On Feb. 28 2025, Asbury announced the introduction of a new program to the Shaw School of Sciences: the nursing program. Boasting smaller class sizes and hands-on research, the program is a new addition to the healthcare majors offered at Asbury.
The need for nurses all across the United States continues to grow as they comprise a huge part of the healthcare and long term care industries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the “Total supply of RNs decreased by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021 – the largest drop than ever observed over the past four decades.” This deficit will keep growing unless more people decide to become nurses. Asbury’s program extends this opportunity to current and future students.
Asbury students already had the opportunity to complete a pre-nursing undergraduate focus and transfer to other nursing programs. While no longer necessary, that avenue is still open. Now, students will have the opportunity to complete their degree entirely at Asbury.
Official nursing classes will not start until next fall. This upcoming group of freshmen and sophomores will be the first to be a part of this program. Renovations are still ongoing on the second floor of Hamman-Ray, where the classes will be located.
Beginning with 10 students this semester, the program plans to develop compassionate nursing care and sound clinical judgment. Campbell Gorbett, a member of the Renewed Class, sheds some light on the start of the department from the students’ end, “The professors and the effort are really there and everyone is really connecting. It’s all very close knit.”
Run by Dr. Connie Lamb, the new department chair, these classes will include technology integrated learning and career preparation. This advanced technology includes multiple state of the art simulation labs with hospital beds and functional headwall units. Each lab will include high fidelity mannequins that will act as actual patients with students providing care. There is also going to be a high fidelity birthing simulator with a mannequin that the students will have the opportunity to perform labor and delivery on.
With over 20 years of experience in nursing education and clinical care, Dr. Lamb is leading the charge to develop this program. She earned a B.S. in Nursing from Berea College and a masters from EKU.
When discussing her students, Lamb said, “I want them to have a safe space where they can both grow in the knowledge that they need to become registered nurses, but also have time to focus on their spiritual growth.” Nursing can be a very harsh industry to go into and it is Lamb’s greatest hope that students will be able to go out and serve people at their most vulnerable moments. The students also appreciate the development that has been made to the nursing major. Gorbett said, “I could get my degree at Bluegrass Community and Technical College in two years or I could get it here where I love it.”
Nursing will always be an industry that will have great need. Lamb said, “You can go to the ends of the earth and still find a place to practice nursing. And that’s what makes it so special.” In a rapidly changing world, the program will provide strength to the Shaw School of Sciences and a new opportunity for any Asburian in the future. Questions can be directed to Connie Lamb at connie.lamb@asbury.edu.
Photo courtesy of Asbury.
