Prepare for the Front Lines | MBU Nursing
Do you want to make a difference in people’s lives? Does learning about the human body fascinate you? Are you ready to tap into a wide-open job market? Then a bachelor’s degree in nursing from MBU may be right for you!
BENEFITS OF A NURSING CAREER
As one of the most versatile professions, nursing has something for everyone. If you want a full-time career with nearly unlimited opportunities for advancement, nursing offers it. If you like the idea of flexible part-time or per diem hours, nursing has that too.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections 2016-2026, the current nursing shortage makes now an ideal time to enter the field.
And a career in nursing nearly guarantees job security. Although the organizational management of the medical field is dynamic, one thing is certain: as long as there are patients, there will be nurses! They are on the front lines of patient care.
Also, consider that nursing jobs offer a good starting salary for a bachelor’s degree—anywhere from $57K to $73K. And it often comes with a sign-on bonus. In addition, a career in nursing lends itself to ministry in fields such as missions, Christian camping, education, volunteer clinics, and crisis pregnancy centers.
WHY MBU?
Once you’ve chosen nursing, your next step is to find the best place to prepare. Your undergrad education lays the foundation for your philosophy and practice for the rest of your life, so choose wisely!
Susan Rasmussen, MSN/Ed, RN, the director of the MBU School of Nursing, says, “We focus on mentoring our students in the classroom, clinical setting, and in life. We maintain small faculty-to-student ratios that allow us to give more one-on-one attention to our students in the clinical setting.”
LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION
MBU provides a liberal arts education to train the whole you—to expose you to other arts and sciences like literature, history, music, and religion—making you a well-rounded professional who can confidently interact with patients and co-workers from all walks of life.
And as a Christian university, MBU presents every subject from a biblical worldview.
Heather Smith, BSN, RN, a 2014 MBU Nursing grad who is just weeks away from completing her degree as Family Nurse Practitioner—Doctor of Nursing Practice (FNP-DNP), greatly appreciates the liberal arts training she received at MBU. “The nursing program was rigorous,” she says. “But other classes unrelated to nursing gave me tools to understand varying worldviews and to act as a leader.”
RIGOROUS TRAINING
As an MBU student nurse, you will be challenged from day one. In addition to the prerequisite science classes and skills labs, students complete over 500 hours of clinical before their practicum experience, Rasmussen says. Most nursing programs offer only an average of 400 hours.
The Capstone Practicum course, taken in the final semester, includes 225 hours working in a clinical setting under a preceptor. A capstone project, involving research of evidence-based practice in nursing and a formal presentation of the findings, is also required.
ACCREDITATION
The MBU School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and is regulated by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing. In 2017 it was granted a ten-year accreditation, and it is held accountable to prove that it is maintaining CCNE standards during that time.
PROGRAM SUCCESS
Rasmussen says that MBU Graduate Nurses are well prepared for the NCLEX exam. In fact, the 2020 grads achieved a 100% first-time pass rate, and MBU maintains a 100% overall pass rate.
Also, many MBU Nursing grads have job offers before graduation, Rasmussen says. “The job market is excellent for our grads. Our 2019 graduates all had nursing jobs within three months of graduation. And nearly all of the 2020 grads currently have jobs.”
READY FOR GRAD SCHOOL
MBU School of Nursing graduates often pursue advanced degrees. Heather Smith says, “I was prepared for graduate school and did not have any difficulty being admitted to my college of choice. There were no prerequisites left unfulfilled. Paper writing is huge in grad school. Since the professors at MBU took paper formatting seriously, it did not prove to be a large learning curve.”
MISSION TRIP
Rigorous classroom training combined with practical hands-on clinicals are “givens” in the MBU School of Nursing. But what really draws students and sets MBU Nursing even further apart from other programs is the medical mission trip that all senior nursing students take together with Operation Renewed Hope. Previous trips with ORH have taken students multiple times to Uganda, Peru, and Panama.
Imagine being “in the trenches” for a week with the people who have toiled with you through hours of classes, labs, and clinicals. You’ll experience the possibilities of service and have your eyes opened to the real needs of people as a part of your curriculum!
Many students are impacted by the trip they take with ORH. Luke Cleghorn (’18 BS Nursing), traveled with ORH twice: once as a senior and once after graduation. His undergrad trip opened his eyes to the important role nurses play in a patient’s care.
“I learned about providing care to other cultures, and across language barriers which has helped me countless times in my current occupation,” Cleghorn says. “I was able to see how, in many cases, it was nurses who drove patient care, bringing up issues and advocating for patients in order to ensure they provided the best possible care for their patients. This is an integral part of nursing, and the nurses I worked with on this trip were great examples to us students on how to perform our jobs and how to display the love of Christ through our actions to those in our care. The trip made a lasting impact on my life and I consider [it] the highlight of nursing school.”
Ann Schmoeckel, MSN/Ed, RN, is the nursing faculty member who leads the annual trips. She says, “The nurses lay the foundation for the gospel message by showing the love of Christ through caring for the person’s physical needs. As the patients go through the clinic, their physical needs are met. Then they hear a message of salvation, and many are saved!”
You could be a part of that.
Don’t wait any longer—apply to MBU Nursing today. You are needed on the front lines, and there’s no better place to prepare.