Longwood University has
experienced significant growth
to its almost five-year-old
nursing program. The program
began in fall 2009, and the
first graduates to receive their
Bachelors of Science in Nursing
from Longwood University
graduated in May 2013. It is hard
to miss the growing number of
nursing students on campus.
Dr. Melody K. Eaton, director
of the nursing program and
department chair, said, "We
have accomplished so much.
Let's think back to the fall of
2009 when we had four desks,
three faculty [members] and one
administrative assistant, and we
had just admitted our first class
of nursing students.”
Now, according to Eaton, the
nursing program has two floors
of Stevens Hall, a simulation
center, 12 faculty members, 160
students and full accreditation
from the Commission on
Collegiate Nursing Education
(CCNE).
According to the fall 2013
issue of Longwood Magazine,
the program became fully
accredited by CCNE in May of
this year.
Located on the third floor
in Stevens Hall, the Edward
I. Gordon, M.D., Clinical
Simulation Learning Center
was completed in April 2012.
The Learning Center is a
multimillion dollar, 10,000
square-foot simulation lab that
includes a health assessment
lab, two clinical skill labs and
three patient simulator labs, just
to name few of the many handson
labs and areas that are made
for nursing students.
Sophomore nursing student
Natalie Williams said, “The work
for nursing classes is very timeconsuming
and requires many
hours of studying. However, all
the hard work pays off when
working in labs or with the
simulation mannequins. The
professors are very encouraging
and provide hands-on
demonstrations for all tasks we
must perform.”
The Bachelor of Science in
Nursing (BSN) program has
been approved and accredited
by the Virginia Board of Nursing
and the State Council of Higher
Education, and the program
includes vital content suggested
by the American Association of
Colleges of Nursing.
Williams said, “As a sophomore
nursing student, I feel the
nursing program is a great
program that prepares students
well to work in the medical field
using evidence based practice.”
The development of the BSN
program began in 2008 when the
nursing program was officially
approved by the Longwood
Board of Visitors, Longwood's
Faculty Senate, the State
Council for Higher Education in
Virginia and the Virginia Board
of Nursing.
Among the 37 members of
the inaugural nursing class,
Longwood Magazine Fall 2013
reports that 26 of them all now
have jobs in the nursing field.
The program started with 36
freshmen in fall 2009, and now
in the 2012-2013 academic
year, the program has met its
full capacity with 42 freshmen
enrolled, according to the
fall 2013 issue of Longwood
Magazine.
A unique quality for
Longwood’s nursing program
is that students are accepted
to the program as freshmen.
Longwood University is also
the only state school within
a 60 mile radius of Farmville.
Additionally, the program uses
a community-based curriculum
and focuses on rural nursing as
well, according to the fall 2013
issue of Longwood Magazine.
Shannon Riordan, a senior
nursing student said, “When
the program was started in
2009, I think it was something
and still is something that is
necessary not only to help
with the nationwide nursing
shortage, but also help increase
awareness of community and
rural nursing. I am proud to
say that this is the program I
have chosen, and I hope to be
a caring and compassionate
nurse that sheds positive light
on Longwood's program once I
enter the field.”
Longwood nursing students
are provided with valuable
preparation before even going
into the nursing field. Students do
two major clinical experiences,
a 56-hour externship and
a 280 hour internship their
last semester to get the final
groundwork before going into
the professional working field of
nursing according to Longwood
Magazine 2013. The program
also offers and allows students
to study abroad on medical
study trips and have the
opportunity to work alongside
the Health & Wellness Center to
gain knowledge and experience.
Last August, nine students and
two professors spent 10 days in
Ecuador, administering care to
underprivileged communities
in Quito and the Cuyabeno
region of the Amazon, according
to a 2013 Longwood University
news release.
Williams said, “The classes
progress quickly, but the
professors make themselves
available when students need
help. The program is improving
all the time, and at the pace it is
progressing, I feel all students
who decide to become nursing
majors will be well prepared
after going through Longwood’s
program.”
Eaton said, “Each and every
nursing faculty member has
contributed significantly to the
success of this nursing program.
Additionally, colleagues across
Longwood's campus have
contributed to the success
of this program. As program
chair, it has been a journey of
many challenges and much
anticipation. It has been very
fulfilling to see the program
develop and grow. Because of
everyone's efforts we now have
an excellent base to work from
as we continue to prosper. It has
truly been a team effort."
With additional reporting by
Nikki Chappelle
