First students begin Master of Science in Nursing Program

 

Tusculum College first students began the new Master of Science in Nursing program in August.

The family nurse practitioner program is a graduate level Master of Science degree program designed to address the need for more primary healthcare providers in the community.

“In East Tennessee, there is a gap between the number of people who need healthcare and the number of healthcare providers,” said Dr. Lois Ewen, dean of nursing, health sciences and human services. “The nurse practitioner program will help fill that gap in our community,” she added.

“Nurse practitioners provide primary care across the lifespan to people of all ages with simple to complex illnesses. We provide care for patients that have comorbidities. We have the same privileges that family physicians have, such as prescribing medications,” said Dr. Ewen.

“One of the things that is very special about this program, especially in this part of the country, is that we plan to develop an RN to MSN program, which will allow nurses with associate degrees to obtain their master’s degree in six semesters,” said Dr. Ewen.

With this bridge component, Dr. Ewen hopes to serve more nurses in the area and serve the community with quality advanced practice nurses.

Individuals with interest in attending the family nurse practitioner program should contact the nursing department at nursing@tusculum.edu or 423-636-7430 for more information.  Tusculum College is now accepting applications for admission into the College.

First class enrolled in the Master of Science in Nursing program.