MANCHESTER — The state Department of Education has approved new online bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing through Southern New Hampshire University, in cooperation with the state's community college system.

The program is designed to give working nurses an online option for obtaining advanced degrees. A registered nurse (RN) could convert a nursing diploma or associate degree in nursing to a bachelor's of science in nursing, while someone with a bachelor's degree in nursing could obtain a master of science in nursing through the online program, with registration beginning in October.

“There has been a movement in nursing to increase the number of baccalaureate-prepared RNs in the work force,” said Kathleen Polley-Payne, chief nurse administrator for the new program. The Institute of Medicine in a 2010 report called for 80 percent of nurses to have four-year degrees or better by 2020.

Only 20 percent of registered nurses in New Hampshire have a bachelor's degree or higher as of January 2012, Polley-Payne said.

The new program was created in partnership with the state's seven community colleges. Students enrolled in the two-year nursing program at the community college level can be concurrently enrolled in SNHU. Once they complete their nursing courses at the community college, including their clinical work, they are immediately eligible to begin the online courses for an advanced degree.

Polley-Payne pointed out that a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nurses with a B.S. or better have a 20 percent higher rate of achieving better patient outcomes, but there has not been a high conversion rate. Nurses with the higher degrees don't necessarily get paid better, and hospitals have cut back on tuition reimbursement, she said. But there are still incentives to obtain the four-year degree.

“Right now the incentive is new graduates that are coming out of the associate degree programs are having a tough time getting a job, because hospitals want baccalaureate prepared nurses,” she said. “For people who've been in nursing a long time, it's becoming more challenging for them to change positions within the hospital or get a management position, and as you get older working those nights and weekend gets old.”

In addition to the convenience of online study, which is important to working nurses, the program is designed to be affordable, with students from the community college system getting a $50-per-credit discount.

“SNHU sees this as a real service to the community and a commitment to their community partners,” said Polley-Payne. “We are talking about subject like ethics, research, leadership and management; it's not critical that you be in the clinical environment.”

The program is also designed to deal with a critical shortage in classroom space for nurses seeking a four-year degree. According to Polley-Payne, the University of Masaschusetts at Boston can accommodate 120 new students each year in the B.S. in Nursing program, but gets 1,000 applications.

Licensed RNs can also obtain higher degrees through online programs at Rivier University in Nashua, and through a limited number of online programs offered by the University of New Hampshire.

- - - - - - - -

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report should have mentioned Plymouth State University, which earlier this year began offering an online degree program for registered nurses to earn a bachelor’s degree (go.plymouth.edu/nursing).

- - - - - - - -

Dave Solomon may be reached at dsolomon@unionleader.com.