Lipscomb names Coordinator of Vanderbilt Nursing Partnership
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Lipscomb University has named Elizabeth Bradley, RN, MSN, CCM, as instructor in nursing and coordinator of the Lipscomb/Vanderbilt Nursing Partnership, Provost Craig Bledsoe has announced.
"Bradley brings with her a wealth of experience, including over 25 years teaching nursing and familiarity with both Lipscomb and Vanderbilt," said Bledsoe. "That familiarity will enable her to coordinate the partnership with a fluidity that will provide optimal results for our students."
Bradley is excited to be part of an academic program that ties together two universities she respects and allows her to be part of a quality nursing program.
"This partnership is a great opportunity for both Lipscomb and Vanderbilt," said Bradley. "Vanderbilt's excellent reputation in nursing and experience producing quality nurses teamed with Lipscomb's reputation for having high academic standards with a focus on serving the community make this program stand out as an exciting academic offering. It's a win-win situation for both universities. What more could I want? This is truly a dream position for me."
Lipscomb has offered pre-nursing courses since 1949 when the university began offering pre-professional studies. The addition of the new nursing program came in Dec. 2003 when the Tennessee State Board of Nursing approved the partnership agreement between Lipscomb University and the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. This agreement allows Lipscomb to offer a bachelor of science in nursing degree with courses provided by Vanderbilt.
The decision to begin this program at Lipscomb was a result of the growing shortage of bachelor's degree nurses.
"Statistics suggest that by 2008, Tennessee won't have enough nurses to fill available positions," said Ben Hutchinson, dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences. "Nationwide, the shortage is predicted to grow to 400,000 by 2020. Shortages are already acute in underserved populations, particularly the Hispanic community. The Lipscomb/Vanderbilt Nursing Partnership uses the existing capacity of these two excellent institutions to create a significant new stream of bachelor's degree nurses that will enter the workforce as early as 2007 to help alleviate the predicted shortages."
The first cohort group of approximately 25 Lipscomb nursing students will begin clinical coursework at VUSN in January 2006. The second cohort group of approximately 40 will begin clinical coursework in January 2007, according to Bledsoe.
Students in the Lipscomb/Vanderbilt program take their first five semesters of foundational nursing courses at Lipscomb. The remaining three semesters of professional nursing courses and clinical experiences will be offered at Vanderbilt. Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive the bachelor of science in nursing from Lipscomb.
For more information on Lipscomb's BSN program, contact Bradley, at 615.279.6624 or through email at Elizabeth.Bradley [at] lipscomb.edu.