Bay Area Schools Partner To Expand Nursing Program at Samuel Merritt College
Beginning this fall, nursing students will be able to fulfill pre-nursing requirements at Holy Names University, Mills College and Saint Mary's College before completing their nursing course work at Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, Samuel Merrit officials announced Wednesday, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Under the plan, students will complete general requirements over two years before focusing on nursing. The partnership will allow Samuel Merritt, which has collaborated with St. Mary's for the past 20 years, to increase its number of annual nursing graduates from about 80 to 120.
Students in the partnership program will be guaranteed admission to Samuel Merritt's nursing program if they maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average at their primary institution. Tuition will be charged according to the rates of individual schools.
Samuel Merritt Dean of Nursing Audrey Berman said, "We think the complexity of nursing requires a bachelor's degree that begins with a good liberal arts and sciences education."
St. Mary's Provost Sara Stamp said, "We are delighted to help Samuel Merritt respond to the community's needs for more nurses" (Tran, Contra Costa Times, 4/15).