SALISBURY — An open house and information session for registered nurses interested in earning a four-year baccalaureate degree in nursing at Catawba College is being offered Wednesday.

The session is scheduled between 10 a.m. and noon in Room 201 of the Shuford Science Building on Catawba’s campus.

The primary targets for the R.N. to B.S.N. program are employed and licensed registered nurses with associate degrees in nursing or nursing diplomas.

RNs seeking to enhance their knowledge, broaden their career options or prepare for broader levels of responsibility by earning a B.S.N. degree are encouraged to apply. An active and unencumbered North Carolina R.N. license is required for admittance to the program along with successful completion of a criminal background check and drug screening.

Courses for the R.N. to B.S.N. program will be offered on the Catawba main campus, at Central Piedmont Community College’s main campus, at Davidson County Community College, and at Novant Health Rowan Medical Center in Salisbury. Rowan Medical Center will provide access for clinical experiences and clinical preceptorships.

The R.N. to B.S.N. option consists of 123 semester hour credits (60 hours of general education requirements and 63 hours of nursing credits).  R.N. students can complete their B.S.N. degree (start to finish) in about two years by attending classes throughout the entire calendar year.

The first year will complete general pre-requisite courses, and the second year will be the sequential nursing curriculum.

Most courses are completed in a four-week block with class meetings scheduled on Monday and Thursday evenings each week (6-9:45 p.m.) and one Saturday morning per block (8-11:45 a.m.). A few courses offered meet every other Tuesday evening (6-9:45 p.m.), and some online courses are offered.

Most adult students enroll in four or more courses per semester, making them full time and eligible for maximum financial aid programs.

For more information call Dr. Racquel Ingram, chair of nursing department, at 704-645-4860 or Dr. Jeffrey Bowe, director of the School of Evening & Graduate Studies, at 704-637-4463, or visit the Catawba website at www.catawba.edu/nursing.