Touro University California Launches New Nursing Program

VALLEJO, Calif., March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Touro University California today announced the opening of a School of Nursing, designed for working registered nurses with an Associate (ADN) or Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (BSN) and leading to a Master's Degree in Nursing and Clinical Nurse Leader Certification. The program will also prepare ADN graduates for public health nursing certification in California.

The School of Nursing, which is in the College of Education and Health Sciences, will be launched in August 2014.

"The university has a strong history of contributing to the regional healthcare workforce through programs in Physician Assistant Studies, Public Health, Osteopathic Medicine, and Pharmacy," said Marilyn Hopkins, COO and provost of Touro University California. "The new School of Nursing will expand this commitment to workforce preparation."

This post-licensure master's degree program will build on skills gained in entry level nursing programs. ADN graduates can complete the curriculum with 46 units of coursework taken over an 18-month period. BSN graduates will enter the curriculum after the first two academic sessions and take a total of 33 units of coursework over a 13-month period. About half the curriculum will be offered online with remaining courses offered one evening per week and one Sunday per month.

"The need for a baccalaureate and advanced degree program in nursing is critical to meeting the health care needs of Solano County. Advanced nursing degrees are imperative to meet the demand for nursing faculty, clinical nurse leaders, nurse practitioners, and researchers," said Dr. Ann Stoltz, newly appointed Director for the School of Nursing.

Dr. Stoltz worked as a public health nurse for Solano County and as a school nurse for the Vacaville Unified School District before assuming a full-time faculty position at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) in 2001. She earned a Ph.D in Education at the University of California, Davis, with a focus on Educational Psychology. She was also chairperson of the School of Nursing at CSUS from 2006-2010.

Nurses with a master's degree will play an important role in implementing the enacted Affordable Care Act. The new health care delivery system will result in an additional 32 million Americans needing access to primary care services. The new collaborative health care model will rely on the availability of nurse leaders with advanced education.

For more information on the School of Nursing, visit tu.edu.

SOURCE Touro University California