Ohio University Launches RN to BSN through Higher Ed Holdings Online Platform

By Greg Russell

Ohio, like many states, is facing increasing demand for skilled health care workers as the baby boomer population continues to age.  In fact, the statewide turnover rate for registered nurses was 14.4 percent in 2008, with a 4.9 percent vacancy rate, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

Ohio University School of Nursing is working to fight that trend through access to affordable education by way of a revitalized distance learning program that provides the opportunity for working RNs to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“When you upgrade your education, you’re more valuable to your employer,” explains Mary Bowen, director and associate executive dean of Ohio University School of Nursing.  “There’s more opportunity for job growth and promotion,” she adds, “and job satisfaction often increases, along with other factors that keep employees happy and increase productivity.  The RN to BSN students today are the future leaders of nursing.”

The school’s revamped online RN to BSN program benefits students and enriches the health care industry by offering registered nurses a chance to earn a bachelor’s degree from home in as little as 12 months.

The degree plan, designed for students who have completed prerequisites, includes 12 courses that can be taken online from home.  Each can be completed in five weeks by viewing lecture videos and participating in online discussion forums.  Students can begin the program during any of eight start dates throughout a single year.

“We wanted to improve our outreach to all of Ohio and adjoining states,” Bowen says.  “Since we were already in the process of redesigning our curriculum, we wanted to improve our platform to increase flexibility and access to the curriculum.”

The university faculty worked with online distance learning service provider, Higher Ed Holdings, to move courses newly updated by faculty members to an improved platform.  Higher Ed Holdings provides the technology through which the nursing courses will be distributed to hundreds, possibly thousands of RNs in the coming years.  Use of the technology platform will enable Ohio University’s nursing courses to become available to registered nurses across the region.

Media Rich Instruction

The Ohio University School of Nursing has offered various distance learning programs since 1975, and has had an online RN to BSN program available for about six years using a different format.  But, Bowen explains that one motivation behind this new version was the nursing school’s progress in revising its curriculum to the newest standards of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

“There are many new health care trends that are happening in the community that our graduates need to be prepared for,” Bowen says.

In satisfying the association’s current “baccalaureate essentials document,” the curriculum was updated to reflect the skills needed in the 21st century health care industry.  Bowen points to the stronger emphasis on genetics and genomics, holistic patient-centered care, evidence-based patient care, implementation of end-of-life care issues, emergency preparedness and disaster response to environmental factors.  Collectively, these areas of focus form a teaching model that is heavy on technology, confronts ever-changing demographics and seeks to promote a therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients.

A Change in Timeframes

Ohio University School of Nursing Professor Kathy Rose Grippa explains that the school determined it was crucial to update the length of the online courses it offered.  The courses, previously offered on a ten-week schedule, were shortened to a five-week schedule.  Grippa says the expectation is that students will take one course at a time.

“The students take the same number of courses,” Grippa says, “but the advantage of the five-week schedule, one course at a time, is that it allows you to focus and concentrate on that particular content.”

And from a technical perspective, Grippa adds, a change was due. Technology has advanced a great deal over six years,” she notes.  “We changed the look and length and face of how the course is presented, in addition to revising the content.  Essentially, with the kind of information technology support that Higher Ed Holdings provides, it’s not hard to do at all.”

Marketplace Demands

Bowen adds that the RN to BSN program also was designed with the demands of the marketplace in mind.

“We understand the need for baccalaureate-prepared nurses in hospitals and other agencies, due to the need for improved patient outcomes,” she says.  “And many hospitals are trying to hire as many baccalaureate-prepared nurses as possible.”

1. She adds that the Ohio University School of Nursing is committed to helping students thrive within the system.

“We really want to offer a flexible, well-priced education to associate degree or diploma-prepared registered nurses,” Bowen says.  “And over 90 percent of nurses in Southeast Ohio are prepared at the associate-degree-in-nursing level.  This will provide the opportunity to advance their education in a quality and cost-effective manner.”

In maintaining the goals of the program, the school can equip its students with the most ideal means of helping themselves help others.