University of Wisconsin - Extension

Salt Lake City, UT - A strategic partnership that will revolutionize the way registered nurses access education was announced at the National Student Nurses Association Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. A new online degree program, BSN-LINC, established through a cooperative effort between the University of Wisconsin Learning Innovations (UWLI), University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) and NursingCenter.com, allows registered nurses to earn a Bachelor of Science degree (BSN) in nursing almost exclusively over the Internet.

BSN-LINC represents the first time that an educational institution has partnered with a nursing web site to offer an online degree where the services of each combine to enrich the learning experience. Through the NursingCenter.com web site, registered nurses can bundle access to Continuing Education (CE) courses and credits with the university registration fee, at no increased cost, providing a value-added to the nurse. NursingCenter.com will also supply course packs with full-text journal articles, as chosen by faculty, to students in their customized electronic "file drawer," as well as a full spectrum of searchable nursing reference materials.

Administered through the Professional Program in Nursing at UWGB, BSN-LINC allows registered nurses in any state that have graduated with a 2.5 grade point average from an associate degree or nursing diploma program to earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

"A professional degree enhances marketability and mobility for talented and dedicated nurses," said Donna Hilton, B.S.N., R.N., Director of NursingCenter.com. "Particularly in a complex healthcare environment, it is clear that the demand for well-educated registered nurses will only increase."

The program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and has preliminary approval by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Objectives and educational methods in the program are designed by UWGB to meet the needs of adult learners and practicing registered nurses.

According to Jane Muhl, Ph.D., R.N., Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Professional Program in Nursing at UW-Green Bay, the partnership will increase access nationwide to top-quality nursing education. The faculty in the nursing program at UWGB are dedicated to adult learners who balance employment, family responsibilities and community obligations with their own continued lifelong learning. Further, BSN-LINC's instructional design focuses on collaborative learning and team-based problem solving.

"BSN-LINC provides tremendous flexibility for registered nurses because they can enter the program while still maintaining a full- or part-time work schedule, which allows them to fit their study time around individual schedules, as well as to continue participating in other activities," said Dr. Muhl. "Geographic boundaries will no longer prevent anyone from completing the degree."

Added Hilton, "UWGB and NursingCenter.com have come together to create a groundbreaking program that combines the best of what each group has to offer. The combination of the University's educational expertise with NursingCenter.com's technological and nursing resources will lead to a more robust learning experience."

BSN-LINC complements NursingCenter.com's existing professional development services, which provide nurses with a single reliable source for content, community, connectivity and commerce. The site offers users original CE and access to a wide variety of nursing journals, and fosters a sense of community through such offerings as interactive forums and a career center. Additionally, the site connects users to the nursing "universe" through an extensive database of web resources, and has established MarketPlace, which provides nurses with access to a wide array of e-commerce and shopping opportunities at substantial cost savings.

For more information about BSN-LINC and the bachelor of science degree in nursing, interested registered nurses can visit the NursingCenter.com Web site or call BSN-LINC's toll-free hotline at (877) 656-1483.

NursingCenter.com, a unit of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, is a comprehensive web community developed for nurses, by nurses. NursingCenter.com is the recent recipient of a Silver Award in the 1999 HesSCA Media Festivals, judged to be the best in its category by the Health Sciences Communications Association. The Web site also has won the Six Senses Award, the Health Seek Quality Award, and the prestigious Sigma Theta Tau Information Technology Award.

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins is a unit of Wolters Kluwer International Health & Science (WKIHS). WKIHS is a group of leading publishing companies offering specialized publications and software in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, science, and related areas. WKIHS also includes Ovid Technologies, New York; Facts and Comparisons, St. Louis; Adis International, Auckland, New Zealand; and, Kluwer Academic Publishing, The Netherlands.

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is one of 15 institutions within the University of Wisconsin (UW) System, one of the premier public higher education systems in the nation. UW Learning Innovations (UWLI) is the UW's e-learning consultation utility, developing online degree and certificate programs for the UW System institutions. Learning Innovations' instructional design expertise is rooted in the UW's over 100 years' experience in educating individuals at a distance.