COCC plans to expand area’s nursing education with new Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree
(Update: Adding video, comments from St. Charles Bend and COCC)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Central Oregon Community College has begun the process of developing the curriculum for a new degree: Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
"Our community trusts and knows us. They know for 70 years we've been offering the Associate Degree in Nursing." Instructional Dean Julie Downing said Friday. Now, when all approvals go through, we will be able to offer that Bachelor's of Science in Nursing too.”
According to Downing, this will be the first bachelor's degree to be offered at COCC.
The passage of SB 523 in the Oregon Legislature authorizes community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees in nursing.
The college already offers associate's degrees in nursing, to become RNs, but bachelor's degrees open doors for more career opportunities.
"This allows them to get jobs that are higher-paying, maybe a manager type of position, more in leadership at the clinics and hospitals that hire them.” Downing said.
There is a national shortage of nurses across the United States. According to research from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, "100,000 nurses left the workforce during the pandemic and by 2027, almost 900,000, or almost one-fifth of 4.5 million total registered nurses, intend to leave the workforce."
Hospitals such as St. Charles Bend have also experienced a shortage in nurses.
"We've recovered from COVID over the last two or three years. Certainly, things are getting better, and we are actually hiring more permanent staff." St. Charles Chief Nursing Officer Joan Ching said. "But we were already at a deficit (of nurses) before COVID hit us."
St. Charles is excited about the community college's plan to offer the bachelor's degree.
"St. Charles hires so many of their graduates that come out of their program." Ching said. "And so it's really great to think that these graduates, as well as other nurses who have associate degrees, that they can find it easy to go back for their bachelor's degree in their own hometown, and at a lower cost."
Ching said she believes the new program is a great way to address the problem of the nursing shortage at St. Charles.
To be a part of the new program, a student must have an RN license and hold an applied associate's degree in nursing.
The new degree program at COCC won’t be available for a few years. The college's Board of Directors will need to approve the new degree curriculum before they can offer it to students.
They expect the program will be available by the fall of 2025.
