Concordia College Nursing Program Review
Concordia College, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church was dedicated to providing higher education to the residents of Minnesota, N. Dakota and Montana from 1891. It was an idea conceived by Norwegian missionaries who were settling in Minnesota and started off with about 12 students offering English and Piano Classes. The college later advanced to offering liberal arts courses and a fully functional departmental system of the college was formed in 1913. Since then, it has been academic advancement all the way to the big College of the Lutheran Heritage.
Nursing at Concordia College
The department of nursing at Concordia College offers two programs; leading to the award of Bachelor of Arts in nursing degrees. The two programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved to do so by the North Dakota and Minnesota Boards of Nursing.
Degree in Nursing
The program aims at training nurses at entry level wishing to become professional nurses. Students are expected to take four years of study to complete the program just like the usual Bachelor of Science degree program. Students take prerequisite courses for the first year after admission in Concordia. Students who have completed the prerequisites are expected to apply for the competitive selection criteria in the nursing major.
All nursing major courses start off during the spring semester of each year. Unlike most church affiliated colleges that offer Christian courses as part of the prerequisites courses, Concordia College does not follow that tradition. Usually, the prerequisites are general education courses ranging from Science, biology, anatomy among others. Successful completion of a total of 86 to 90 credits lead to the award of the Bachelor of Arts in nursing degree in addition to the eligibility to write the NCLEX-RN exam.
Accelerated Nursing
Admission to the accelerated program at Concordia College requires students who have already completed a baccalaureate program from another non-nursing field from a recognized school. It takes 18 months to complete the nursing majors inclusive of one semester to fulfill prerequisites courses. Intake is in May every year running through to December of the next year. A total of 48 nursing credits are needed for the award of the second major in nursing and eligibility to write the NCLEX-RN exam to become a registered nurse.
Parish Nursing Certification
This program is meant for those who wish to serve in their congregation as nurses. The program aims at shaping nurse educators, counselors, volunteers and integrators of faith at the church level. It is in this program where Christian teachings are incorporated into the nursing curriculum. Students wishing to graduate with this certificate apply for additional credits related to religion and Christian teachings. It is not a distinct program but one which the regular second majors or the traditional Bachelor of Arts students apply for during their final year. Completion of the additional certificate credits leads to students graduating with the arts baccalaureate degree and parish nurse certificate.
Contact:
Concordia College- Moorhead
901 8th St, S. Moorhead,
MN 56562
