Frye to lead Trine RN-to-BSN program
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (10/10/2019) — Trine University has hired Nadeena Frye, Ph.D., as director of its new RN-to-BSN program, which will launch in fall 2020.
Trine's new program will be offered entirely online, allowing registered nurses to complete a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree at their own schedule and pace.
"I am very excited to join the Trine team and develop the first nursing program for the Rinker-Ross School of Health Sciences," Frye said. "Online degree programs provide a pathway for working nurses to expand their knowledge, career opportunities and meet the needs of employers. The vast majority of nurses work 12-hour shifts, including holidays and weekends, while juggling personal obligations of a home and family. Our online RN-to-BSN program is designed to accommodate the needs of working RNs by allowing them to have a life and a job, and achieve a degree."
The United States is experiencing a continued and growing need for registered nurses, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics expecting job growth to outpace other professions through at least 2026, Frye said. Research also shows that BSN-prepared nurses contribute to better patient outcomes, fewer hospital readmission rates and lower mortality rates, leading to a recommendation from the Institute of Medicine that 80 percent of nurses earn a BSN by 2020.
In response, she said, many employers have offered wage incentives and tuition assistance for associate degree and diploma RNs to acquire their BSN.
"Nurses with this credential will have a competitive advantage in the job market and will have a wider range of career possibilities," she said.
Students seeking more information about Trine's RN-to-BSN program can contact fryen@trine.edu or (260) 702-8012. Frye will be based at the university's Fort Wayne Education Center, located at 9910 Dupont Circle Drive E #130.
Frye most recently served as dean of nursing for Ivy Tech Community College Northeast in Fort Wayne, where she oversaw a 40 percent increase in nursing program enrollment. She also worked as a nursing instructor and department chair at Ivy Tech. Prior to her roles there, she was staff development mentor for the northern Indiana district of Kindred Healthcare.
She also served as director of nursing for the Healthcare Center at West Meade Place and the Bridge at Monteagle, both located in Nashville, Tennessee, after working in multiple nursing and nursing administrative positions.
"We are fortunate to have an experienced educator and clinician of Dr. Frye's caliber to launch this new degree at Trine University," said Max Baumgartner, Ph.D., dean of the Rinker-Ross School of Health Sciences. "I know her leadership will ensure RN to BSN is a quality addition to our academic programming as we continue to expand the offerings within the Rinker-Ross School of Health Sciences."
Frye holds an Associate of Science in nursing from Lutheran College of Health Professions, a Bachelor of Science in nursing and Master of Science in nursing with a major in nursing education from Indiana Wesleyan University, and a Ph.D. from Capella University in nursing education. She is licensed as a registered nurse in Indiana and Kentucky.
She is active in the Fort Wayne community, serving on the System Wide Advisory Board for the Anthis Career Center.
The RN-to-BSN program is part of an overall expansion of Trine University's health sciences programs announced in November 2018. In partnership with Parkview Health, Trine expanded its Health Sciences Education Center on the Parkview Randallia campus earlier this year, and launched its surgical technology program in a newly renovated space this fall.
In addition to RN to BSN, the university plans to launch its Physical Therapist Assistant program in the fall of 2020.
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James Tew, 260.665.4133, tewj@trine.eduShare this Story
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