To increase the options available to Florida’s 4,000 annual associate’s degree nursing graduates who are seeking further educational opportunities, the Florida Community College System signed an articulation agreement with the AJCU in 2008 that will address the growing number of underserved nursing students, the shortage of nursing education faculty, and the health care needs of the elderly and other at-risk populations within Florida.

Six Jesuit institutions—Creighton University, Gonzaga University, Loyola University New Orleans, Regis University, Spring Hill College, and Wheeling Jesuit University—are offering thirteen online bachelor’s (RN to BSN) and masters (RN to MSN) programs to the nursing graduates of the Florida community colleges. This past fall, JesuitNET published an online manual that specifies the course requirements and related prerequisites for each of the AJCU programs through the Florida FACTS.org advisement website that helps Florida students plan and track their education progress from middle school through college.

Grounded in the 450-year Jesuit scholastic tradition, AJCU nursing programs are committed to the highest standards of lifelong learning and excellence. Jesuit nursing education is characterized by two core values--respect for the dignity of the person, and justice in the allocation, administration and delivery of health-care services.

Close student-teacher relationships in the online programs will prepare nurses who exemplify the highest ethical standards, integrity, and passion for justice in health care. These programs are dedicated to developing critical reasoning vital to judgment and ethical decision making in professional practice. In the tradition of Jesuit education, they provide a strong foundation for nursing knowledge and a deep spirit of inquiry.

The thirteen Jesuit online nursing programs prepare professional nurses whose role is to provide comfort and dignity in life and to promote, maintain or restore health, not as an end in itself but as a means to life that is meaningful and manageable. The programs foster a learning environment where students are assisted toward maturity as members of the human community, capable of critical and creative thinking, thoughtful reflection on ethical and moral responsibilities, and the development of new solutions that foster social justice.

Jesuit online learning will develop the following critical values for Florida nursing students:

• Create therapeutic and collaborative environments that facilitate culturally sensitive healthcare for individuals, families, organizations, communities, and populations
• Teach professional accountability and responsibility through reflective practice, critical thinking, and use of ethical and legal standards of practice
• Promote change in current and future health care practices through the use of servant leadership principles and knowledge of complex adaptive systems
• Demonstrate skills in the art of communication with individuals and groups, and competency in the use of communication tools

The caring attitudes inherent in the online Jesuit nursing programs are provided by the centuries-old Jesuit precept of Cura Personalis or Care for the Whole Person. Cura Personalis provides individualized attention to the needs of others, distinct respect for his or her unique circumstances and concerns, and an appropriate appreciation for his or her particular gifts and insights. These values will define the relationships between and among Jesuit nursing educators and their online Florida students.

In order to provide more proactive support for Florida online nursing students, JesuitNET is currently seeking foundation funding to hire a Florida-based program advisor with extensive nursing experience and education to assume the following project responsibilities:

• Work with Florida hospitals and health organizations to identify clinical placement and service learning opportunities for Florida students matriculated in online AJCU nursing programs
• Provide online nursing program resource and financial aid information to Florida students, faculty and advisors at the 160 Florida community college instructional sites
• Identify sources of funding that can be used for scholarships for the program’s online Florida students
• Analyze the ongoing needs of the Florida community colleges and identify ways in which FCCS and AJCU may work together to address the changing needs of Florida’s nursing students and various underserved populations throughout the state.

Dr. Kathleen Snyder, JesuitNET’s Director of Curriculum Development, is the AJCU Liaison officer for the agreement and she may be contacted at ksnyder@usfca.edu for more information about it.