College Adds Night/Weekend Cohort for Nursing

Paul Long, the interim dean of the Public Safety, Allied Health and Human Services division at Thomas Nelson, has announced the addition of a night/weekend option for nursing students.

"We will begin with a cohort of 30 and see if we can increase that number in future years," he said.

Dr. Susan English, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, explained that the new cohort came about "because (1) the employers of our service region are demanding additional talent across many allied health careers/skills and (2) our allied health resources are often underutilized, Thomas Nelson has opportunities to build new programs and/or offer additional cohorts in current programs."

Dorothy Wentworth, the College's Associate Professor of Nursing and program chair, said this shows the College's commitment to the community while addressing a specific need: a nursing shortage in the area.

"We hate to turn anybody away," she said of prospective students. "The evening/weekend cohort was to give more opportunities for future nursing students. It's still the same curriculum."

Registration for the night/weekend cohort begins March 23.

Long also announced Thomas Nelson's nursing program has been ranked best in the Virginia Beach-area by the RNtoBSNProgram.com website. It topped the programs at Old Dominion University and Hampton University, among others. Tuition, acceptance rate and class size were among the factors taken into consideration by the website.

This site said, "Thomas Nelson is of particular note because of their guaranteed admissions agreement: Students who qualify will automatically be accepted into many of the commonwealth's four-year colleges and universities."

Following Thomas Nelson on the list were: ODU, Norfolk State, South University - Virginia Beach, Sentara College of Health Sciences, Hampton University, ECPI University, Bryant and Stratton College, and Fortis College.