Nursing Program Reaches On and Off Campus Students

Rumor on campus has it that BYU-Idaho's Nursing Program is one of the hardest to get into.  There are limited slots available, which makes it very competitive.  However, the institution of online classes is extending services to a larger student body, on and off campus.  Currently in the BSN online program at BYU-Idaho, there are 350 students all over the country. 

However, to someone who has never seen or taken part in an online nursing class, it seems that learning to become a nurse via a computer screen is impractical.  Brother Kim VanWagoner of the Nursing Department disagrees.  First of all, these classes are only offered to Registered Nurses.  Because of this, VanWagoner feels that online training methods can be just as valuable as training in a formal classroom setting.  Taking online courses requires a greater level of personal commitment.  VanWagoner believes that some of his best students are online students. 

President Clarke believes that new methods and programs can be instituted to serve both on and off-campus students.  "I am convinced," he says," that we will find new ways to use information technology to reach more students and to deepen the learning experience of those we touch." 

Written by Krislyn McCandless

June 11, 2007