Ave's Nursing Program Facility Upgrade

This past July, the Ave Maria University Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program moved into its new location in the Prince Building. Ave’s BSN program is a four-year, prelicensure degree approved by the Florida State Board of Nursing and regionally accredited by SACS. BSN graduates are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN examination, successful passing of which qualifies them for work as licensed Registered Nurses.

Due to its continued rapid growth, the BSN program was in need of a larger permanent home. The Prince Building proved to be the perfect space to house this major. Within this exquisitely designed building, the new nursing program space features a simulation lab, a dedicated classroom for didactic instruction and offices for faculty. The nursing simulation lab includes six hospital beds and one crib furnished with state-ofthe-art mannequins and equipmentthat allow students to learn and practice their skills before beginning their clinical experiences at local hospitals and healthcare agencies.

The BSN program was launched in August, 2015 and has grown to 29 students enrolled for the fall of 2018.

Ave Maria University’s BSN degree is the first BSN program in Collier County and the only Catholic nursing program in southwest Florida. The program employs three full-time nursing faculty and three part-time or adjunct faculty, all of whom serve as clinical instructors to guide students through their clinical experiences.

Within the Prince Building, the BSN facilities are appropriately located adjacent to the future home of the Mother Teresa Museum as the BSN program’s vision statement exemplifies St. Teresa of Calcutta as a role model.

AMU’S NURSING PROGRAM VISION STATEMENT: “Ave Maria University’s BSN program aspires to beinternationally recognized as a producer of future registerednurse leaders who emulate the words and example of St.Teresa of Calcutta through healing of mind, body, and spiritfor individuals and communities throughout the world.”