Nursing bachelor’s degree finally a reality at Daytona State College
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree will begin in January 2014, following a five-year quest to allow the degree to be offered on campus. The State Board of Education approved the college’s bid to offer the program in mid-September, which will provide licensed registered nurses in Volusia and Flagler counties a new pathway with the BSN credential.
The program will be offered on the College’s Daytona Beach Campus, with clinical components at six area hospitals. Independent research has long showed a continuing shortage of BSN-credentialed nurses locally and statewide, said Dr. Linda Miles, chair of the DSC School of Nursing.
“More than 50 percent of qualified students in Florida are turned away because of limited BSN program capacity. By offering a convenient and affordable pathway from the Associate Degree in Nursing to the BSN degree for Volusia and Flagler County students, we are helping to meet a need that has been specifically expressed by the local health-care community,” she explained.
Daytona State’s BSN degree is endorsed by the CEOs of Halifax Medical Center, Bert Fish Medical Center, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center, Florida Hospital DeLand, Florida Hospital Fish and Florida Hospital Flagler. Each facility serves as a clinical site for the college’s nursing programs and is represented on advisory committees that have helped develop curriculum for the new BSN degree.
Daytona State expects to graduate at least 50 BSN-credentialed nurses annually by 2016. While average earnings for a registered nurse approach $65,000, as nurses with a BSN move through the ranks, salaries tend to increase. For example, a promotion to a management position of head nurse with a BSN has a higher salary than the floor nurse with an RN.
Daytona State’s BSN program will be offered in a traditional face-to-face method. It will require students to complete 48 credit hours, in addition to the 72 credit hours required in the ADN program. BSN degrees are offered by the University of Central Florida (online program) and Bethune-Cookman University. Students who opt for the Daytona State program will save 30 percent on the cost of tuition compared to the most price-competitive area BSN program.
Foundation gala a big winner
The Daytona State College Foundation’s annual gala honoring International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy on Sept. 19 raised some $100,000 for the many projects undertaken by the Foundation, primarily student scholarships.
In the past two years, the Foundation awarded some 2,500 needs-based scholarships to students who might not otherwise be able to attend the College. Nearly, 350 people attended the sellout affair, titled “The Splendor of France,” and it was one of the area’s premier charity events. Attendees sampled festive French cuisine prepared by students in the DSC culinary program , from tasty hors d’oeuvres to exquisite haute cuisine paired with fine wines. Entrée selections were carefully prepared by students under the guidance of their award-winning instructor and master chef, Costa Magoulas.
The evening also included live and silent auctions of a variety of quality items and services donated by local merchants, such as fine jewelry and vacation packages. Daytona State President Carol W. Eaton lauded Kennedy’s commitment to the community, particularly her contributions to students in providing internships at the Speedway and supporting the Foundation’s scholarship fund.
Anyone interested in contributing to the Foundation’s effort is encouraged to visit its website at DaytonaState.edu or call 506-3195. Suggested donations begin at the $100 level, but all support is welcome.
College rallies around Prof. Doolin
Daytona State College student groups joined forces on Sept. 26 to help raise awareness about mesothelioma and to support of a popular professor, Dr. Rick Doolin, who is battling a rare form of the disease.
Held at the new Landing area, adjacent to Nunamann Hall, the free event was hosted by student groups representing the college’s School of Health Careers, Science Club, Rotaract and others also participated in the day’s activities. The primary motive for the gathering was to increase awareness of the illness and to raise funds for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, said Kristin Mixell, event organizer and adjunct professor at Daytona State. Dr. Rick Doolin is undergoing treatment for a rare form of the disease.
“Rick is an extremely popular and dynamic teacher, well-known for his ability to break down very difficult subject matter in a uniquely humorous way so students can learn the material,” said Mixell, a former student of Doolin’s. “Many of the students enrolled in the School of Health Careers have had him as their instructor for their required anatomy prerequisites.”
For those who missed the event, they can “Like” the Facebook page set up on his behalf, Team Doolin. As of press time, it has almost $1,000 likes. Students, staff and faculty are asked to go to the page and post supportive comments for the ailing professor.