{"id":59375,"date":"2014-09-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-09-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/registered-nurses-boost-career-and-learning-through-uris-r-n-to-b-s-program\/"},"modified":"2014-09-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-09-25T00:00:00","slug":"registered-nurses-boost-career-and-learning-through-uris-r-n-to-b-s-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2014\/09\/registered-nurses-boost-career-and-learning-through-uris-r-n-to-b-s-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Registered nurses boost career and learning through 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s R.N.-to-B.S. program"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tNurses work while earning degrees, study at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Providence campus<\/p>\n


\nKINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Sept. 25, 2014 \u2013 Gail Murray\u2019s career has no limits. In two decades, she\u2019s gone from working as a medical secretary to working as a registered nurse \u2013 and now she\u2019s about to take another leap in her professional life.<\/p>\n


\nThe 55-year-old Smithfield resident is enrolled in a thriving program at the 溏心vlog免费B站 that allows registered nurses to obtain their bachelor\u2019s degrees while continuing to work.<\/p>\n


\nThe students enrolled in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s program are registered nurses who have a two-year associate\u2019s degree or a three-year hospital diploma, as well as their state nursing license. The program is especially appealing to women like Murray who want to continue working \u2013 and earning money \u2013 while studying for a bachelor\u2019s.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cIs it hard? Yes. But it\u2019s definitely worth every minute of my time,\u201d says Murray. \u201cI\u2019m furthering my career and my knowledge in the field. My advice to anyone thinking about it is, \u2018Do it. You can get it done.\u2019 \u201d <\/p>\n


\nR.N.-to-B.S. programs are sweeping the country as the health care industry undergoes rapid changes and registered nurses strive to strengthen their resumes \u2013 and advance patient care.<\/p>\n


\nDiane Martins, coordinator for the R.N.-to-B.S. program at 溏心vlog免费B站, points to a 2010 report by the Institute of Medicine recommending that 80 percent of registered nurses obtain their bachelor\u2019s degrees by 2020. \u201cThe Future of Nursing\u201d findings show bachelor\u2019s degrees in nursing translate into better patient outcomes.<\/p>\n


\n \u201cGetting a bachelor\u2019s in nursing is more important now than ever,\u201d says Martins. \u201cThe health care industry is changing fast, so it\u2019s crucial to stay on top of nursing developments to give patients the best care possible.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe program is remarkable for another reason: It showcases a strong partnership between 溏心vlog免费B站 and Care New England hospitals where the students work, some for decades. Both the University and Care New England collaborate to accommodate the students\u2019 busy schedules.<\/p>\n


\nIn many ways, Murray is a typical R.N.-to-B.S. student at 溏心vlog免费B站. She\u2019s older, working full-time and devoted to her patients. \u201cI love what I do,\u201d she says. \u201cI love taking care of people.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nShe started at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence as a medical records clerk in 1981. From there, she went to the billing office and, in 1989, became a secretary in the oncology unit. But she was restless and wanted more.<\/p>\n


\nIn 1999, she enrolled at the Community College of Rhode Island for her associate\u2019s degree. She took one class every semester and continued to work full-time at the hospital \u2013 and raise two children. Nine years later, she had her degree.<\/p>\n


\nShe landed a job in the post-anesthesia surgical unit at Women & Infants, a job she still holds today. But, again, she longed for new challenges. <\/p>\n


\nIn January, she enrolled in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s R.N.-to-B.S. program with Care New England, which includes Women & Infants. During the week, she works three 12-hour shifts, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and attends classes at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Alan Shawn Feinstein campus in Providence on Tuesdays, from noon to 8 p.m. \u201cI never stop,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n


\nThe instruction, she says, is excellent. Courses range from medical ethics and nursing leadership to statistics and evidence-based research. She\u2019ll also do a clinical rotation at another hospital.<\/p>\n


\nCare New England pays 75 percent of her tuition costs, and she covers the rest, which she estimates is $4,000 for the entire 21-month program. She expects to get her degree in November 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important to show young people that even though you didn\u2019t go to college right out of high school, you can go any time in your life,\u201d says Murray. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do it all at once. In the end, you\u2019ll see results.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nFor Dawn Williams, 36, of Providence, the financial help provided by Care New England was the \u201cdriving force\u201d behind her decision to enroll in the program. She is grateful she can continue working \u2013 in the medical surgical unit at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island in Pawtucket \u2013 while taking courses.<\/p>\n


\nShe also values 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s skilled instructors and the camaraderie among students. \u201cWe\u2019re all professional nurses and advanced learners,\u201d says Williams, who received her nursing diploma at St. Joseph\u2019s School of Nursing in North Providence in 2007. \u201cWe\u2019re colleagues. We all try to support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe program is the start of what Williams expects to be a successful career in the field. After getting her bachelor\u2019s, she hopes to pursue her master\u2019s degree and teach nursing some day \u2013 maybe at 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n


\nWith four children and a full-time nursing job, Amy Smith, 44, of Providence, appreciates that 溏心vlog免费B站 and Care New England make sure nurses can fit courses into their hectic schedules. She works at an inpatient psychiatric unit at Butler Hospital in Providence while caring for her four children.<\/p>\n


\n\u201c溏心vlog免费B站 and Care New England makes this doable for us,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s the most important thing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nFor more information about the R.N.-to-B.S. program, contact Martins at 401-874-2766 or John O\u2019Leary, director of special programs at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Continuing Education in Providence, at 401-277-5054.<\/p>\n


\nBesides Memorial Hospital, Women & Infants and Butler Hospital, Care New England hospitals are Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick and the Visiting Nurse Association of Care New England.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above, in pink scrubs: Gail Murray, of Smithfield, who is enrolled in the R.N.-to-B.S. program at the 溏心vlog免费B站. Photo courtesy of Gail Murray.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above, in white scrubs: Dawn Williams, of Providence, who is enrolled in the R.N.-to-B.S. program at the 溏心vlog免费B站. Photo courtesy of Dawn Williams.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nurses work while earning degrees, study at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Providence campus KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Sept. 25, 2014 \u2013 Gail Murray\u2019s career has no limits. In two decades, she\u2019s gone from working as a medical secretary to working as a registered nurse \u2013 and now she\u2019s about to take another leap in her professional life. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}