This gives Tri-City nurses a choice closer to home

Columbia Basin College’s nursing program checked off the final requirement for its new bachelor’s degree program.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education awarded the program its official accreditation.

The state required the program, and others like it, to get a nationally recognized accrediting agency to sign off that the department is meeting teaching standards.

The college’s bachelor’s degree in nursing started last year and has proven popular, said Kim Tucker, the director of the college’s nursing program. It’s at capacity with 40 students.

While other programs allow working nurses to get a bachelor’s degree, the CBC program offers them a chance to directly interact with instructors if they need more help.

They’ve come from across the Tri-Cities, including the three hospitals, clinics and home healthcare. It’s also drawn a student from Moses Lake and a student from Seattle.

“We just opened up another choice for nurses that are out there,” she said. “A lot of online programs don’t have someone in your area where you can get support from your instructors.”

A 2011 report from the Institutes of Medicine says patient outcomes are improved by a more knowledgeable nursing staff, and recommends an 80 percent increase in the number of professionals with a bachelor’s degrees in nursing by 2020.

Nurses are treating a growing elderly population with more chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the report said.

The college developed the bachelor’s program to address the demand, but they needed to start teaching classes before being able to get accredited, Tucker said. They will be reviewed again in five years.

It lends credibility to the program, she said.

This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 12:47 PM.