Posted: 9/1/2010
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) is welcoming its highest enrollment of entering baccalaureate students since the University school opened in 1984. The new class of 154 traditional baccalaureate students began their academic journey on August 25. Combined with the total students in all baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral programs, the JHUSON has 775 students for the 2010-2011 academic year, the largest student body ever.
The Class of 2012 is also more diverse than previous classes with Asian, Hispanic, African-American, and Native American ethnicities represented. The class also boasts 15 male students, the highest number since 2002, or 10 percent of the incoming class compared to the 6.6 % overall national average of male nurses. The incoming juniors hail from 21 states and 11 countries.
“This increased enrollment is an encouraging sign that the nursing demand can be met,” said associate dean for student affairs Sandra Angell.
JHUSON’s traditional baccalaureate program enrolls students entering their junior year who do not have a bachelor’s degree and those pursuing a second bachelor’s degree. 118 students (76 percent) of the Class of 2012 already hold a previous baccalaureate degree.
In addition to this large incoming class, the JHUSON is also offering new online degree and program options this academic year, including, Applied Health Informatics, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), CNS-Forensic Focus, Health , master’s program, and Nurse Educator Certificate. A new BS-to-MSN with Clinical Residency option will be offered in January.
Dean Angell noted that in addition to increasing numbers of nursing students, the new programs and formats offer a more customized nursing education. “We can now offer more options to our students so that they can pursue whatever professional goals they might have, and perhaps open some new doors they may not have thought of previously,” she added.
While their backgrounds and undergraduate studies vary, they now have a common bond: earning the distinction of a tradition that dates back more than 120 years becoming a Hopkins nurse.