NHTI-UNH program boosts bachelor’s degree in nursing
The New Hampshire Technical Institute and the University of New Hampshire have signed a collaborative agreement that will enable students enrolled in NHTI’s associate of science degree nursing program to have a dual-admission option with UNH’s bachelor of science nursing program.
Under the agreement, participating students will be admitted to NHTI’s program and conditionally admitted to the B.S. program for registered nurses at UNH in Durham. The standard UNH requirement of a transfer admission application and application fee will be waived through this agreement.
NHTI students interested in the transition from the associate degree program to the bachelor’s degree program must formally declare their intent to opt in no later than the last semester of their course work at NHTI.
In addition to attaining certain grading levels and successfully taking UNH pre-requisite courses, graduates of NHTI who then pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses must then take a course in UNH’s program within six months in order to continue their active admission status with the university.
Anita Pavlidis, Nursing Department Head at NHTI, said the agreement is “a way to help nurses pursue an advanced degree sooner and with fewer obstacles.”
The dual-admission agreement with UNH, she said, is “intended to speed up the time during which a graduate of our A.S. program can achieve that goal.”
According to NHTI Professor of Nursing Barbara Dunn, the college’s liaison for NHTI students interested in the dual-admissions option, most hospitals have a higher number of associate degree nurses than those with BSN or master’s degree credentials. Thus, she said, “this agreement benefits not only NHTI nursing students, but also the hospitals and other medical facilities that will later employ them.”
“As health care moves to advance practice and prevention, nurses with bachelor’s degrees are in increased demand,” said Lynette Ament, chair of the UNH Department of Nursing.
