STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – For those who want to enter the field of nursing, or professional registered nurses who want to earn a bachelor’s degree but don’t want to leave home, Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs has good news. Starting with spring semester in January 2020, the campus will offer nursing degrees.
Associate of Applied Science and Bachelor of Science in nursing degrees will join over 60 other certificate and degree programs currently available at CMC Steamboat Springs. Both programs are state and nationally approved and accredited, and in-district tuition rates are among the most affordable in Colorado.
The Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing qualifies graduates to apply for the National Council Licensure Examination. From there, professional nurses may choose to enroll in CMC’s RN to BSN program, which provides graduates with an expanded knowledge base in nursing theory, research and leadership practice. In 2018, all bachelor’s graduates in the college’s RN to BSN program found employment after graduation.
Associate degree offered on campus, bachelor’s offered online
According to Kathy Kiser-Miller, CMC Steamboat Springs vice president and campus dean, interest is high for professional nursing education both locally and throughout the college’s district. The college currently offers both nursing degrees at its campuses in Breckenridge and Spring Valley near Glenwood Springs. The Steamboat Springs campus will be the third campus to offer nursing.
In Steamboat Springs, the associate degree will be offered live, on campus. The bachelor’s degree will be offered online, with onsite nursing faculty assigned to each student to track progress and provide additional instruction.
“Demand in the community and college-wide has been more than we can accommodate,” said Kiser-Miller. “We have over 200 applicants for nursing with only 40 slots available. Steamboat will start by adding 20 new slots this January.”
The college recently hired Susan Moreland, Ph.D., as the college-wide dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Public Safety. Betty Damask-Bembenek, Ed.D., is the associate dean of nursing and is the chief nurse administrator for CMC’s nursing programs. The Steamboat Springs campus is also hiring two nursing faculty.
“CMC’s nursing program is ranked third in the state out of 23 nursing programs,” said Kiser-Miller. “Our program is competitive – and affordable.”
How to apply
Those who have not attended Colorado Mountain College must first apply to the college. Current or former CMC students applying for acceptance into the associate degree in nursing program can apply directly to the college’s associate in nursing program. AAS applications for the 2020 spring semester are due by Oct. 15.
Prospective BSN students who have attended CMC must have previously completed an AAS degree in nursing. BSN applications for the 2020 spring semester are due by Nov. 15.
For more information about CMC Steamboat Springs’ nursing degrees, the college will hold three information sessions (see breakout box). Contact Damask-Bembenek at 970-947-8257, 970-947-8251 or bbembenek@coloradomtn.edu, or visit https://coloradomtn.info/programs/nursing/.
Nursing information sessions in Steamboat Springs
Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs will hold several information sessions about the college’s nursing program and application process:
Aug. 28
Sept. 11
Oct. 2
Associate degree sessions: 3:30 p.m.
Bachelor’s degree sessions: 4:30 p.m.
Colorado Mountain College Steamboat Springs Campus Library
1330 Bob Adams Drive
Third floor, Bristol Hall
Steamboat Springs
For more information, contact Betty Damask-Bembenek at 970-947-8257, 970-947-8251 or bbembenek@coloradomtn.edu.