Grove City College and Butler County Community College are partnering to create a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

The program will be offered through Grove City College’s newly established Charles Jr. and Betty Johnson School of Nursing. The vision for the program is the combination of GCC’s liberal arts and sciences education and accredited technical, clinical and professional training through BC3.

Students will attend classes at GCC in the first and fourth years of the program. In the second and third years, they’ll attend classes at both institutions, with formal nursing classes and professional placement through BC3’s Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health.

“This collaboration speaks to the power of BC3 and community colleges as a whole,” said Nick Neupauer, BC3 president. “These are unique times. Collaboration is the key. And when a college like ours can partner with a nationally recognized institution like Grove City, it speaks volumes.”

At the end of the third year, students will take state exams and are expected to begin working in the field as they complete their fourth year. GCC will offer online classes to allow students to earn while they learn.

“Nursing is a rewarding and fulfilling career that many students are interested in pursuing. There is also a pressing need for more and better trained professionals in the field,” said Paul McNulty, GCC president. “This partnership with Butler County Community College allows us to meet the needs of students and society.”

Nursing is one of the most in-demand professions, with nurses needed most in home care, long-term care, outpatient and rehabilitation settings. A joint press release issued by BC3 and GCC cites data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration projecting the need for nurses will increase 19 percent by 2022, and that by 2025 the number of RN vacancies will top 1.2 million.

GCC is scheduled to begin offering the nursing degree to incoming freshmen in the fall of 2020. BC3 is planning an $18 million project that includes the $12 million Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building that will house the Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health.

“We are blessed to have a neighbor like BC3 that allows us the opportunity to better serve our students, our community and the common good,” McNulty said.