Weekend programs offered by ETSU’s College of Nursing will make it easier for nurses who are working full time to further their education.
Beginning this fall, ETSU’s College of Nursing will offer a weekend program for nurses pursuing a master’s degree in nursing administration.
“People are tied-up,” said Dr. Joellen B. Edwards, dean of the College of Nursing. “Students have begun asking if we can have weekend programs.”
The nursing administration program is designed for individuals seeking advancement into nursing management and administration in health care organizations.
Interested applicants must hold a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Deadline for application for fall semester is May 1.
The College of Nursing also offers a weekend bachelor of science in nursing program for those working full time and wanting to advance in the nursing field.
“People come from miles around,” Edwards said of the attendees in the weekend program.
In addition to the weekend nursing-administration track, students in the master’s program can pursue a course of study, which leads to certification as adult, family and gerentological nurse practitioners.
The master’s program prepares nurses to be providers of advanced nursing care to rural, urban and underserved populations and to assume positions of leadership in the healthcare system.
The College of Nursing places undergraduates and master’s students in a variety of educational and work settings.
Since 1990, the College of Nursing has operated a series of faculty-practice, primary care clinics in East Tennessee. These include the Johnson City Downtown Clinic, several school-based clinics, ETSU Student Health Services and the Mountain City Extended Hours Health Center.
Edwards said these clinics serve over 40,000 people per year and provide high-quality, cost-effective nursing care to rural and at-risk populations in the region.
These programs also provide opportunities for upper-division undergraduates and M.S.N. students to work alongside ETSU nurse practitioner faculty in providing services, which range from prenatal care to management of chronic illnesses.
“People are getting healthcare who would have no other option,” Edwards said, referring to the important role the clinics fulfill.
In 1997, the College of Nursing received national recognition from the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty for their outstanding achievement in bringing together teaching, research and service to the community in faculty-practice settings.
For more information on the master’s in nursing administration weekend program, call 439-4578 or 1-888-37NURSE.

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