FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin - (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu or

Suzanne Thompson - (901) 448-4072, sthompson@uthsc.edu

College of Nursing at

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Reactivates Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree Program

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Memphis, Tenn. (November 30, 2012) - Earlier today, the Tennessee Board of Nursing approved a proposal from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) to reactivate its baccalaureate program - the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). "With this final approval, we can now move forward to recruit outstanding students for our renewed BSN program," stated Laura A. Talbot, PhD, EdD, RN, dean for the UTHSC College of Nursing. The college plans to enroll 70 students for the BSN class that will begin matriculating August 1, 2013. The BSN application submission deadline is April 1.

UTHSC suspended its BSN program in December 2009 when its last BSN class graduated. "The reactivation of our BSN program is a response to the health care needs of our city, state and region," said Dean Talbot. "Well-prepared nurses are a lynchpin in the health care system. They are almost always the first points of contact for patients, whether patients enter a health care setting through primary care, urgent care or any area in between."

The dean observed, "With health care needs expanding among nearly every population group, more highly skilled nurses are definitely needed to fill the gaps in our health care system. Our BSN graduates have always received the rigorous classroom training and immersive clinical experiences that prepare them to make a strong, positive difference for their patients and their employers as soon as they begin their careers. We are committed to maintaining these same standards of excellence in both the academic and clinical arenas as we restart the BSN program."

The 70 BSN students at UTHSC will include a class of 30 RN (Registered Nurse) to BSN candidates. The remaining 40 will be traditional students (college students with 60 or more college credits) and second-degree students (college graduates with a desire to change career paths). Those who enroll and are accepted into UTHSC's accelerated BSN program will be expected to graduate in December 2014, after 17 months of academic and clinical training.

"As changes in health care unfold, we need to sharpen our focus and emulate successful models of care, with special emphasis on providing primary care," said Steve J. Schwab, MD, UTHSC chancellor. "Delivering cost-effective, high-quality team health care requires that we develop cohorts of collaborative nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and physicians," he observed.

"The need for nurses in our state and region is huge, especially in West Tennessee where we have a slightly higher indigent population. The reactivation of our BSN Program will help us and our health care partners serve the rising number of patients who need primary care," Chancellor Schwab added.

To learn more about the UTHSC BSN program, contact Jamie Garrett or Roylynn Germain in the Office of Student Affairs, UTHSC College of Nursing. They can be reached via phone: (901) 448-6125 or e-mail: JGarre25@uthsc.edu or RGermain@uthsc.edu.

Since December 2009, the UTHSC College of Nursing has focused entirely on graduate programs that include a master's degree (MSN-Clinical Nurse Leader), PhD in Nursing and a clinical doctorate. The college graduated 95 nurses with advanced degrees in spring 2012, and 85 in spring 2011. Dean Talbot noted all of the current advanced nursing degree programs at UTHSC will continue.

The UT College of Nursing is the leading producer of nursing faculty and graduate nurses in the Mid-South region. With nearly 5,200 alumni, the college is consistently cited on the U.S. News & World Report annual list of America's Best Graduate Schools.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. Offering a broad range of postgraduate and selected baccalaureate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC also educates and trains cohorts of medicine, pharmacy and/or allied health students -- in addition to medical residents and fellows -- at its major sites in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Nashville. Founded in 1911, during its more than 100 years, UT Health Science Center has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals in academic settings and health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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