Suzette Scheuermann Named Chair of Nursing Program

Suzette Scheuermann, who has been named chair of the Division of Nursing, says
nurses gain an advantage when they graduate from a baccalaureate program grounded
in the liberal arts like the one offered at LWC.

  COLUMBIA, Ky. -- Suzette Scheuermann knows the value of a nursing program grounded in the liberal arts tradition. That is one reason she is excited to be chair of the Lindsey Wilson College Division of Nursing.

"I am excited about the opportunity to lead this program because it was another baccalaureate program similar to the one where I graduated," Scheuermann said.

Scheuermann earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Spalding (Ky.) University, followed by a master's degree in nursing from Bellarmine (Ky.) University and then a doctorate in nursing from the University of Kentucky. She also has more than 20 years of experience working in the profession.

"Lindsey Wilson offers a wonderful experience for students with a great support system," Scheuermann said.

Students enroll their freshman year at Lindsey Wilson as pre-nursing majors and are part of a special learning community in which they work with their professors and academic advisers. Students who meet the program's rigorous academic criteria are admitted to the nursing program at the end of their freshman year.

"Being a registered nurse is a very important responsibility," Scheuermann said. "The public trusts us, so we have to make sure that when we prepare a student to practice as a registered nurse they are ready."

Students graduate from Lindsey Wilson with a bachelor of science degree in nursing, which gives them several advantages, Scheuermann said.

"The benefit of a baccalaureate degree in nursing to students is that they acquire a four-year degree in a liberal arts setting, so they will get exposure to other disciplines that will help them in their future endeavors as a nurse," Scheuermann said.

Scheuermann said that graduating with a bachelor of science degree in nursing gives students opportunities to enter management.

"Baccalaureate nurses can immediately pursue opportunities in management," Scheuermann said.

Lindsey Wilson's nursing division is currently housed in the Goodhue Academic Center. But when the 2011-12 school year opens, it will move into a new classroom building -- a 26,000-square-foot, two-story building that will house the nursing program and the LWC School of Professional Counseling.

The building will be located next to the college's Jim & Helen Lee Fugitte Science Center, creating a science village on the LWC A.P. White Campus.

"We are very excited about the new building -- it's going to be very exciting because the new building will have a skills lab and state-of-the-art classrooms," Scheuermann said.

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Click here to learn more about the LWC nursing program.