Eugene, Ore. — Registered nurses in Oregon and beyond will soon be able to advance their careers at one of the nations’ top-rated Christian liberal arts colleges.
Northwest Christian University (NCU) has partnered with PeaceHealth to offer a regionally accredited Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in nursing beginning in October 2015. The program is designed for both recent graduates of registered nurses (RN) programs as well as nurses who have been working in the profession for many years.
“There is a growing need for nurses with BSN degrees, and this program will provide registered nurses with the additional education they need to meet this growing demand,” said Dr. Joseph D. Womack, president of NCU. “Our expectation is that by completing this program, students and working professionals will demonstrate strong character and ethical leadership while relieving pain and suffering in the world.”
“This partnership represents a tremendous step forward towards providing nurses with the resources to grow as leaders and health care professionals,” said Louella Freeman, chief nursing officer for PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. “The entire model of health care is changing and this program will equip nurses with the skills to grow and adapt right along with it.”
Taught online by NCU faculty and adjunct professors with significant health care experience, the curriculum consists of 8-week classes including courses such as community health nursing, research in health care, ethics, and leadership in nursing. Curriculum was designed to complement a student’s previous clinical education and experience, ensuring courses fulfill core competencies and leadership development desired by hospitals such as PeaceHealth. NCU is the third Oregon school to offer an online RN-to-BSN program.
“NCU’s new RN-to-BSN degree is heavily influenced by the common history and shared values of NCU and PeaceHealth,” Womack said. “Partnering to improve the healthcare of our community and region is just another step in our long history together.”
The partnership between NCU and PeaceHealth brings together two organizations that share a common foundation in Christian faith. In 1895, Eugene Claremont Sanderson founded NCU; and in 1924, Sanderson founded Pacific Christian Hospital. In 1936, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Newark (later the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peach), the founders of what would become PeaceHealth, took over the operations of Pacific Christian Hospital in Eugene and renamed it Sacred Heart General Hospital.
About Northwest Christian University
Northwest Christian University is a liberal arts institution dedicated to providing a transformational education that champions wisdom, faith and service. Accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the University was founded in 1895 and is affiliated with the historical restoration movement of churches in America. Northwest Christian University offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in traditional undergraduate, adult degree, and graduate program formats, as well as online programs for MBA and M.Ed. More information about the University is available at www.nwcu.edu.
About PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a multi-specialty medical group practice with more than 800 physicians and providers, a comprehensive laboratory system, and nine medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest.