Bryan College of Health Sciences Nursing Program Review

Bryan College of Health Sciences (BCHS), previously known as BryanLGH College of Health Sciences, has a history that can be traced back to 1922 when William Jennings Bryan donated his home to the Methodist church to establish Bryan Memorial hospital in Lincoln. When the hospital opened in 1926, so was the Bryan School of nursing which offered diploma nurse training under the hospital. In 2001, the Bryan School of Nursing was granted permission to offer nursing degrees in place of the diploma among other health programs. That achievement led to the change of name to BryanLGH College of health sciences and by 2005, the college had graduate level nursing programs on offer. The college is to date, affiliated with the BryanLGH Medical Center.

Bryan College of Health Sciences – Nursing Programs

The School of Nursing and the School of Nursing Anesthesia are mandated to offer the nursing degrees at Bryan College of Health Sciences. Programs range from certificate to graduate level degrees: one certificate, two undergraduate and two graduate level programs. Since the college is affiliated to three fine medical centers in the region, students are assured of excellent practical exposures in addition to the theoretical component of the programs. 

The undergraduate programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission while the Council on Accreditation of Nurses Anesthesia programs accredits the Nurse Anesthesia program.  More details on each of the program are provided below:

Basic Nursing Assistant

This is a one course program that trains entry-level students on basic nursing skills. Completion of this short course enables students to apply for certification and hence, be entered in the State of Nebraska Nurse Aid Registry. The course is approved by the Nebraska Dept of Health and Human Services

RN to BSN Hybrid Option

The Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) option at Bryan College of Health Sciences enables registered nurses the chance to earn a bachelor degree through a simplified hybrid option.  To complete the program, RNs require 64 nursing major credits. Candidates who have prove of practice as an RN can further apply for validation of 28 more clinical nursing credits towards the major. RNs who hold active licenses automatically receive 36 credit hours in recognition of prior education hence, easing off the required 64 credits required for a BSN outside the nursing major requirement.

General education courses are offered online while nursing courses are completed in a hybrid format. On this note, students only need to go to college on 3 occasions per term to complement the courses with a clinical component.

BSN

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at BCHS is meant for entry-level students who do not have prior nursing experience.  It is a full time program that requires 128 credit hours to complete.  64 of these are nursing major credits while 58 and 6 are general education and non-nursing electives credits respectively.  Theory and intense clinical practice in the affiliated hospitals including BryanLGH Medical Center prepare students to become eligible to apply for the NLCEX-RN exam for first licensure as registered nurses.

Graduate Nursing Programs

Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia

At BCHS, there is a dedicated school offering the graduate Nurse Anesthesia program. The School of Nurse Anesthesia offers this unique 33-month program to registered nurses who wish to earn an Advanced Practice RN status. The program involves intensive clinical exposure in community hospitals in a two-phase format.

During the phase I of the program, students undertake clinical and classroom courses in basic anesthesia for a period of nine months. In Phase II, more active clinical practice is done built upon 4 advanced anesthesia principles courses. This phase is long and takes 24 months to complete. Due to the intensive nature of the program, students need to be committed full time preferably with no employment during study. 71 or 73 credits are required to complete the program for project and thesis tracks respectively.

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Nurse Educator

The Master of Science in nursing with a nurse educator concentration is a part time program that calls for BSN prepared students. The program takes two academic years inclusive of two summer sessions to complete. To graduate with the Master of Science in nursing-Nurse Educator degree, 36 credit hours are required.

Contact:
Bryan College of Health Sciences
5035 Everett St, Lincoln,
NE 68506