Eastern North Carolina adopted a nursing model from the state’s western side two years ago, which has shown substantial student growth in its second cycle.
The Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses (RIBN) program — an education track to a bachelor’s degree in nursing — has partnered with four community colleges in ENC, including Lenoir Community College.
During its first sweep of area students, only a Bethel Christian Academy student was accepted into the competitive nursing program that gives high school seniors early entry into nursing school.
Students typically apply to nursing school in their second year of their degree program.
This year, nine area seniors were accepted, including one at North Lenoir High School and four out of South Lenoir High School.
“It means a lot (and) it’s exciting,” said senior Taylor Sandlin on being selected into the 2013 RIBN class. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to be. I was never really interested (in healthcare). I play sports. Then I heard about the RIBN program.”
Sandlin, 18, said she didn’t want to be far away from home and decided RIBN was a good pathway into healthcare.
“(Nursing) seems like something I would really enjoy to do for the rest of my life,” she said.
She will begin RIBN in August, along with the four other Lenoir County students who were accepted. The program is a combination of courses at LCC and online classes at ECU, earning both an associate’s and bachelor’s degree and a nursing school slot at either campus in four years.
“That’s really big,” Kelly Cleaton, ENC RIBN student success advocate, said. “The students are considered distance education at ECU, and so they save a lot of money because they don’t have to pay all the student fees and everything that’s associated with being an on-campus student.”
She added the students will have the same exposure as any other nursing students, being able to enter the workforce upon completion of the RIBN.
Danita Sheppard, South Lenoir guidance counselor, credited LCC’s efforts for getting a local RIBN.
“I think it speaks highly of our community college,” she said. “They have agreed (to) this partnership with East Carolina to implement this program.”
The colleges included in the ENC RIBN are Beaufort County Community College, Pitt Community College and Roanoke-Chowan Community College.
Cleaton served as a student recruiter who often visited area high schools.
“It’s very competitive,” she said. “We look for the best of the best.”
Cleaton said students must have a 3.0 grade point average. This year, the 20 of the total 25 students accepted averaged a 3.96 GPA, with the program buzzing by word of mouth.
“When I heard about the RIBN program, it was really just a perfect fit for me,” Sandlin said. “I thought I was going to go to LCC because I like the practical, hands-on that the nursing school had to offer, but I also like the education that you get from ECU.”
Staying local and being around familiar faces was a plus for some students.
“We’ll be at LCC, so we’ll probably be names, not numbers,” said South Lenoir student Caroline Jones about her RIBN classmates. “At ECU, we’ll be with the 300 people in the room. LCC has really impressed me as a community college.”
Additionally, ENC RIBN and LCC personnel have built relationships with the students as they prepare for college.
Jones said, “It feels like they already know us and will take care of us.”
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.
For more information about ENC Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses contact:
Kelly Cleaton, ENC RIBN student success advisor
252-744-6498
cleatonk@ecu.edu