The Augustana bachelor of arts (BA) is a smart path for future nurses.
First, with the same rigorous intro courses as all Augustana pre-health fields, you’ll get more science study than a typical four-year BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) at other schools.
This is because Augustana believes in preparing nurses for the future of health care — which is your future — and not just for nursing practice right now.
Second, with your liberal arts background you can better treat patients. You’ll have more knowledge of the whole person, plus sharper skills in communicating, thinking fast and solving problems. Seeing the bigger picture of health — not just using technical skills — leads to better well-being for patients. And better patient outcomes can lead to more responsibility and higher pay.
In pre-nursing here you’ll major in biology or psychology, with built-in laboratory experience and devoted professors teaching and advising you. After Augustana you’ll go on to nursing school: an accelerated 15-month BSN program or a two-year MSN. Either way, after one year you’ll be prepared to take the National Council Licensure Exam for RNs, and on your way to making a difference as a talented nurse.
What you'll learn
Disciplinary knowledge
Gain a deep understanding of your subject and how it connects to other subjects.
Critical thinking and information literacy
Judge and construct arguments, raise questions and define problems. Make a conclusion based on evidence.
Communication competence
Read and listen carefully. Express ideas (writing or speaking) suited to the audience.
Quantitative literacy
Interpret, represent and summarize information. Use math and statistics to solve problems.
Collaborative leadership
Make decisions and act for the good of the community as a group.
A smart path for future nurses: "I found what I am truly passionate about,” said Autumn Anderson ‘20
Distinctions
• Through a unique, accelerated B.A./M.S.N. partnership with the Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences here in the Quad Cities, students can complete the B.A. at Augustana, with an overlap of nursing prerequisites and a summer course, and the master of science in nursing (M.S.N.) at Trinity College in just six years.
• Students can apply to the master’s program at Trinity College as part of their application to Augustana College, for the Combined Acceptance Articulation Agreement — or they can apply to the Trinity College master’s program while enrolled at Augustana, for the Dual-Degree Articulation Agreement.
• Trinity College of Nursing & Health Sciences provides students access to the same electronic health record system used by area hospitals, which makes the transition into the workforce seamless. Trinity College’s nursing students also get more hands-on practice, with 944 hours in a variety of settings, compared with only about 650 hours at other nursing schools.
Recent graduates
A few recent graduates who have entered nursing:
Autumn Anderson '20 is a student in the M.S.N. program at Trinity College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Taylor Drozdowski '20 (A.B.S.N., Loyola University-Chicago) works on the rehab floor at Navicent Health in Macon, Ga.
Emma Britta '18 (B.S.N., Trinity College) works in the University of Iowa Burn and Trauma Unit.
Ashton Hutcheson Burkart '18 (M.S.N. Marquette University) is a public health nurse at the VNA clinic in Aurora, Ill.
Kyle Holder '17 (A.M.S.N., Saint Louis University) is finishing a post-master's to become a family nurse practitioner.
Christina Sauer '17 (B.S. Loyola) is a certified nursing assistant at Plymouth Place in La Grange Park, Ill.
Cori Duncan '16 (M.S.N. Saint Louis University) is an oncology-certified clinical nurse at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.
Julee Waibel '15 (B.S.N., Trinity College; DNP-FNP, Bradley University) is a nurse practitioner at ORA orthopedics in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Dory Mickna '15 (B.S.N., Trinity College) Will graduate from OSF St Francis College of Nursing in 2021 with a family nurse practitioner master's degree; works at OSF St Francis in the pediatric emergency department.
Hope Shiel '14 received a B.S. in nursing in 2018 and now works on a COVID-19 unit at University of Louisville Hospital.
Sarah Martin '14 (M.S. DePaul University) is an RN at OSF St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, Ill.
Paras Sethi '14 (B.S.N. Trinity College) is a cardiothoracic ICU-certified RN at Loyola Medicine.
Sarah Martin '14 (Master's Entry in Nursing Practice, DePaul University; M.S.N., OSF St. Francis, Peoria) is an RN in the general cardiothoracic unit at OSF.
Jennifer Prazak '13 (B.S. Saint Louis University) endoscopy RN at Rush University Medical Center.
Molly Marie Clennon '13 (B.S.N., Saint Louis University) is an RN in the pediatric intensive care unit at Stanford Children’s Hospital.
Kristen Marie Classen '10 (M.S.N., Rush University) is a traveling nurse in medical and surgical areas.
“Through an internship I was able to determine what I wanted to do with my life, which is to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner.”Read More
“After taking an introduction to public health course, I absolutely fell in love with the field. ”Read More
“My peak experience was the medical service trip to Nicaragua. It inspired me to pursue nursing. ”Read More