Southeastern nursing program ranked on ‘Top Value’ list
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
by: Rene Abadie
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s online program intended to help
registered nurses earn their bachelor degrees has been ranked in the nation’s Top
50 Best Value Online RN to BSN Programs for 2015.
The program was ranked 36th among 50 top accredited online nursing programs in
the U.S. by ValueColleges.com. Programs were considered and evaluated according to
their 20-year return on investment, per-credit tuition rate and national ranking.
“The value of a particular program is something that concerns most prospective
students and parents in selecting a college or university,” said Ann Carruth, dean
of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “We are pleased to see that Southeastern
scored well in the criteria used to evaluate the value of our program. We try to make
every accommodation available to our students, while maintaining our high level of
quality instruction.”
The program provides registered nurses, who may have an associate’s degree or
diploma from a licensed school, the opportunity to continue taking courses online,
while earning credit toward a bachelor’s degree.
“As the field of medical care gets increasingly complex and technological, an
increasing number of hospitals and health care facilities are seeing the bachelor’s
degree as a minimum requirement for employment in the profession.” Carruth said.
She noted that higher educational attainment in nursing usually translates to
higher salaries and greater opportunities for advancement.
Currently there are 80-100 active students enrolled in Southeastern’s RN-BS degree
program, said Eileen Creel, head of the School of Nursing. The program, started in
2008, has seen more than 110 students graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
Creel said in addition to a traditional undergraduate nursing school program,
where students receive clinical training at area hospitals and medical facilities,
Southeastern also offers a program for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to attain
a bachelor’s degree, as well as an accelerated program for students already holding
a bachelor’s degree in any field.
Southeastern also offers master’s degrees and a doctorate in nursing practice,
which can be taken online.
