New agreement offers Lake County nursing students pathway to top-ranked bachelor’s degree
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A new agreement between two Illinois colleges will make it easier for nursing students to earn a bachelor’s degree.
The board of trustees of the University of Illinois—on behalf of the UIC College of Nursing and UIC Extended Campus—has entered into an agreement with the College of Lake County to create a dual-admissions pathway from CLC’s associate degree in nursing (ADN) program to UIC’s RN to BSN degree-completion program.
The agreement will allow students to simultaneously earn an associate degree in nursing at CLC while enrolling in courses that are part of the fully online RN to BSN degree-completion program at UIC.
After students successfully complete the ADN curriculum, they will be awarded their associate degree and continue their progress in the UIC online RN to BSN program as degree-seeking students. UIC will confer the bachelor’s degree in nursing after graduation requirements are met.
With nursing shortages projected to continue, the career outlook for newly licensed registered nurses is excellent. The partnership between CLC and UIC will help produce in-demand, highly skilled professionals for the nursing workforce.
“Health care is only getting more complex, and nurses are increasingly called upon to make critical decisions and lead collaborations,” says UIC College of Nursing Dean Eileen Collins, PhD, RN. “With the clinical skills they learn at the College of Lake County, and the nursing leadership skills they learn at UIC, this program’s graduates will be invaluable assets to their employers and, most importantly, to their patients.”
U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Illinois Chicago No. 2 in the nation for online bachelor’s degree programs. The RN to BSN program represents almost 60% of the total enrollment in UIC’s three online bachelor’s degrees.
“We really appreciate UIC’s willingness to partner with CLC on the dual admissions pathway,” says CLC’s vice president of education Kristen Jones, EdD. “The program provides the opportunity for our nursing students to continue their education, ultimately allowing us to better meet critical health care workforce needs.”
ADN students in this program will receive additional support to stay on track, including regular meetings with UIC and CLC academic advisors to plan and track their progress most efficiently.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing 2021 Essentials for Baccalaureate Nursing Education asserts that a higher level of education gives nurses a wider range of competencies, such as in leadership, systems thinking, evidence-based practice, health policy and collaboration. The report also notes some evidence that more education for nurses is associated with better patient outcomes.
CLC becomes the sixth Illinois community college system to offer a dual-admissions nursing program with UIC. In 2022, CLC had approximately 61 ADN nursing students graduate from the program. More than 750 students have graduated from UIC’s RN to BSN program since it went fully online in 2008.
“The partnership between CLC and UIC provides an invaluable opportunity for our students to continue their education for further career and degree advancement within the nursing profession.” says CLC’s director of nursing education Stephanie Suk, DNP, RN.
“At the UIC College of Nursing, we’re proud of our recognized leadership in providing registered nurses with a high-quality BSN degree to advance their professional goals,” says Catherine Tredway, PhD, RN, who co-directs UIC’s RN to BSN program with Gloria E. Barrera, MSN, RN, PEL-CSN. “Helping so many students [at CLC] easily access that degree is exactly what we’re here to do.”
Students at the College of Lake County can visit bsn.ec.uic.edu/dual-admissions-pathway to learn more about this opportunity.