The baccalaureate degree program for nursing at Fort Collins, Colo.-based Front Range Community College has received accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, according to a June 11 statement from the school.
The RN-to-BSN program opens doors previously closed to nurses, Edith Matesic, DNP, BSN, director of the program, told the Coloradoan.
In 2018, Colorado allowed community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees for nurses to help address a looming shortage. Four-year universities didn't have adequate openings to meet demand, so community colleges were tapped to help fill the void, Dr. Matesic said.
Front Range is the first community college in Colorado to award BSN degrees for nurses, Dr. Matesic said. Three other community colleges in the state will be a semester behind in the accreditation process for RN-to-BSN programs and could have graduates by 2022, Dr. Matesic told the Coloradoan.