Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) and Mount St. Mary’s University are partnering to address the critical nursing shortage in the state and nationwide by making it easier for students at the Mount to enroll in NDMU’s fast-track Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
NDMU President Marylou Yam and President Timothy Trainor from Mount St. Mary’s will participate in a ceremonial signing of the joint agreement Tuesday, April 25 at 10 a.m. on the NDMU campus in the University Academic Building’s Center for Caring with Technology.
The new partnership between the two universities enables Mount St. Mary’s students in the Bachelor of Science in Health Science, pre-nursing track, to enroll in Notre Dame’s accelerated, second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) once they graduate. Eligible Mount St. Mary’s health science majors will be accepted into Notre Dame’s ABSN program, which can be completed in as few as 15 months.
“I am pleased for Notre Dame of Maryland University to partner with Mount St. Mary’s University to deliver our accelerated, second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing to students with a passion for healthcare,” said Dr. Yam, president of Notre Dame of Maryland University. “Notre Dame’s ABSN program and our collaborative agreement with Mount St. Mary’s will strengthen the pipeline for more professional registered nurses to provide life-saving and compassionate care to patients around Maryland and in the nation.”
“In our traditional health science/nursing dual degree programs, our students have chosen not to leave the Mount to complete their degree at another university,” said Dr. Timothy Trainor, president of Mount St. Mary’s. “Through this innovative program, students will complete their health science degree at the Mount before moving on to Notre Dame to earn an accelerated, second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Completing their nursing degree at Notre Dame also ensures that Mounties will continue to be educated in the Catholic intellectual tradition as they complete the coursework needed so they can join the ranks of nurses providing top-notch and compassionate care to patients.”
Once accepted in Notre Dame’s ABSN program, students can choose the pathway that works best for them: either in person at NDMU’s main Baltimore campus or the hybrid option with online instruction and in-person clinical experiences at Notre Dame’s ABSN Learning Site in Elkridge. Students gain technical nursing skills through direct care clinical placements with the region’s most prestigious healthcare providers, as well as through simulation-based learning with life-like mannequins in on-site labs at Notre Dame’s main campus and Elkridge location.
Notre Dame’s ABSN program in Baltimore enrolls new students in May, and the Elkridge site accepts students for September, January and May.