Meeting Pee Dee nursing needs through satellite program
During the week of April 30 - May 4, students enrolled in the College
of Nursing’s Francis Marion University satellite program joined their peers
in Charleston for the Kaplan NCLEX Review Course.
Satellite
nursing students attend the Kaplan Review Course in Charleston.
This group of students is the second to complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program at the Francis Marion University satellite campus.
“A basic BSN program is absolutely necessary to fill the need for nurses in the Pee Dee area,” said Dr. Sylvia Lufkin, interim director of the FMU program. “We found that 90 percent of students who leave for nursing programs elsewhere don’t return to practice in the Pee Dee area. We had to find a way to offer this educational opportunity closer to home.”
The expanded program offers area health care organizations opportunities to build relationships with student nurses. Hospitals in the area offer scholarships to the students, as well as offer them part-time and summer employment while they are enrolled in the BSN program.
Fifteen students completed their BSN degree requirements in May at the
satellite campus in addition to the 40 BSN degree-seeking students at the
Charleston campus.