Oakland University has partnered with St. John Providence Hospital to expand its innovative accelerated second degree program in nursing to increase the number of registered nurses and the number of nursing faculty prepared to teach in schools of nursing.

The proposed grant submitted to the state recently was approved for funding as part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s MI Opportunity Partnership, which will allow OU and Providence to move forward with programming to address the nursing shortage in Michigan.

Oakland University will be offering its program at St. John Conner Creek Village in the northeast section of Detroit. This program funding will allow the education of 75 more nursing students as well as educate more future teachers of nursing. 

“This partnership began following the final report of the Health Care Workforce Development in Michigan, which projects a shortage of 7,000 registered nurses by 2010 and almost 18,000 by 2015,” said Linda Thompson, dean of the School of Nursing at Oakland University. “This is an outstanding opportunity for us as a university to provide future students with the ability to become nurses at an accelerated pace to address this dangerous shortage projection.”

St. John is actively working with Oakland University to prepare the classroom space so students will be able to begin the program at Conner Creek Village by January 2006. 

"Just over one year ago we announced our vision to create Conner Creek Village, a partnership of services that would uplift and contribute to a healthy, in the broadest sense of the word, community for years to come. With this new grant, we're thrilled to work with Oakland University as an essential partner in the creation of this healthy neighborhood concept," said Elliot Joseph, St. John Health president and CEO.

Oakland’s two innovative programs that are targeted for inclusion in this proposal include its second degree program, which is an expansion of the traditional baccalaureate program and is designed for individuals who already possess a baccalaureate degree in another discipline. It is an accelerated 12-month program that makes use of Web-based and simulation technology.

Students graduate with a BSN degree and can take the NCLEX exam to be licensed as registered nurses.

The second program is the Master of Science in Nursing Education program that prepares nurses to teach in associate degree and baccalaureate programs. Students take a series of courses that prepare them to develop courses, teach in the classroom and clinical settings, use Web-based technology to enhance student learning, and evaluate student performance. The full-time nursing education curriculum is normally delivered over four semesters or two years. The proposed program is planned so it can be completed in one calendar year.

For more information on OU's nursing program, visit the School of Nursing Web site or call (248) 370-4253.