Loyola University New Orleans announced the launch of an accelerated nursing program beginning in the Spring 2023 academic term, in a press release published this summer. The 17-month long, full-time hybrid program offers both synchronous online learning and in-person clinical experiences, according to the school’s website.
This program will help address shortages in the health industry, specifically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the school’s webpage.
In order to apply, students must meet certain requirements, including a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the applicant’s undergraduate degree, according to School of Nursing Director and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Cherie Burke.
The differences between a standard bachelor’s degree in nursing and the accelerated program at Loyola are mostly notable in the intensity and paces of the two, Burke said, while a student enrolled in the traditional program earns their degree over a period of four years, students in the accelerated program are finished in four semesters.
Aside from the program’s fast pace and online options, new features have been added on campus. Burke anticipates students using the program’s new state-of-the-art simulation lab when on campus.
In fact, students are required to come to campus only in order to use this lab, Burke said, which recently opened on the fifth floor of Monroe Hall.
The 53-credit long program focuses “holistic health, patient-centered care and experiential learning” according to Loyola’s press release.
“Nursing is very rigorous in itself and the content is extremely heavy, so I respect anybody who is doing the accelerated program. I think it is a great opportunity for the people who can handle it,” said Nursing Junior Grace LaLomia.
LaLomia thinks the program will help the state of Louisiana in its shortage of nurses above all.
“I think that it’s so awesome you can do this program and be a nurse so quickly because there is such a need for them everywhere,” LaLomia said.