NOTICE: Classes canceled today due to weather conditions. Check Blackboard for communication from your instructors.
SALEM, Mo. — An associate’s degree in nursing is now available through the Dr. Tracy and Debbie Dobbs Nursing Department at Southwest Baptist University’s Salem campus.
After a successful site visit on Friday, April 28, the first classes will be offered beginning June 5.
“The State Board of Nursing Education Committee has recommended the Salem nursing program for full approval status,” said Dr. Kezia Lilly, dean of the Mercy College of Nursing and Health Sciences of SBU. “This will be presented for final approval at the full Board meeting in August. We are excited to welcome our first class of nursing students to the Salem campus this summer.”
Twelve students are in the first cohort, and the University is approved to accept up to 24 students annually beginning in 2018.
“SBU has been a good education partner for our community for decades, and we appreciate the fact that Dr. Pat Taylor and many of the SBU staff took on the very challenging task of bringing a nursing program to Salem,” said Donald Dodd, chairman of the Advisory Board for SBU’s Salem campus. “It took a lot of hard work and patience by the Bolivar, Springfield and Salem staffs to get this done. There are not a lot of new nursing programs springing up around Missouri, and we are glad for this opportunity. A nursing shortage around the country is well documented, so this is going to be a great way of expanding the scope of the campus here.”
Members of the Salem community have been supporters of this program for several years and have been crucial to bringing this program to the Salem campus.
“SBU is grateful for Wayne Gott’s dedication in advocating for the establishment of this program in Salem,” said Dr. C. Pat Taylor, SBU president. “We had many employees whose hard work was very evident during the site visit, but local community members also deserve much credit for their advocacy and financial generosity. Wayne Gott, a former trustee and member of the SBU Philanthropy Hall of Fame, has been asking for a nursing degree on the Salem campus for many years.
“We also are thankful for the generosity of Dr. Tracy and Debbie Dobbs and many other donors who funded the renovations for the nursing classrooms to provide quality training experiences for students.”
An LPN or paramedic license is required for application to the program that is completed in one year. Students are admitted in June each year and will complete bridge courses during the summer to begin the nursing program in the fall. After successful completion of all coursework, students will have an associate of science in nursing degree and be prepared to take the NCLEX-RN exam to become a registered nurse.
For more information, contact Karlae Callahan, Bridge-RN Coordinator, at (573) 729-7071 or kcallahan@SBUniv.edu.
