Volume 10│Issue 2│June 2019 Carilion Medical Center, 1906 Belleview Ave, Roanoke, VA 24014 http://chsweb.carilion.com/nursserv/NursW eb.html nursingresearch@carilionclinic.org (540)266 -6216
Nursing at the NEW Radford University Carilion Lisa Allison-Jones, PhD, RN - Dean of the College, Jefferson College of Health Sciences It’s official! On June 17, Dr. Brian Hemphill, President of Radford University announced that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees granted approval for the merger of Jefferson College of Health Sciences and Radford University. This approval was the last step in the approval process for the merger. Earlier this year, the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia unanimously approved the bills establishing the Radford University Roanoke Division, and these bills were signed by the Governor on February 19. The merger will be effective on July 10, 2019. The newly merged campus has been named Radford University Carilion (RUC) and will occupy the same space in Roanoke Carilion Community Hospital currently used by Jefferson College. All programs previously offered by Jefferson will continue to be offered by RUC. Faculty and staff from both institutions have been working together to envision an institution that will result in enhanced educational opportunities and grow to meet the need for healthcare professionals in Virginia. While this merger has exciting implications for all our healthcare programs, it is particularly exciting for nursing. Nursing will be Radford University’s largest academic program, and the second largest nursing program in the Commonwealth. Students will be able to enter the profession of nursing through the traditional BSN program, which will be offered both on the main Radford campus and at RUC, and through the Accelerated BSN program. This program, offered at RUC is designed for students who have earned a bachelor’s degree in another field and seek a second degree in nursing. Nurses will be able to advance their nursing degree with the online RN-BSN program offered from both campuses, the MSN Nursing Administration and MSN Family Nurse Practitioner programs offered from RUC and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program offered on the main Radford campus. Regardless of the nursing program, Carilion Clinic will play a significant role in the education of our future nursing workforce. RUC nursing faculty will work closely with our Carilion nursing colleagues to ensure that students receive the excellent clinical experiences for which Carilion is known. Together, Radford nursing faculty and Carilion Clinic nurses will prepare the nurses of the future.
~ Lisa
Carilion Clinic Roanoke Campus