The UW-Eau Claire nursing department will offer a new “fast-track” nursing degree program for students who already have completed their baccalaureate, thanks to a $300,000 federal education grant.

Elaine Wendt, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, said the program will increase faculty size and allow 12 to 16 second-degree students admittance.

“I think this has been exciting for faculty to know that we got this opportunity to develop a new curriculum and to work with a new population of students,” Wendt said. “It really will be a new way of teaching, learning and working together.”

The new accelerated nursing program, set for 2006, is for students who have their baccalaureate degree in areas other then nursing, such as biology, and are “ready to make a career change,” Wendt said.

“It’s essentially a second major,” she said.

The new program is 60 credits but would take 14 to 16 months.

This means students would have a high course load and need to have the prerequisite courses taken, Wendt said.

Eau Claire admits 40 students each year to its baccalaureate nursing degree program. With low faculty numbers, the program has turned down 60 to 80 students each semester, Wendt said.

The program will likely make it easier for more students to get accepted into the nursing program.

She said if more students with baccalaureate degrees in nursing enroll in the program, more spots will open up in the generic program.

Senior nursing major Sarah Michalski, who is enrolled in the traditional nursing program, said the accelerated program will be very effective in bringing more students into the program.

“They would like to admit more students, but because of the budget, there are so many students that are more than adequate to get in but they just can’t,” she said.

If they do get rejected, there’s plenty of other places they could go. It’s a good profession and they shouldn’t give up.”

Before the program can launch, Wendt said, the department needs to build the curriculum, receive approval from the state board of nursing and then begin the process of hiring faculty.

The $300,000 federal grant was obtained with the help of U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee.

“Wisconsin and the nation are currently experiencing a shortage of registered nurses,” Kind said in a university press release.

With these grant funds, UW-Eau Claire can build upon its exceptional nursing program … and expand the learning opportunities for students interested in the field.”

However, Wendt cautioned the university would have to come up with more money to retain the program.

“The important thing that we need to keep in mind is that it’s one-time money.”