Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College, two other universities partner to streamline BSN process

A new regional collaboration program including Davenport University has assembled with the goal of training nursing students in order to fill the thousands of job openings in Michigan. The newly minted West Michigan BSN Connect initiative was named such because it connects Davenport University’s BSN program with two other universities and Grand Rapids Community College.

According to a report from the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, the state saw 5,000 open nursing positions in 2024. Grand Rapids Community College has received funding thanks to a grant that will allow it to create a new, quicker pathway for students with an Associate Degree in Nursing to move on and obtain their Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Davenport University, as well as Ferris State University and Grand Valley State University.

West Michigan BSN Connect partnered up with the three participating universities to share a BSN transfer course since each of the universities have established their own ADN to BSN completion programs. Those programs will now be used to support the West Michigan BSN Connect program. 

Currently, Grand Rapids Community College’s ADN program trains students to be able to earn their Associate Degree in Nursing, which allows them to become Registered Nurses in Michigan once they pass the NCLEX-RN exam. The new partnership program will allow students interested in a BSN degree to seamlessly move on to one of the three universities included in the initiative.

The program will allow students to save both money and time as they earn their BSN, as each of the programs’ curriculums have been designed to accommodate the course work of all of the others in their degree requirements.

In an article posted on Davenport University’s website, Associate Dean for Nursing Aleta Pillai, Ph.D., RN, talked about how the ADN-to-BSN grant will allow for barriers to be broken down for students who want to go farther in their nursing careers. She was quoted as saying, “We are committed to expanding access to nursing education and addressing the growing demand for highly skilled nurses. Collaboration is a key component of this grant with GRCC. We are empowering students and enhancing our collective ability to serve communities around the state. West MI BSN Connect will ensure a more resilient and responsive health care system for the future.”

West Michigan BSN Connect has a number of explicit strategies for making sure involved students succeed, including: Offering financial relief via scholarships and eliminating transcript and application fees for Grand rapids Community College students in the ADN to BSN pipeline; Delivering and maintaining a curriculum that is compatible with partnering BSN programs; participating in targeted recruitment efforts and co-branding; providing more student services such as mentoring, financial aid counseling, access to college and university resources, coaching, and academic support; and constantly evaluating and adjusting strategies through data analysis of completion rates, student outcomes, and program enrollment.

All of the involved schools will meet regularly to discuss and evaluate the effectiveness of the program, and look at more opportunities to improve student success such as partnering with employers. The meetings will also focus on other areas of discussion such as scholarships and tuition reimbursement, and clinical placements. Employers around the state will also work to help find students from within their roster of RNs who may want to go deeper in their career education.

More information about West Michigan BSN Connect and more opportunities can be found at Grand Rapids Community College’s website. 

More information about Davenport University’s nursing programs can be found at the school’s website.