Registered nurses seeking a bachelor of science can apply now through June 1, 2013 to the online RN-BS Program at the University of Vermont. Designed for working nurses to increase job satisfaction, professional knowledge, and higher earning potential, the RN-BS Program is primarily offered online and is enhanced through the cohort community experience learning model.

Registered nurses with similar interests and expertise are placed together as an online classroom community to enable collaboration throughout the nine courses (eight online, plus one week, on-campus simulation laboratory). The RN-BS Program is typically completed in three years — one course taken each semester (including summer). The distance learning component offers the flexibility of accessing the program from home, while the cohort provides a personalized student community able to connect with each other through a variety of Web 2.0 tools and social media, in both asynchronous and synchronous sessions.

The Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing Report calls for increasing the percentage of nurses holding a BSN degree or higher to 80 percent by 2020. Additionally, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Organization of Nurse Executives and the American Nurses’ Association recommend a baccalaureate degree for professional nursing practice.

A partnership between the UVM Department of Nursing and Continuing Education, the UVM RN-BS Program has been in existence for more than twenty years with a distance learning option available since 2004. Inquire or apply online at UVM.