As the county and nation suffer from a nursing shortage, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is launching an accelerated nursing degree program to get more nurses in the field sooner.
UTC officials announced the accelerated bachelor of science in nursing degree program in a news release Monday. It will begin this fall.
The rigorous program is intended for those who already have bachelor's degrees in any field and who want to transition into a nursing career, the news release said.
"It will be a tremendous amount of work," Chris Smith, director of the UTC School of Nursing, said in a phone call. "This is for the individual who really has the desire to become competent as a bachelor-prepared nurse. They have to be able to handle a rigorous program."
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Unlike the traditional nursing degree pathway that takes around five semesters to complete, the accelerated degree is completed in three semesters, or one calendar year, Smith said.
"It's continuous coursework," Smith said. "Students will need a strong support system."
Of the 59 credit hours required by the program, more than a third -- 21 credit hours -- will be completed in clinical settings, giving essential hands-on experience.
"The need for the accelerated program stems from a critical nursing shortage impacting health care not only in the Chattanooga community but across the region, the state and the country," UTC Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jerold Hale said in a news release. "The benefit of an accelerated program is that it effectively addresses workforce demands by increasing the number of desperately needed nurses. UTC will be playing a role in helping put nurses out there in a much quicker time frame."
It also stems from a need to expand the university's existing nursing program, which, enrollmentwise, has been unaffected by the pandemic, Smith said.
"We're very fortunate in the School of Nursing," Smith said. "We've not seen a downturn in applications. Although my counterparts across the state and country have seen a significant downturn, we haven't."
Smith said the university has more applicants than available spots and has had to turn away qualified applicants at a time when demand is high.
"(Hospitals) are working toward getting adequate staffing back in all their facilities because nurses are the backbone of a hospital," Smith said. "Other people come and go, but nurses are always there, and if nurses aren't there to take care of patients, hospitals have no reason to exist."
Chattanooga-area health care leaders praised the new program.
"As it's a well-known fact that all of health care faces a critical shortage of nurses and nurse leaders. We're excited UTC is helping meet this important demand by offering accelerated opportunities for nursing students to meet their educational goals," Deborah Deal, chief nurse executive at Parkridge Health System, said in a news release.
Applications are open. Those interested in applying may contact April Anderson at April-Anderson@utc.edu or call 423-425-4670 for more information.
Contact Carmen Nesbitt at cnesbitt@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.