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Ramapo College’s New Online Courses Help Nurses Advance

(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)April 4, 2003

(Mahwah) – Registered nurses enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program at Ramapo College of New Jersey can now take all nursing courses online, providing a convenient and easy way to upgrade their skills and get an advanced degree.

The students really like this. Because of the nursing shortage, most current nurses could not easily get away from their jobs. This online course option allows them the personal flexibility to take a course on their own schedule, when time allows,” said Kathleen Burke, assistant dean, UMDNJ (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey) School of Nursing and Joint Nursing Programs at Ramapo.

Ramapo’s nursing program, established in 1993, is a joint program between UMDNJ and Ramapo College.

Burke said that creating an online course became a priority when registered nurses enrolled in our traditional courses found that they just could not make the time to attend a traditional onsite classroom course. We realized then that we had to make these courses more flexible, and adjust them to fit the professional and personal time demands on students.”

The registered nurses enrolled in the B.S.N. program at Ramapo College can take the complete 36-credit nursing core curriculum via the Web. While 129 credits are needed for a B.S.N., nurses who have an associate’s degree already have completed more than half the credits necessary for the degree.

Clayona Shand of Teaneck, a Ramapo senior and medical-surgical nurse at Holy Name Hospital, said that having many nursing courses online has been fabulous. The professors are always available and I think students really participate more.” Added Shand, “I highly recommend these online courses.” Petra Tepper of Nutley, a Ramapo junior and orthopedics nurse at Hackensack University Medical Center, said it’s really the convenience of not having to drive (to Mahwah) that makes these online courses great. Everything’s accessible online and it makes taking courses easier.”

Approximately 300 students are currently enrolled in Ramapo’s nursing program and 160 are registered nurses. Burke said the online option provides additional benefits to registered nurses pursuing a bachelor’s degree.

Doing their coursework online makes these nurses much more Web-savvy and computer-savvy and gives them the technical skills and level of comfort they need to integrate the Internet and computer into their daily nursing work. They get the critical computer skills they need to advance to the next level,” Burke said.

The Ramapo-UMDNJ joint nursing program was recently awarded the UMDNJ Team University Excellence Award in Teaching” for placing all its nursing courses on the Web.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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