Students interested in pursuing nursing no longer need to leave Oxford to complete their degree. The University of Mississippi will offer a traditional four-year nursing program beginning in 2024.
This new program differs from the current 2+2 Bachelor of Science in nursing program, in which students complete two years of undergraduate school in Oxford before completing the last two years at a nursing school of their choice. Students can now complete the final two years in Oxford. UM also offers a program in which students with an undergraduate degree in another subject can earn their nursing degree in a year’s time.
“The traditional BSN program on the Oxford campus will be the same 2+2 program that is offered on the UMMC campus in Jackson. The accelerated BSN program (4+1) will continue to be offered in Oxford. Students who are interested in the 2+2 program can now stay in Oxford to complete the last two years of the nursing degree,” interim Dean of the School of Nursing Tina Martin said.
The first class of the new BSN program will consist of 50 traditional students, and it is projected to grow to 70 students within its second year. The intensive care unit at the former Baptist Memorial Hospital location will serve as a simulation practice lab for nursing students. The hospital was acquired by UM in 2017 and converted to the South Oxford Center.
According to the US Nursing Journal, the state of Mississippi currently has 9.99 nurses per 1,000 in the population as of August. With 29,370 employed and registered nurses and a total state population of 2,940,057, Mississippi is ranked 31st in the country for its nurse to population ratio.
Mississippi has been taking steps to educate and retain nurses within the state. The Nurse Retention Loan Repayment Program began accepting applications in August and grants nurses loan assistance. The opening of this new program comes in the wake of a $750,000 grant from AccelerateMS. The university also received $4 million from the Mississippi Legislature for the expansion of the nursing program.
Many current nursing students find the change to be positive.
“I think the new traditional program is a great new addition to our school. I think a lot of people wished they did not have to go to Jackson for two of the years, and they wish they could have those years here in Oxford,” junior nursing major Anna Kate Martin said.
Martin believes the appeal of staying in Oxford for all four years of college is strong, and she wishes the change had come sooner.
“Not having a nursing school here really did have a huge role in whether I came here or not. I did not like the fact that I would only be here for two years and then I would have to go to Jackson for the other two years. I think having a nursing school here in Oxford will influence more people to choose here,” Martin said.
Isabelle Kohler, a junior allied health studies major, echoed Martin’s sentiments.
“I think the new traditional nursing program will bring more nursing students to Ole Miss. I feel like having the current 2+2 program turns a lot of people away from this university because a lot of people want to spend all 4 years in Oxford,” Kohler said. “I do wish this program was in place when I applied.”
