Wayne Community College has joined a program designed to improve the health of eastern North Carolina’s population by increasing its nursing workforce.
WCC’s Associate Degree Nursing Program signed on to Eastern North Carolina Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (RIBN), a program that allows students to be dual enrolled in the East Carolina University College of Nursing and a partner community college to earn nursing degrees from both.
WCC joins seven other North Carolina community colleges in the eastern program. There are eight RIBN programs across the state that pair community college and university nursing programs to create a seamless path to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN).
“We are very excited to be working with the East Carolina University College of Nursing in the RIBN program,” said WCC Nursing Department Chair Billy Tart. “This collaborative effort between Wayne Community College and ECU will allow us to offer students in our area a local, more economical choice to obtain their BSN.”
“It is a great advantage to our local area because two exceptional nursing programs are working together to provide more nurses that are very much in need,” he said.
Participants spend three years at the community college during which they take at least one online course per semester at ECU. At the end of that time, they receive an associate degree in nursing and are eligible to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, which is required for licensure as a registered nurse (RN).
They can work in their field while they take their final year of ECU courses completely online to earn a BSN.
“Many of our WCC graduates go on to complete their BSN, but this program allows them to do it in less time. Because the ECU courses are all online, the cost savings is tremendous,” Tart said.
“In many ways, the RIBN students will have an advantage over traditional BSN students because they will already have a year’s experience as an RN when they graduate with their BSN,” he said.
WCC’s first RIBN cohort will start in Fall 2019. The deadline to apply for this year’s cohort is Jan. 31. The application is available at www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/nursing/ribn.cfm.
“Prospective students who want to stay close to home, or have other reasons for not attending a university, can now obtain the same BSN degree right here at WCC,” Tart said.
For more information on the program, contact Tart at (919) 739-6787 or botart@waynecc.edu.
The mission of the RIBN program is to improve the health and health outcomes of North Carolinians by enhancing the educational preparation and diversity of the nursing workforce. It was developed by the Foundation for Nursing Excellence which coordinated it from 2008 through 2016. The RIBN program is now a cooperative project of the University of North Carolina System, North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and North Carolina Community Colleges.
Wayne Community College is a public, learning-centered institution with an open-door admission policy located in Goldsboro, N.C. As it works to develop a highly skilled and competitive workforce, the college serves 12,000 individuals annually as well as businesses, industry, and community organizations with high quality, affordable, accessible learning opportunities, including more than 70 college credit programs. WCC’s mission is to meet the educational, training, and cultural needs of the communities it serves.