Martin Methodist to offer Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree
State board gives final approval; nursing classes will begin during fall 2006 semester
PULASKI, Tenn. — The Tennessee Board of Nursing gave unanimous approval Wednesday to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for Martin Methodist College. The four-year degree program will begin in the fall of 2006.
“The members of the Board of Nursing were very complimentary of our proposal and the obvious thought and preparation that have been invested in bringing our program to this point,” said Dr. Ted Brown, president of Martin Methodist College. “This is a major accomplishment for Martin Methodist and proves once again the quality of our people and our plans for the future.”
The baccalaureate program addresses a critical health care need in Tennessee, especially in rural areas such as in the south central region. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects that within the next five years Tennessee will have the most critical shortage of registered nurses of the 16 states that make up the Southern Regional Education Board. A key factor contributing to that shortage is a lack of credentialed faculty; Tennessee currently has 32 nursing programs, but only two within 50 miles of Pulaski – and they are both associate degree programs.
With this final approval by the Tennessee Board of Nursing, Martin Methodist College can now market the nursing degree and begin recruiting students to enroll in the nursing program. Dr. Ken Burns, professor of nursing and chairman of the nursing division, and nursing instructor Karen Ferguson have already joined the faculty and will begin teaching classes in the fall semester of 2006.
“I want to congratulate Dr. Burns for his leadership and the enormous commitment of time and energy he has made in this project,” Brown said. “Also, Dr. Jim Murrell, our vice president for academic affairs, provided key oversight and helped secure the funding that has been instrumental in assuring the success of our efforts.”
A series of informational meetings about Martin Methodist College’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will be held throughout the region over the next several weeks.
PULASKI, Tenn. — The Tennessee Board of Nursing gave unanimous approval Wednesday to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for Martin Methodist College. The four-year degree program will begin in the fall of 2006.
“The members of the Board of Nursing were very complimentary of our proposal and the obvious thought and preparation that have been invested in bringing our program to this point,” said Dr. Ted Brown, president of Martin Methodist College. “This is a major accomplishment for Martin Methodist and proves once again the quality of our people and our plans for the future.”
The baccalaureate program addresses a critical health care need in Tennessee, especially in rural areas such as in the south central region. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects that within the next five years Tennessee will have the most critical shortage of registered nurses of the 16 states that make up the Southern Regional Education Board. A key factor contributing to that shortage is a lack of credentialed faculty; Tennessee currently has 32 nursing programs, but only two within 50 miles of Pulaski – and they are both associate degree programs.
With this final approval by the Tennessee Board of Nursing, Martin Methodist College can now market the nursing degree and begin recruiting students to enroll in the nursing program. Dr. Ken Burns, professor of nursing and chairman of the nursing division, and nursing instructor Karen Ferguson have already joined the faculty and will begin teaching classes in the fall semester of 2006.
“I want to congratulate Dr. Burns for his leadership and the enormous commitment of time and energy he has made in this project,” Brown said. “Also, Dr. Jim Murrell, our vice president for academic affairs, provided key oversight and helped secure the funding that has been instrumental in assuring the success of our efforts.”
A series of informational meetings about Martin Methodist College’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program will be held throughout the region over the next several weeks.
