RN to Bachelor to Master of Science in Nursing

[UPBEAT MUSIC]

KAREN BAUCE: We have a full suite of online nursing programs that meet the educational needs of just about anybody, wherever you are.

MARY ALICE DONIUS: We’re not just a picture on a screen. We really are a presence in their life.

PATRICIA CUNLIFFE: The Sacred Heart online program made going for my BSN attainable.

KAREN BAUCE: What’s unique about Sacred Heart University is that we have full-time faculty for all of our online nursing programs. And they are all doctorally prepared.

MARY ALICE DONIUS: And they live all over the country. And they bring different kinds of perspectives to that virtual classroom. One of the things I think our online faculty do very well is to create that intimacy.

KAREN BAUCE: Jean Watson, who is a prominent nursing theorist, coined the term “cybercaring.” And in the online learning environment, what’s really critical for student engagement is that the faculty teaching the course establish presence.

DR COOK: Good morning, Tim. It’s Dr. Cook. How are you today?

SUBJECT 1: It looks to me like you got transfer credit for health assessment and statistics. Is that your understanding as well?

SUBJECT 2: I’m seeing that right here.

KAREN BAUCE: I was fortunate to have had Emily as a student in two of my courses. She was a great example of how it is possible to get to know your students in an online environment.

EMILY NGUYEN: The research course I had with Dr. Bauce really allowed me to take a deeper dive into how research is conducted, how to analyze research, and how to use it in my clinical practice.

KAREN BAUCE: Emily came to me for advice at one point because her mother had recently been diagnosed with a rather serious illness.

EMILY NGUYEN: (CRYING) So I called Dr. Bauce. And I said, I don’t think I can finish the program. I’m going to take a break.

KAREN BAUCE: I knew that Emily wanted to stay in school. And I have to think that in the back of her mind, she probably wanted to finish so that her mother could share in the celebration of her graduation.

EMILY NGUYEN: (CRYING) And Dr. Bauce said, nope. You’re going to get through this. And you’re going to do it. So I give her a lot of credit to this day because if it wasn’t for her and to help me have the support to keep going, I probably wouldn’t be here. It was the best feeling ever and most gratifying. And I was so very happy that she was able to see me walk across the stage.

KAREN BAUCE: We have a full suite of online programs, anything from a nurse needing to complete her BSN to a nurse who already has a master’s degree and wants to get a doctor of nursing practice. We even have opportunities for nurses who have an MSN in one field but decide they want to be an advanced practice nurse. And for that, we have our online family nurse practitioner program.

PATRICIA CUNLIFFE: I graduated in 1989 from a nursing diploma program. And that’s why I found it, initially, difficult learning online. And then I found it very flexible with my work schedule, my family life, to be able to do my assignments whenever I had time available.

I’m in the last two modules before graduation. And it’s required that you perform clinical. In the ICAN program, the whole team navigates the system for homeless people. So it’s trying to engage them and getting them into detox, housing, maybe set up preventative care visits, so they’re not always going into the emergency room. And with going through the Sacred Heart program, I’m starting to look at it different. Like, how can we break these patterns?

EMILY NGUYEN: So the master’s program really helped me transition from a clinical staff nurse at the bedside to have a different way of thinking, more in the perspective of patient safety, quality care, and outcomes.

MARY ALICE DONIUS: We’re very committed to sustaining the quality that we’ve already established in our programs as we launch new programs. So whether they’re on ground or online, they have the same foundation. They have the same core curriculum. They have the same student outcomes. And they’re measured as such.

EMILY NGUYEN: Overall, this program has allowed me to be able to work full-time, go to graduate school, graduate with honors, and have this amazing degree. I found it to be very flexible, rewarding, and achievable.

[UPBEAT MUSIC]