Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN Program Students Complete Week-Long Residency at Newtown East Campus
Students in Holy Family University’s School of Nursing & Health Sciences Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN program recently participated in an on-campus residency experience at the University’s Newtown East campus.
Holy Family’s Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN program allows students from other Pennsylvania counties as well as Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Vermont to enroll in Holy Family's top-ranked BSN program, named a Top 10 Accelerated Nursing Program in Philadelphia for both 2021 and 2022 by Best Value Schools. As a program requirement, the week-long campus residency helps students develop hands-on clinical skills by working with the renowned faculty of the School of Nursing & Health Sciences in the University's high-tech simulation lab.
“This on-campus residency program was an excellent opportunity to connect with our second-degree distance BSN program students,” said Rinu Stephen, DNP, MSN, RN, assistant professor and Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN program coordinator in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. “The immersive experience enabled them to acuminate all the essential clinical skills and gain confidence before their hands-on clinical experience. The students were so impressed with the on-campus residency experience. As the program coordinator, I am proud of them, for learning all the vital skills within a short timeframe.”
Gina M. Gordon MSN, RN, professor in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences, is a course coordinator and instructor in the program and was an integral leader of the experience. "Throughout the week, the students learned assessment of vital signs, medication administration, and physical assessment techniques, as well as various skills and simulation experiences related to the clinical setting," said Professor Gordon. "This was such a wonderful opportunity to meet the students in person and work one on one with them."
Jinsy Mathew DNP, MSN, RN, vice dean and DNP team lead in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences, also helped launch the Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN program and was pleased to see the students participate in hands-on learning during the residency program. "It was truly wonderful to be able to share in this residency experience with students in our Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN program," said Dr. Mathew. "I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Stephen and our faculty in providing an excellent education to our students."
“This residency has been both rewarding and challenging,” shared Kristi Pretzer, a student in the Second Degree Distance BSN Hybrid program who participated in the residency. “I grew clinically and as a critical thinker while digging deep to find the confidence and resolve to make it through. Our instructors were supportive and pushed us to find the skills we needed to start clinical placement and have the appropriate foundational nursing skills to bring with us.”
“The week of residency is a wonderful opportunity to establish important connections as well as practice hands-on skills,” said Amanda Bates, another student in the program who participated in the residency. “I felt welcomed as soon as I stepped foot on the Holy Family University campus. It was organized and managed in a way that maximized our learning and practice time. It is equally as fun as it is rigorous. I feel more confident going to my first clinical site as my professors have worked diligently to ensure my peers and I are adequately prepared. Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I am grateful to be a part of this Distance program.”
“The successful launch of our Second Degree Distance BSN Hybrid program demonstrates the impact that Holy Family’s nursing program can make on nursing education throughout the United States,” said Margaret Harkins, DNP, MBE, GNP-BC, RN-BC, dean of the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. “We are proud of the work that Dr. Stephen and the program faculty are doing to prepare these nursing students to serve their communities.”
For more information about Holy Family’s Second Degree Distance Hybrid BSN program, please visit the program website.