William Jewell College Nursing Program Review

William Jewell College (WJC) is a college named after its founder William Jewell; who had been a Baptist and legislator in Missouri and contributed the very first finances to build the college premises. The college served as a men’s only college until after World War 1 when women from a destroyed small school came to join the men at William Jewell. From a small college, Jewell has grown into a big Christian liberal arts college supported by the Baptist faith.

Nursing at William Jewell College

The department of nursing at William Jewell College offers three nursing tracks, all leading to the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree. The three programs have been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and have also received approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing. There are two accelerated tracks of the BSN for students with non- nursing degrees and one entry level nursing baccalaureate. In addition to this, there is a faith-based nursing program for interested students and as such, these nurses become parish nurses.

4-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing

This is the main nursing program at William Jewell and it is from the curriculum of this program that the other two nursing tracks come from. It is designed to take eight semesters of full time study, whereby, the first three semesters are dedicated to prerequisite courses. After completion of the prerequisites, students progress to another five semesters of combined liberal arts and nursing courses.  As an advantage, students start on their nursing courses during the fourth semester of learning at the sophomore level. A total of 124 credit hours are required for students to graduate and become eligible to apply for the NCLEX-RN exam. Entry into the welcome is for both direct entry (pre licensure candidates) and transfer students.

Accelerated Nursing Tracks

The accelerated nursing track at William Jewell take two forms; one is a 12 month and the other is a 16 month program.  The two tracks welcome candidates who hold BA or BS degrees in areas other than nursing and want to shift careers into professional nursing. After completion of prerequisite courses, both tracks join the traditional nursing class at the senior year to complete the level 400 nursing major courses.

There is no much of a difference between the two accelerated nursing tracks, only that the scheduling of classes makes the periods different. The 12 month program kicks off in May and has two summer sessions in between May and the start of fall semester. On the other hand, the 16 month option begins in January and runs through to May of the following year. There is only one summer session for this track but two spring semesters. A total of 60 nursing major credit hours are required to graduate with a second degree in nursing from Jewell and for eligibility to apply for the NCLEX-RN exam.

Faith Community Nursing

This program, formerly known as parish nursing is offered to willing students through a partnership of William Jewell and Liberty Hospital. Students interested in this program may apply for the course every spring semester. The course focuses on holism, spirituality, psychology and the social aspect of nursing. It is follows the guidelines for Parish Nursing set out by the International Parish Nurse Resource Center.

Contact:
William Jewell College
500 College Hill, Liberty,
MO 64068