In August, Baldwin Wallace University will introduce a four-year nursing program inside a former Lube Stop office building.
The university is spending $2.5 million to renovate the two-story, 25,000-square-foot office, originally constructed for University Hospitals and purchased by Baldwin Wallace in 2019. The Front Street building houses the school’s physician’s assistant program, which will share the space with nursing
students. Mike Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences at Baldwin Wallace, says the building’s classrooms, labs, exam rooms and conference areas will contain state-of-the art equipment. The design, as much as possible, will permit social distancing, with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind.
“The furniture is movable, so if we have to adjust or reduce classroom capacity, it could be easily done,” Smith says. “All of the rooms are high-tech, allowing for remote instruction. You can’t provide lab instruction remotely, but you can have smaller groups of students if necessary.”
Smith says the building renovation started in January and is expected to finish for the fall semester. The project architect is the Collaborative Inc. in Toledo and the construction manager is the Albert M. Higley Co., based in Cleveland.
Betty Napoleon, chair of Baldwin Wallace’s Department of Nursing, says the new four-year program meets a need in the community.
“There is a shortage of nurses across the U.S.,” Napoleon says. “COVID-19 brought to the public eye the essential role of nurses.”
The deadline for students to apply for the four-year nursing program is May 15.
Stephen Stahl, provost of Baldwin Wallace, says the addition of the nursing program is the latest step in school’s transition from a liberal arts-focused institution, originally named Baldwin Wallace College.
“Richard Durst (Baldwin Wallace president from 2006 to 2012) led a revisioning of the institution that resulted in its evolution into a university, and with that change came the commitment to a more complete range of educational programs,” Stahl says.
That evolution has included the addition of several health care courses of study, starting in 2012. They have included a 15-month accelerated nursing program for those already holding four-year degrees; the physician’s assistant program; a speech-language pathology program; and undergraduate and graduate programs in public health.
Nurses in Demand
Baldwin Wallace developed the four-year nursing program because nursing is a growing profession. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of registered nurses is expected to increase by 7% from 2019 to 2029, a rate that is faster than average among all occupations. The median salary for nurses was $73,300 in 2019.
The nursing curriculum at Baldwin Wallace is designed to instill in students a deep understanding of various nursing concepts and the ability to utilize those concepts in combination, which helps them see the larger picture and think critically.
“We call them dispositions,” Smith says. “They need to know how to apply nursing concepts but also show professionalism, empathy, listening and caring about their patients. These are values that are hallmarks of our program.”
The nursing coursework is the same as the 15-month program and includes two years of liberal arts education that accelerated students already have under their belts. The university is hoping the four-year program realizes the same success as the accelerated course — an average of 95% of Baldwin Wallace accelerated nursing students pass their licensing exams on the first try.
Students will receive experience at local hospitals starting in the second semester of their sophomore year. These hospital systems will include Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Southwest General Health Center, the MetroHealth System, St. John Medical Center, Akron General Medical Center and Akron Children’s Hospital.
However, Baldwin Wallace has had to adjust to the pandemic. Many nursing students voluntarily received the vaccination against COVID-19 since they’re at risk of exposure during their hospital rotations. If the campus can’t provide enough room for social distancing, students will take turns studying in classrooms and labs. The university will provide virtual learning when their physical presence isn’t required.
Baldwin Wallace is testing its students for COVID-19 and every Tuesday and Thursday posts the latest number of students testing positive on the university website. If students test positive, they are placed in isolation.
Success in Health Care
In addition to those in nursing, there are a number of other health care programs launched by Baldwin Wallace during the past eight years.
A master of medical science program for physician assistants was established in 2013. The first class graduated in 2015, and 100% of students in this program passed the national certifying exam on their first try. Today, they are employed as physician assistants across the U.S., making diagnoses, developing treatment plans and prescribing medicine for patients and working in a variety of specialties.
Class sizes have averaged 30 students, although that number is expected to increase this fall in the renovated Front Street building. Students receive more than 2,000 hours of clinical experience.
A master’s degree in speech-language pathology was established in 2015. This program leads to a career in speech therapy. So far, every student who has completed this program at Baldwin Wallace passed the national teaching exam on the first attempt. It helps that Baldwin Wallace is home to the only free clinic specializing in speech therapy in Greater Cleveland. At the clinic, students under supervision diagnose and treat speech disorders for the general public. In addition, speech-language pathology students can travel to Zambia, where they collaborate with practitioners in that country.
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health were established in 2014 and 2016, respectively. This program, offered in partnership with the MetroHealth System, can lead to a career in a growing field that looks to protect the health and wellness of the public and identify health disparities among various populations.
Premed students can also take this program. Coursework includes biostatics, epidemiology, environmental health, health policy and social and behavioral sciences. Potential jobs include environmental analyst or infectious disease manager, working for a public health agency.
“The public health program illustrates a critical component of our strategic plan — to become a true partner with agencies, organizations, industries and municipalities in Northeast Ohio and to have academic programs that support the growth and well-being of our service area,” Stahl says.
Smith says Baldwin Wallace has no plans to stop expanding its offerings.
“COVID-19 sidetracked us, but one of our major goals is to examine market needs and look at future programs,” Smith says. “Hopefully, by fall we’ll have a prioritized list.”