Orbis and Utica College Open Doors to First Cohort in South Fla.
Orbis Education and Utica College welcomed the first cohort to the school’s new Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program in Miramar, Fla. The program offers qualified students the chance to transition their college credits or non-nursing undergraduate degrees to earn a B.S. in Nursing in as few as 16 months.
Utica added the program to address the growing nursing shortage in Florida, one predicted by The Florida Center for Nursing to be more than 50,000 by 2025. ABSN students complete coursework online, gain hands-on experience in a lab at a new 11,874-square-foot learning center in Miramar, and complete clinical rotations at healthcare facilities throughout the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.
Located at 3601 W. 160th Street in Miramar Center III, the learning center was developed, equipped and funded by Orbis Education. It serves as a hub for students in the ABSN program to hone their skills, collaborate and be evaluated by the school’s faculty. The site includes state-of-the-art nursing labs that replicate the clinical setting with anatomically-correct task trainers, full-body patient simulators and contemporary hospital equipment. It also offers a study area, student lounge, onsite café in the building complex and convenient parking adjacent to the building.
“As the need for nurses increases in our community, it is our responsibility to keep up with that demand through more quality educational options,” says Dr. Laura Casamento, Utica College President. “Our Accelerated B.S. in Nursing program allows more qualified students the opportunity to earn a quality nursing degree so they can begin their careers and serve in their communities as soon as possible.”
Utica College’s ABSN program offers three starts per year and is currently accepting applications for the January and May 2019 starts.
