Starting in January 2023, LSU Health New Orleans’ School of Nursing will educate students in three accelerated nursing programs in North Louisiana at its newly approved Off-Campus Instructional Site located on the LSU Health Shreveport campus. Courses will be delivered through a combination of in-person instruction and synchronous distance education, where students in Shreveport will virtually join classes going on at the LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing. LSU Shreveport and LSU Health Shreveport faculty will also teach some basic science courses.
“We are pleased to lead an LSU systemwide effort to quickly fill an urgent need for highly qualified nurses in North Louisiana,” said Steve Nelson, MD, interim chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans. “Working with LSU Health Shreveport and LSU Shreveport, our accelerated nursing degree programs will address this critical situation.”
Applications are now open for the Career Alternative RN Education (CARE) Program, a two-year program designed for individuals who have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in any field and would like to become a nurse. Students will graduate from LSU Health New Orleans with a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree.
“The LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing Off-Campus Instructional Site provides us with the opportunity to academically prepare nurse educators in North Louisiana and provide a career path for individuals with a previous baccalaureate degree to enter into the nursing profession,” said Demetrius Porche, DNS, PhD, PCC, ANEF, FACHE, FAANP, FAAN, dean and professor LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing. “By preparing nursing faculty and educating more BSN nurses, we would like to impact the nursing shortage challenges in North Louisiana positively.”
Students may also enroll in the RN to BSN degree program, a one-year program of study specifically for the RN with an associate degree or diploma in nursing. The RN to BSN degree program provides a broad liberal and professional education that builds upon the competencies and knowledge achieved in previous nursing education and practice. Students will graduate with a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree from LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing.
LSU Health New Orleans will also offer a master’s degree with a nurse educator concentration. The nurse educator concentration is an intensive Master of Science in Nursing degree designed for completion in one year. The curriculum is built on theory and skills acquired in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The purpose is to prepare nurses to become nurse educators and accomplish their career goals in academic, practice and service settings. Students will graduate from LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing with a Master of Science in Nursing.