Central College has partnered with Mercy College of Health Sciences to offer a 3+1 program focused on nursing. (Photo by gorodenkoff/iStock/Getty Images Plus)
A partnership between two private colleges will allow eligible students to earn two bachelor’s degrees within four years through a transfer from Central College in Pella to Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines.
Central College and Mercy College of Health Sciences have entered into an agreement to create a 3+1 dual program for students studying nursing, according to a news release.
“Central has a rich history of preparing students to be servant leaders in their communities,” said Mark Putnam, president of Central College. “With this partnership, we know that the students of Central will be prepared to do a lot of good. Iowa, the nation and the world are facing a shortage of nurses and healthcare professionals. Central is enviably positioned to build the pipeline of compassionate and skilled nurses of the future.”
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According to the release, students through the program will work toward their degrees in select majors at Central for three years, completing a minimum of 90 credits. Then, if they meet the admission requirements for Mercy College, students transfer to college to spend their senior year in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Once they graduate, students will have earned bachelor’s degrees from both Central and Mercy College. Aaron Roerdink, dean of Central College, said in the news release that students have expressed interest in a Des Moines-based 3+1 program like this one, and an added bonus is that they can take Mercy’s accelerated program in the fall, spring or summer can start. semesters.
“The time for innovation is now,” Adreain Henry, president of Mercy College, said in the release. “As a society, we have a tremendous need for compassionate, expert nurses. We can’t wait for solutions to find us. This partnership between Mercy College and Central College positions both of our historic institutions to lead the way toward a better future for healthcare, and prepare more nurses for the needs of the future.”
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