MNU Nursing: leading the way in a changing world
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schools, according to the National League for Nursing. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
“Nursing schools in the Kansas City area are turning down boosts nursing education
hundreds of qualified applicants because they simply don’t have
the faculty,” says Karen Wiegman, Ph.D., R.N., and chair of the
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is the nation’s largest
department of graduate studies in nursing.
philanthropy devoted to improving the health and health care in America.
The foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individu-
MNU was awarded a grant in 2008 from the Kansas Board of
als to identify and achieve solutions.
Regents. The 10-year, renewable grant of $30,000 per year was
one of four awarded to private schools in Kansas.
In 2008, the RWJF joined with the American Association of Colleges
of Nursing (AACN) to create the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New
The Accelerated MSN program, launched in January 2010, has
Careers in Nursing (NCIN) scholarship program.
24 students enrolled. Students may start the program with any
seven-week module and attend class one day a week, allowing
For information, go to www.mnu.edu/nursing, www.rwjf.org, and www.
them to complete a master’s degree in one year.
newcareersinnursing.org.
Other MSN students, such as Kimberly Blazeric, laud the MNU
environment of easy exchange of ideas with professors and col-
leagues and for its small class sizes – aspects of teaching that are
class one day a week and complete a BSN in one year.
especially important in nursing. In continuing a theme of being “The RN-BSN program’s rapid growth mirrors the trend by
on the leading edge of nursing education, MNU recently revised hospitals seeking the Magnet status for quality care,” Young says.
its accelerated Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in
Research shows that hospitals with BSN-prepared nurses expe-
Nursing (RN-BSN) program to make it more convenient for RNs
rience lower infection and mortality rates, Young says. To achieve
to earn their BSN degree.
the “Magnet” status, hospitals need a significant percentage of
Without a BSN, a registered nurse who’s ready for a step up nurses on staff who have higher levels of education.
won’t have the opportunity to move into management or nursing
Beyond the innovative curriculum, the benefits of high-tech
specialties, says Allyson Young, M.N., R.N., the department chair
simulators, and an accomplished faculty who understand the art
for the RN-BSN program.
of teaching, MNU nursing has shown it has a distinctive ap-
Clearly, that need exists. The RN to BSN program has expand- proach: nursing as a ministry, embodying the truest aspects of
ed from four students in 2007 to 75 students today. Coursework is care, compassion, and servant leadership.
offered in five-week modules, allowing working nurses to begin
“I think students catch that difference in our program,” Larson
continuously throughout the academic year. Students can attend
says. “Nursing is a vocation in service to God and humanity.”
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