Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) are teaming up to prepare nurses from underrepresented groups to attain bachelor's degrees in nursing with the additional goal of preparing students for careers in health research.
Emory and GPC are the first and only institutions in Georgia to be selected for the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program by the National Institutes of Health. This new partnership will provide $900,000 over a 5-year period to develop programming to increase the pool of underrepresented students who are prepared for careers in research.
"We are extremely pleased to partner with Georgia Perimeter College for the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program," says Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of Emory's School of Nursing. "Both of our institutions are committed to enhancing educational opportunities for students from underrepresented groups and preparing them for careers as nurse clinicians and scientists. I know this collaboration will contribute importantly to the future of nursing and nursing science."
Students admitted to GPC under this partnership will be part of an eight-week summer immersion program focused on rigorous nursing education coupled with academic research exposure. After completing their associate's degrees at GPC, students will seamlessly transition into the baccalaureate nursing program at Emory. While at Emory, students will benefit from individual mentoring, professional development and research immersion experiences. Students will also receive academic advising to pursue doctoral studies in nursing and will be exposed to groundbreaking research taking place at Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center, which is an internationally recognized academic health center that receives more than $470 million in external research funding annually.
With this program, both institutions want to establish a partnership model for two-year and four-year nursing schools in Georgia to build pipelines for baccalaureate education for nursing students.
"This is a great opportunity for the GPC nursing program and its students as it promotes professional development while allowing participants a chance to pursue higher education in nursing," says Brenda Cherry, GPC's interim chair of nursing. "This partnership will increase the number of nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing."
###
About the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University
The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing produces nursing leaders who are transforming health care through science, education, practice and policy worldwide. It has 298 baccalaureate, 172 masters, and 21 doctoral students as well as seven postdoctoral fellows. Students who complete their undergraduate degree go on to become national and international leaders in patient care, public health, government, and education. In 2012 the school received more than $7 million in research funding. Overall, the School is ranked 21st nationally by U.S. News and World Report.
About Georgia Perimeter College
Georgia Perimeter College, the largest state college of the University System of Georgia, serves approximately 22,000 students through four campuses and several sites in metro Atlanta. For additional information, visit www.gpc.edu.