Late last year, Waynesburg University’s Register Nurse to Bachelor School of Nursing program was rated as the 18th best in the country in a Top 50 lists published by RNtoBSNOnlineProgram.com.
The RN-BSN program consists of nurses that are already in practice. According to Dr. Lina Hixson, who became interim director of the RN-BSN program this spring and is currently an assistant professor of nursing, the age of the nurses’ ranges from students in their early 20s all the way up to their 50s and 60s. For Hixson, having a program that can provide nurses with new information to take back to their careers is essential in them choosing Waynesburg’s RN-BSN program.
“For them to go to a university that provides that [information] for them, that’s what they’re
looking for,” Hixson said. “You can get a degree anywhere, but you want to be able to come back as a student, as an adult learner, and take that information back to your employer, to improve patient care. Because health care is getting more and more challenging, not just financially, but with all the new information that comes out every day. So, this would tell me as an adult learner that [RN-BSN] is a quality program, that I’m going to be able to make improvements in patient care.”
For Hixson, the recognition that Waynesburg’s nursing program has received despite its low national profile is something for prospective students to consider when looking at the university.
“I think because there are so many programs throughout the United States, accolades don’t come to every program that’s out there,” Hixson said. “So, that says a lot for a small Christian university in Greene County, Pennsylvania, that some people have never heard of. For nurses that are looking, that says a mouthful, because you don’t get that publicity at small university’s… So, it really says a lot for a small university that spreads throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.”
While Hixson is careful not to overstate the success, the fact that the RN-BSN program found itself on the same list with medical powers such as John’s Hopkins shows it is capable of offering.
“That just tells me that in regards to quality of an education and affordability for the adult learner, that [the program] is appealing and that this is possibly one of the… I don’t want to say best programs because that’s sort of assuming too much,” Hixson said. “But it is certainly a program that will give you the quality education [needed] as a student to be a successful practicing nurse in today’s health care system.”
Amidst the national recognition, the department is experiencing changes, with Dr. Nancy Mosser retiring at the end of this year’s Fall semester after 15 years as department chair and 31 total with the university.
Associate Professor of Nursing Kathy Stolfer is in the position on an interim basis after Mosser’s departure.
For Hixson, continuing the groundwork that Mosser laid for the department will be key- and won’t be easy.
“I think it’s maybe too early to say [where the department is headed,] but I do believe that Dr. Mosser laid a solid foundation,” Hixson said. “She was there long enough to build that foundation, and the faculty that she surrounded herself with are quality faculty. So, I think that they’ll build on what Dr. Mosser has already done to continue the success. That is always the challenge.”