Nursing and Skidmore reunite

Thanks to an alumni connection, Skidmore has sealed a deal with New York University to facilitate Skidmore students' entrance into NYU's nursing programs.

The plan was spearheaded by Terry Thomas Fulmer '76, NYU's Erline Perkins McGriff Professor and dean of its School of Nursing. A graduate of Skidmore's own nursing program (which was ended in 1984), she is a longtime alumni volunteer and currently serves on the board of trustees. She says, "My passion to forge this Skidmore-NYU link comes from knowing the excellence of the Skidmore student body and the value of having Skidmore once again participate in preparing nurses for the future." Her proposal to Skidmore's dean of the faculty was shared with exercise-science faculty member Pat Fehling and others on Skidmore's Health Professions Advisory Committee, details were negotiated quickly, and the contract was approved by the trustees last month.

The agreement comes when student interest in health professions is surging at Skidmore, from pre-med planning and new internships with Saratoga Hospital, to the young neuroscience major, to the continued popularity of exercise science and biology. The recent rise of nurse-practitioners, who can direct their own practices, may be fueling renewed interest in nursing careers in particular, observes Fehling.   She says an information session with Fulmer last month "drew about 15 interested students, and I've been fielding more inquiries by e-mail."

Fehling says students are "impressed that the articulation agreement is with NYU?a very strong, competitive school." Another appeal is that nonscience majors can participate. She explains, "There are required courses in bio, chem, psych, stats... But students don't need to major in these fields. The beauty of this plan is that you can get a full, broad liberal arts education and then focus on the RN studies."

Fulmer describes nurses as "the backbone of America's health-care system. And many NYU grads go on to advanced degrees in order to teach, provide primary care, or work in public health." She reports that NYU's "second-degree students"?those with bachelor's degrees under their belts already?are often the strongest learners. "So I just know our Skidmore students will be among our brightest stars."

Fehling says a few of her seniors are interested and may become the first participants this fall, right after they graduate next May. Students will enroll at NYU and in 15 months earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Once they have this degree, they can go on to earn a masters, Ph.D. or nurse practitioner license.

To qualify for the program, students will need to fulfill the following course requirements: Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology, Chemistry I, Statistics, Nutrition, and Child and Adult Psychology. Also required is a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and two letters of recommendation, one from a science professor.