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Brigid Lusk
Brigid Lusk

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News Release

Contact: Mark McGowan, NIU Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-9472

May 16, 2005

Good Shepherd nurses nearly NIU graduates,
receive certificates toward bachelor’s degrees

Barrington, Ill. — Twelve nurses from Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital this morning received certificates from Northern Illinois University to recognize their completion of the nursing component of a bachelor’s of science degree.

Shirley Richmond, dean of the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences, and some of the NIU faculty involved attended this morning’s ceremony in the hospital’s Meadow Room.

The nurses, all of whom are registered nurses, have taken the nursing classes necessary to earn a bachelor’s degree at the hospital. Seven faculty members from the NIU School of Nursing, part of the College of Health and Human Sciences, have driven from DeKalb to Barrington to teach in a program that scheduled two classes back-to-back one night a week.

Some general education credits still are required for all but one of the12, and the nurses can travel to DeKalb or to community colleges to finish.

“This has been great. Everyone appreciates that more education leads you to a better career outcome as well as a different level of patient care,” said Brigid Lusk, acting chair of the NIU School of Nursing. “It’s beneficial for the hospital, because in a time of a nursing shortage, to be able to say ‘we’ve got a baccalaureate completion program on site’ is a strong recruiting tool. It’s also nice for the nurses. They work long hours, and many have families. It really cuts down on all the busy work of getting a degree.”

Renee Norberg, manager of clinical education at Good Shepherd, said the on-site course delivery was “a real convenience for our nurses” that will open the doors to many other educational and professional opportunities.

“Many of the nurses had planned on going back to school to advance their nursing degree to a BSN but, due to life issues, they weren’t able to do so,” Norberg said. “Many associates have been waiting for a program like this, and Good Shepherd was glad to collaborate with NIU to bring it here.”

The partnership between NIU and Good Shepherd, which began in 2003, does not mitigate the nursing shortage. It makes working nurses better.

“They can certainly get more leadership positions in nursing. They can go forward and become advanced practice nurses,” Lusk said. “Some hospitals are applying for magnet status – an indication that they have expert nursing care – and they need a certain percentage of baccalaureate nurses.”

Meanwhile, research has shown nurses with more education are safer. A study reported in 2003 in the American Medication Association Journal noted four fewer deaths per 1,000 new surgical patients when 20 to 60 percent of nurses hold bachelor’s of science degrees in nursing.

“Any time you have an opportunity to enhance a person’s knowledge base, and review their skills, I think you will improve patient care,” Norberg said. “The students also expressed how they were amazed about the amount of new knowledge they now possessed, as well as their ability to apply and use that knowledge in the clinical setting. Another important component is that they learned to challenge their own thinking.”

“We’ve had very good support from the hospital in terms of equipment,” Lusk said of Good Shepherd, which offered the classroom space free of rent, collected the transcripts and provided PowerPoint. “And the hospital is very pleased with the program. Most of the students have completed the program. We’re hoping to have a new cohort start in the fall.”

Norberg shares that goal.

“I hope to bring another BSN completion program here to Good Shepherd in the near future, and to maybe even bring additional programs such as a master’s in nursing,” she said. “The program brought together associates who otherwise wouldn’t have known each other. The students have built long-lasting relationships and an internal support system.”

Northern’s nursing program is designed to meet the needs of the registered nurse who wishes to complete a bachelor of science degree with a major in nursing. The amount of time required for a registered nurse to fulfill the requirements of the baccalaureate degree completion program varies depending upon the amount of transfer credit.

The B.S. degree with a major in nursing prepares the professional nurse for leadership roles in patient care in the total spectrum of health care agencies and settings.

Graduates are prepared to function with baccalaureate competencies in the delivery of nursing care, and assisting in the improvement of health care delivery systems. They also are skilled in using the knowledge of the physical and social sciences as integral aspects of nursing, and in entering graduate programs to further increase their nursing competencies and skills.

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