Accelerated BSN Track Adopts Hybrid Format

Aug. 30, 2022

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – The waning global Covid-19 pandemic illustrated not just the need for more nurses and healthcare providers but the value of educating them to take on patient care at the bedside. In response to the ongoing nursing shortage, the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions has adapted its accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to include a hybrid mode of delivery so nursing students can manage the course load as well as their personal lives.

“We believe it is our professional duty to engage in creative thinking as we assist our clinical partners in minimizing the nursing shortage gap while maintaining academic excellence,” said Dr. Tera Kirkman, Interim Dean of ACONHP. “The accelerated BSN is one pathway to achieving this goal. Students who have a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than nursing and are seeking a career change will be a great fit for this track.”

The hybrid mode of delivery has shifted the lecture portion of the course work to be 100 percent online. The clinical course work will remain face-to-face and meet all standards set by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the Alabama Board of Nursing.

“The hybrid format allows flexibility of the students’ time by having the lecture to be completed solely online,” said Dr. Clarissa Hall, Chair of the Undergraduate Programs in the ACONHP. “The clinical portion includes time in the hospital setting and in our state-of-the-art simulation center. These students typically work to support a family or other time commitments than a traditional pre-licensure nurse.”

While the 15-month program is rigorous, the hybrid format provides an option for those seeking to begin their nursing career. Students who have completed all general education courses are eligible to apply for this option.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.