GAFFNEY, S.C. (courtesy limestone.edu) — Just two months after announcing its innovative Bachelor of Science in Nursing Pre-Licensure program, Limestone University is introducing a new online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program.
The 10-course MSN program at Limestone, which will welcome its first cohort in the fall of 2022, can be completed in just over 18 months.
In addition, at the same time Limestone will be offering a Master of Science in Nursing/Master of Business Administration dual degree that will prepare graduates for employment in executive leadership positions throughout healthcare systems and organizations.
The mission of Master of Science in Nursing program is to support and prepare professional nurses who are able to use critical thinking in decision-making activities; promote health and wellness to diverse individuals, families, and communities; and demonstrate incorporation of professional standards, lifelong learning, advocacy, and compassion into nursing practice.
Limestone’s MSN program is an advanced health professional degree that serves to meet the needs of society with a current, evidence-based, and experiential nursing science curriculum with a focus on administration.
“Limestone is committed to expanding opportunities for students in the field of healthcare,” said Dr. Amber Williams, Director of the University’s Nursing Program. “This new online MSN program will further equip our students with the necessary skills to fill leadership roles. There remains a significant shortage in the field of nursing, and there is an even greater need for qualified nurses who can advance into administrative positions. Our goal is for our MSN graduates to become future nurse leaders.
“Limestone’s nursing program is committed to fostering and supporting the future generations of nurses,” she added. “In today’s evolving healthcare industry, practicing nurses, especially ones who have the education and expertise, undoubtedly have advanced career opportunities and expanded employment options.”
Some of the employment opportunities associated with the MSN degree include chief nursing officer, nurse manager, nurse director, clinical administrator, executive nursing director, case management, quality assurance, nurse education, and nurse consultant.
Applications for Limestone’s MSN program are now being accepted. To learn more, review admission criteria, or to apply, please click HERE.
Nurses who are educated in the business and economics of leading in healthcare settings are known to be very valuable to their units, departments, and facilities, in both good and bad economic times. Medical and health services managers, based on data from 2019, have a median annual salary of just over $100,000. That same data indicated that the number of jobs in that field is growing at 32 percent per year, with an anticipated number of new jobs growing by more than 133,00 over the next 10 years.
Limestone’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Pre-Licensure program was announced in October of this year. That new program will provide the educational foundation for students to be ready to work as a registered nurse in their own communities following successful licensure, which is especially important in the coming decade as more than one million nurses are currently aged 50 or older and are nearing retirement.
Eligible students will apply in the spring of 2024 to progress into the inaugural clinical cohort beginning in the fall of 2024. Limestone’s BSN Pre-Licensure program will prepare students to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination.
Limestone University’s online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (RN-BSN) program, which began in the fall of 2019, earned its accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education this past summer.
The RN-BSN is designed to empower students to take on professional roles in nursing in a wide variety of settings. It allows already licensed nurses to continue their education and complete their undergraduate degrees. The University graduated its first cohort of nursing students in May of this year.
Williams has been a nurse for 20 years. Educated at the University of South Carolina, she holds two baccalaureate degrees in biology and nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a family nurse practitioner, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Organizational Leadership. Before coming to Limestone, she served as nurse faculty influencing many students and nurses, coordinated clinical opportunities throughout the state, initiated successful distance and online programs, and led the construction of a high-fidelity simulation lab.