaining their bachelor's degrees currently available across the higher education marketplace.

"This is about leveraging the transformative potential of technology to improve not just accessibility, but quality and affordability, in ways that respond to the critical shortage of nurses in communities in the Northeast and across the U.S.," said Salve Regina provost and vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Nancy G. Schreiber. "iDesign's deep expertise in learning experience design is tightly coupled with our commitment to preparing Salve Regina graduates to meet today's hiring requirements and find meaningful employment in their chosen field."

Salve Regina's online program comes at a critical time, as employers, state governments and associations alike are urging nurses to obtain a bachelor's degree to better manage an increasingly complex healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report that recommended the nursing profession increase the number of registered nurses with a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) to 80 percent by the year 2020; yet a 2016 survey from the U.S. Census Bureau found that only about half of our country's nurses held a bachelor's degree. In 2017, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo passed the "BSN-in-10" law, requiring that all registered practitioner nurses obtain a bachelor's degree within ten years of getting their license. As a result, the RN-BSN program is in high demand from working nurses, who have little time or income to invest in traditional, in-person courses.

"Many hospitals now require a BSN for hiring consideration, while others require the completion of a BSN within 3-5 years of being hired, so there is a real need for this program," said Paxton Riter, CEO of iDesign. "We are thrilled to help Salve Regina adopt an innovative approach to help the nursing profession keep up with the rapid pace of change in healthcare."

For more information, please visit https://onlinenursing.salve.edu/.

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