Kirtland Community College and Saginaw Valley State University expand nursing partnership
The partnership between Kirtland Community College and Saginaw Valley State University has expanded to allow for more staff and facilities, making the path from Associate Degree in Nursing to Bachelor of Science in Nursing easier for students.
Grayling, Michigan’s Kirtland Community College has strengthened its partnership with Saginaw Valley State University, to better increase pathways for nursing students who have the desire to go on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
The two schools currently have an agreement together that allows nursing students who are working toward their Associate Degree in Nursing to simultaneously work on their Bachelor of Science in Nursing through SVSU’s accredited program. Kirtland’s nursing program provides for students to also obtain their BSN degree from SVSU in a few as three years with the help of instructors from Saginaw Valley.
In an article on Kirtland Community College’s website, President Dr. Thomas Quinn talked about the partnership, saying, “By having this partnership, we are opening the door for people to conveniently obtain a BSN. We are providing students who work and have obligations outside of academics a chance at obtaining their BSN when before that may have not been an option.”
The partnership between Kirtland and Saginaw Valley provides an easier pathway for students who have the desire to continue their education beyond their associate degree. The current partnership between the two schools also stands out as a front runner in the region as a means of providing the healthcare industry with higher educated nurses in a field that is experiencing a shortage, which will lead to improved care for patients.
Dr. Quinn added, “Not only are we allowing a conveniently pathway, we are improving hospitals nursing care with higher skilled nursing staff.”
This upcoming fall semester will see an addition to the Kirtland/SVSU partnership as it will include hiring additional instructors to teach at Kirtland, thus lowering travel between campuses for students still working on their first degree; providing students with tutoring options and success coaches; and an additional 3+1 ADN to BSN program.
Kirtland Community College’s Director of Nursing Amy Polzin weighed in about these additions, saying, “These new additions to our partnership will allow students yet another avenue to obtain their BSN and provide additional resources for support. This will only strengthen our already existing partnership as the students will have more than one option to obtain their BSN.”
The two schools developed the new 3+1 pathway program to allow students to focus on their prerequisites, associate degree specific course work, and earning their nursing licenses before taking any bachelor degree level classes through Saginaw Valley State University.
On this pathway program, Dr. Quinn said, “This allows students to get our courses completed first, then frees them up to focus specifically on SVSU courses needed to finish their BSN degree. A focus behind the new 3+1 BSN program is to further increase opportunities and chances for students to gain their degree by eliminating stress.”
Kirtland Community College’s additional staff will be funded through money generated by a grant created by leaders from the State of Michigan which was designed to provide community colleges with resources to create partnerships with universities for BSN programs. The grant money will also be used to create scholarships for students to cover the costs of courses, provide professional development for current instructors, and upscale nursing facilities and equipment. These additions to the partnership with SVSU will allow Kirtland to be able to provide all the necessary learning for a bachelor’s degree from SVSU all at their campus in Grayling.
Other facets of the partnership between SVSU and Kirtland Community College include increased facilities, pathways, and student support, as the institutions work together to deliver the best nursing education possible so that they can produce excellent graduates to benefit the entire medical profession.
More information about Kirtland Community College’s nursing program can be obtained by contacting the school’s Director of Nursing Amy Polizn by phone at (989) 275-6751 Ext. 254 or by email at amy.polzin@kirtland.edu.
More information about all of the programs available through Kirtland Community College can be found on the school’s website.
More information about Saginaw Valley State University and their more than 90 programs can be found at the school’s website.