Regis College Offers Courses to Nurses on BWH Campus

Beth Baldwin, BSN, RN, nurse educator, Patient and Family Education

Baldwin is the Regis College Ambassador for BWH, working as a liaison between the Department of Nursing and the college to help provide optimal educational offerings for nurses. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Health Administration program at Regis College.

The recent report presented by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the “Future of Nursing” at the Institute of Medicine identified that nurses, as the largest segment of the health care workforce, have the ability to affect change in health care in a very powerful and positive way. In order to meet these challenges, the initiative identified that “nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.” The academic partnership between BWH and Regis College can help nurses reach this goal. Through this partnership, the Department of Nursing has demonstrated the value that it has for nursing education. Regis College, in turn, has been able to offer additional incentives to help nurses get back into the classroom.

Regis College offers many different educational options for nurses looking to advance their education. Whether a nurse has an associate’s degree or a diploma, bachelor’s or master’s degree, Regis College has nursing tracks that can fit their needs. The program offers various RN to MSN options, along with traditional graduate programs to prepare nurses for roles in leadership as a clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner. They also offer a Doctoral of Nursing Practice program.

Regis College has been conducting classes at BWH for several years. The convenience of being able walk to One Brigham Circle after a day at work to attend class has been very appealing to many BWH nurses. Regis offers this benefit to our nurses, in addition to a 20 percent discount to nurses attending classes off school campus.

BWH allows nurses a direct reimbursement option with Regis, which means that instead of paying for a class upfront, you may use your tuition reimbursement. As long as you pass the class, there is no additional paperwork to submit for reimbursement after you complete the course. This benefit helps ease some of the financial concerns about returning to school.

As Regis College determines which class it will offer at BWH in the summer, we are collecting feedback from nurses to find out which nursing tracks are in highest demand. Regis College will then work to offer as many core classes as possible for this group of nurses.

Mary Prata, BSN, RN, of Tower 11C, has found this very helpful as she is working toward her advanced practice degree. “I love being with my peers who face the challenges I do as an adult learner,” she said. “We have developed a core group of nurses who are taking classes together. It has been great to work with them in the different courses here at the Brigham.”

If you are interested in more information about the nursing programs offered by Regis College, or want to request that classes for a specific nursing track be offered on site at BWH, please email bbaldwin1@parters

Mary Prata during a recent class at One Brigham Circle.