Surry Community College has entered a new collaborative partnership with Western Carolina University.
Beginning with the fall 2024 semester, Surry Community College and Western Carolina University will be joining forces to offer nursing students the opportunity to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing on the Dobson campus of SCC through the Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (RIBN) program.
Prospective students wishing to take advantage of this opportunity must have their applications submitted by April 15. To be admitted to the program, students must meet all prerequisite course criteria and pass the Test of Essential Academic Skills, or TEAS test, which will be offered April 24, 25, and 26 at SCC.
The TEAS test is a standardized exam used by nursing programs to assess student readiness for nursing school. Applications for the fall 2024 Associate Degree Nursing program are also due April 15.
The RIBN collaborative program between SCC and WCU provides nursing students with an affordable and accessible opportunity to attain a four-year baccalaureate degree in nursing while attending classes on the campus of SCC with online classes through WCU.
Students are dually enrolled at SCC and WCU, and take in-person classes at SCC, along with certain online classes at WCU, during the first three years of the program. At the end of the third-year, students take the licensure examination for registered nurses (NCLEX-RN) and are then eligible to work as a Registered Nurse (RN) while completing their final year of nursing, which is offered online through WCU.
The opportunity to be employed as RNs after the third year in the RIBN program engages nurses in the workforce a year earlier. In traditional four-year baccalaureate programs, students cannot begin their nursing employment until they complete the fourth year of nursing school.
Graduates of the RIBN program will be prepared for employment in various fields of nursing in the hospital or the outpatient setting.
“They will quickly be able to advance into leadership roles as well as roles in nursing education,” the college said. “The advanced degree through the RIBN program positions the graduate to obtain board certification or pursue further education at the master’s or doctoral level.”
Those interested in applying to SCC’s Associate Degree Nursing or RIBN program for fall 2024 should contact Leona Childress, SCC coordinator of special admissions, at childressl@surry.edu or 336-386-3358, in addition to contacting Carol Roberts, instructional assistant for Health Sciences, at robertscd@surry.edu to complete the Intent to Apply form.
Anyone with questions about SCC’s nursing program in general should to contact Dr. Yvonne Johnson, dean of health sciences, at johnsonv@surry.edu or 336-386-3368. More information is available on surry.edu. Follow Surry’s nursing students on Facebook @surrynursing.
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