UD, Sinclair proposing combined nursing program

The University of Dayton and Sinclair Community College are considering creating a nursing degree together.

The two schools are seeking to create two paths for students to get bachelor’s degrees through a mix of classes at Sinclair and UD.

Sinclair’s board of trustees will discuss the proposal in September. The program would need to be approved by the schools and regulators.

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Sinclair students could get an associate degree in nursing and transfer to UD to complete their junior and senior years to get a bachelor’s in nursing.

The two schools would also have a “1+2+1” program, where students will attend one year at UD, get a Sinclair associate’s degree for their second and third years and finish their senior year at UD.

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Students under the 1+2+1 program would have clinical rotations at Premier Health during their second year. The students will also have rotations at Kettering Health Network and Dayton Children’s Hospital.

UD said in a statement that the proposed BSN program is under review by the Higher Learning Commission and Ohio Department of Higher Education, which would need to grant approval.

If the schools get needed approvals, students with the 1+2+1 program would enroll in UD in the fall of 2019. They would take their first Sinclair course, Introduction to Nursing, in the summer of 2020 and complete their Sinclair courses in May 2022 and be eligible for the exam to become a registered nurse.

The first group of enrollees under this program would graduate with a bachelor’s of nursing at the University of Dayton in May 2023 while employed as an RN.

The UD degree would be part of the School of Education and Health Sciences. Students will pay UD tuition rates for UD courses and Sinclair rates for Sinclair courses.

For the 2018 to 2019 school year, undergraduate tuition at University of Dayton is listed as $21,450 per semester for a full time student. For fall 2018, Sinclair lists tuition and fees per credit hour as $116.03.

Locally, Wright State University and Kettering College also have bachelor’s of nursing degree programs.

UD did not have details about what this would mean for staffing.

Kevin Kelly, UD dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences, said the program “will draw on the strengths of (University of Dayton) and Sinclair Community College to create new pathways to a nursing bachelor’s degree.”

“The program graduates will meet a critical workforce need for nurses in the Dayton community,” Kelly said. “While there is still much work to be done in creating this new program, we have a long and strong partnership with Sinclair in creating innovations to help meet important community needs.”

Sinclair said the UD students under this program will not displace any of the Sinclair students on the waiting list for open enrollment, which is now about three semesters. The Sinclair nursing program admits about 180 students each year.


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