July 20, 2017
Wheaton College and Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) recently formed a partnership to create a distinctive nursing track for students who are interested in pursuing a three-year Liberal Arts Nursing program at Wheaton, followed by a 14-month concentrated nursing training program in IWU’s School of Nursing.
The 3+1 Program provides students the opportunity to earn two bachelor’s degrees in four years. At Wheaton, students will complete general education requirements and foundational science classes. During their time at IWU, students will complete 63 hours of nursing coursework and practice their skills in IWU’s state-of-the-art facilities, including its 12,000-square-foot, 34-bed simulation lab. The accelerated program leads to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
“With this partnership, Wheaton students will be able to benefit from the strong foundation in the Christ-centered liberal arts as well as being exposed to IWU’s excellent Christian faculty and state-of-the-art facilities,” says Wheaton College Provost Dr. Margaret Diddams.
“This partnership with Wheaton demonstrates collaboration with Council of Christian Colleges & University schools, and we believe it is a program that will greatly benefit students from across the nation and potentially students from across the world,” says Dr. Barbara A. Ihrke, vice president for academic affairs in the School of Nursing at IWU. “We look forward to helping students fulfill their academic and career goals.”
Candice Eisenhauer, Director of Health Professions at Wheaton, says that adding a 3+1 partnership with IWU in addition to the 3+2 partnerships Wheaton also offers will allow students who want to begin their nursing careers most efficiently to save time and money.
“This partnership allows us to offer students the option of coming to Wheaton and having the Wheaton College experience, while also becoming a nurse within four years,” Eisenhauer says. “Having a partnership with a respected nursing program at another private Christian institution will offer continuity in how students are educated.”
Incoming freshmen and current students can apply to Indiana Wesleyan’s Transition to Nursing Program during their third year at Wheaton. The program is currently accepting applications for the for 2018 January and June cohorts.
In addition to its partnership with Indiana Wesleyan University for nursing education, Wheaton College has school-specific relationships with Emory University, Rush University, Johns Hopkins University and Case Western Reserve University. More information about these programs is available at wheaton.edu/nursing.