The Colorado State University-Pueblo Nursing Department recently celebrated the program’s 50th anniversary. Dr. Donna Wofford, associate dean of nursing, accepted a signed proclamation from the Pueblo City Council announcing Sept. 8 as CSU-Pueblo Nursing Department Anniversary Day.
The nursing program has grown from an associate degree program that was established in 1964 to the upper division degree-completion baccalaureate program for registered nurses and the Master of Science in Nursing. Both programs are accredited by the NLNAC or National League for Nursing and the bachelor’s degree boasts a 95 percent NCLEX-RN pass rate.
Students involved in the nursing program have access to hands on education and learn in real nursing environments, and according to a press release from CSU-Pueblo, the program has granted more than 2500 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees and 160 Master of Science degrees in the last five decades.
Tamara Brooks, a senior in the program said “the nursing program is a rigorously challenging pathway to take, but it is geared toward turning students into successful nurses who have a passion for caring for others.”
Brooks agrees that the program has made great leaps since 1964. It is producing students who are able to quickly and confidently accept jobs in hospitals all over the country.
Rebekah Hathaway, another senior in the program said “it is amazing how much more we can learn and prepare for now. I can only imagine what students will be able to accomplish in the next 50 years.”
The CSU-Pueblo nursing program has a mission to educate professional, safe, competent and caring nurses who meet the health care needs of diverse populations, and the department looks forward to celebrating many more anniversaries.
