Pictured left to right: Mary Southards, Chrissy Kauth, Dr. Lada Gibson-Shreve, Dr. Denise Seachrist, Dr. Deb Shelestak, Dr. Para Jones, Beverly Mayle, Shari Shiepis and Dr. A. Bathi Kasturiarachi.
Beginning fall 2016, Stark State College students with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and their state license can earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at Kent State University at Stark through an articulation agreement signed this summer. The agreement provides nursing students a seamless transition to Kent State Stark where they will have junior status and priority registration.
Additional benefits available to full-time Stark State students include the ability to take one Kent State Stark class free each semester therefore reducing the number of classes they have to take when students transfer to Kent State Stark.
Currently, Kent State University Stark and Stark State have 23 direct articulations agreements.
While an ADN is a valuable degree that can lead to a rewarding career, for some nursing students it can be a pathway to a BSN and further career opportunities. According to accrediting agency for Kent State’s College of Nursing, The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, supports the articulation from associate degree programs to baccalaureate degree programs. One of the primary reasons for an ADN RN to get the BSN is so they can take specialized courses such as:
- Community Nursing
- Nursing Research
- Nursing Theory
- Psychosocial Nursing
- Health Assessment
- Nurse Management and Leadership
- Nursing Ethics
Other reasons cited on The American Association of Colleges of Nursing website:
- A nurse’s need to be prepared for the expanding professional roles as a result of an evolving health care environment which is increasing in complexity.
- Health care’s shift to primary and preventative care with less focus on the inpatient setting.
- BSN are prepared to practice in a variety of settings from homecare to case management.
- A BSN might land a new nurse their first nursing job. New nurse graduates that are having a difficult time being hired may have an easier time finding a job with a BSN. A change in hiring practices at many hospitals has resulted in hiring BSNs first, or only BSNs.
- A promotion into a leadership position. While upper leadership positions are increasingly expected to have at least a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, a BSN, depending on a hospital’s culture and expectations, could act as a stepping stone in a nurse’s career.
- Advanced Nursing. If a nurse plans on becoming an Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN), nurse executive, or a nurse educator, a BSN degree is usually the first step before going to graduate school.