by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College is one of the first community colleges in the nation to collaborate with a four-year university in the creation of a program that allows students to earn an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree in nursing simultaneously.
The Kansas University Community College Nursing Partnership Program is a result of a study done by the KU School of Nursing. Anita Krondak, interim dean of allied health and nursing at KCKCC, said that about three years ago, KU officials met with community college representatives in the state to learn about the nursing curriculum offered at each school and the transferability of those courses.
What came out of that discussion was the KUCCNP Program, which allows students to earn both an Associate’s Degree in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the same time. This allows students to bypass the traditional RN licensure associate degree in nursing step that is typically required prior to starting an RN to BSN program. Currently, KCKCC is the only community college in the state of Kansas and one of a few in the nation to offer such a partnership. This semester, there are more than 10 students in the program, two of which who will be graduating in May.
“This gives our students the ability to study at home, while earning both degrees at the same time,” Krondak said. “This program is rigorous but has huge benefits for the graduates financially and in the job market.”
Prior to entering the program, students must complete all 60 hours of the prerequisite courses required to enter both the KCKCC and KU nursing programs. Once those are completed, students must be admitted to the KCKCC ADN program and apply for admission to the KU School of Nursing. KU will consider KCKCC newly admitted nursing students with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5. The programs must be started in the same semester.
“A lot of hospitals give preference to graduates who have a BSN,” Krondak said. “I believe in the long run, we are going to start seeing more and more employers going to a BSN requirement when hiring nurses. I do think that is where we are headed in the next 10 years and this gives our ADN graduates an advantage.”
Students in the KUCCNP Program are required to enroll in at least six credit hours of KU School of Nursing courses each semester in addition to the regular ADN courses. Students in the partnership program will complete their KCKCC coursework on the main KCKCC campus. This includes classes such as Health Assessment, Homeostatic Concepts, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology, among others. The KU courses will be completed at the same time in an online format.
“So for students in the KUCCNP program, they can complete an ADN and a BSN for about $40,000. That’s about half price compared to completing the programs separately,” Krondak said. “KCKCC was a great choice for this program because our curriculum was already aligned to do it. It is a financial benefit for students and gives them an edge when they are looking for that first job.”
For more information on the KUCCNP Program, contact the KU School of Nursing at [email protected] or by calling 913-588-1619. Information is also available by contacting KCKCC’s Divison of Allied Health and Nursing at 913-288-7626.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.