BU Graduate Nursing Program to Air in Waco by Satellite

by LoAna Lopez

Area nurses with a bachelor's of science degree in nursing could start working toward their master's degree as early as this fall by way of distance education via satellite between Baylor University's Waco campus and the Dallas-based School of Nursing.
Dr. Pauline Johnson, professor and director of the graduate program in nursing, will be in Waco on Wednesday to answer questions about the patient care management program and recruit students. She will be at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., then at Providence Health Center from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Johnson also will make a trip to Temple on April 14.
The graduate program in patient care management, which is accredited by the National League of Nursing, extends the traditional skills of nursing and focuses on nursing case management. It is designed to help meet the growing demand for nurses skilled in handling both clinical and financial aspects of patient care.
Satellite facilities will enable students at the Waco campus to participate in the classes being taught at the Nursing School through fully interactive video and audio equipment. All classes will be offered in the evening to accommodate students who work full-time.
"The classes will start in the fall semester," Johnson said. "We're not limited but we do need a minimum of five students at the Waco site. We have video conference equipment in Dallas and a Waco transmitter and we'll just hook up. The TV screens in there will enable us to see each other and with the microphones, we'll be able to talk to one another."
For more information about the program, call Johnson at (214) 820-3361.