I was extremely pleased when the Ohio Department of Higher Education notified me earlier this month that Cincinnati State had become one of the first community colleges in Ohio approved to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.
This will be Cincinnati State’s third bachelor’s degree. The college’s other two bachelor’s degrees are in Land Surveying and in Culinary and Food Science. Those programs both began within the last three years and have been big successes for students and employers. We fully expect the same for new BSN degree.
Does this mean Cincinnati State plans to become a predominantly 4-year college or university? The answer is no.
Then why go through the rigorous process of establishing new bachelor’s degrees? The answer is need.
While neither Land Surveying nor Culinary and Food Science have large employment numbers in Greater Cincinnati, there was a strong, unmet employer need for bachelor’s-level graduates but no nearby 4-year colleges with similar programs.
With nursing, the need is at a different level in terms of numbers. Ohio legislators recognized this when they specifically included the opportunity for community colleges to develop BSN programs in House Bill 110 last fall.
Unlike land surveying and food science, some of our local university partners do have BSN and RN-to-BSN programs. However, the need for more nurses at both the BSN and RN levels in Greater Cincinnati has become such a major, serious challenge for hospitals that we must all work together to meet this need so that patient care in our community is not compromised.
Statewide, registered nursing (includes RN and BSN) is the largest and fastest growing job on Ohio’s In Demand and Critically Important Jobs list, with an expected 8,848 annual openings.
Locally, the need for more nurses is even more acute. The nurse vacancy rate now stands at almost 14 percent, or more than 1,500 nurses, according to data from The Health Collaborative.
While the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this problem, the nurse vacancy rate has been trending upward in Greater Cincinnati since 2016, well before pandemic began. Hospital CEOs and chief nursing officers say the need for more BSN and RN nurses is long-term issue, with some believing it could take a decade or more to resolve.
Cincinnati State’s new BSN program will make a unique contribution to meeting this need in a way that will complement existing programs in our region.
Cincinnati State has a 30-year history of excellence in providing nursing students with the skills and knowledge required for certification and licensure, and in preparing graduates to be dedicated professionals. Our RN graduates annually have among the highest licensure exam test scores in the region, even when compared to university BSN programs. They also care for patients in every hospital in our region.
Cincinnati State’s proven ability to recruit, retain and graduate the region’s highest percentage of African American nurses will help meet the universally expressed need of employers for increased diversity in their nursing staffs and nurse leadership. For years, multiple studies have shown that increasing diversity in the health care workforce is linked to better health outcomes among underrepresented groups. In Greater Cincinnati, however, racial diversity in the RN workforce remains low, almost twice as low as the national average.
Cincinnati State’s nursing programs also offer a unique combination of affordability and program continuity:
The cost per credit hour for Cincinnati State’s new RN-to-BSN program will be significantly lower than other programs in the region, without sacrificing quality.
Also, with the new BSN degree, Cincinnati State will be the only college in the region to offer a complete nursing education pathway – from State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA) to Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Each level of Cincinnati State’s nursing pathway leads to an in-demand job and is a stepping stone to the next level. Our plan is to expand the entire nursing pathway, creating opportunities for more women and men in our community to work their way up in this noble profession.
Will Cincinnati State develop more bachelor’s degree programs? If so, they will be based on meeting employer needs and providing opportunities for students to build rewarding careers. That is our mission, and we are excited to serve Greater Cincinnati with this new BSN degree.
For more information about Cincinnati State’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree, go online at cincinnatistate.edu/BSN, or call the Cincinnati State Admissions Office at 513-861-7700.
Monica Posey is president of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. For more information about how you can support Cincinnati State’s nursing programs philanthropically, go online at cincinnatistate.edu/give or call 513-569-4774.
