Centenary College to sign early admission decision agreement with LSU Health Sciences Center – New Orleans School of Nursing
SHREVEPORT, LA — On Wednesday, February 7, Centenary College and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans School of Nursing (LSUHSC-NO SON) will formalize an early admission decision agreement for Centenary students seeking admission to LSUHSC-NO SON’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Career Alternative RN Education (CARE) program. Representatives from both institutions will sign the agreement in a ceremony at 2:45 p.m. in the lobby of Mickle Hall on the Centenary campus.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Dr. Karen Soul and Dean of Health Sciences Dr. Scott Chirhart will represent Centenary, while Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Janet Southerland, professor and Dean of the School of Nursing Dr. Demetrius J. Porche, and Assistant Professor Dr. Linda Ledet will represent LSUHSC-NO SON.
Under the new agreement, Centenary students applying to LSUHSC-NO SON’s off-campus instructional site in Shreveport will have an opportunity to secure an early admission decision to the BSN CARE program. LSUHSC-NO SON representatives will conduct information sessions and specialized tours for Centenary students interested in the program.
The CARE program is designed for individuals who have already earned a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited college and university and are interested in pursuing nursing as a career. The two-year program of study is rigorous and admission is competitive. The CARE program is designed to prepare students for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam and a professional nursing career.
“Nursing has long been ranked as one of the fastest-growing professions, growing at a rate of 7% rate annually,” said Dr. Scott Chirhart. “Centenary has an exceptional record of preparing students for a career in the health sciences, so I am truly excited to continue our partnership with LSU Health Shreveport and New Orleans by providing a process of early admission into their Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing. We believe this partnership will allow us to meet the demand in the health care industry by producing excellent health care professionals for Louisiana.”
“The LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Nursing is thrilled to have an instructional site on our sister campus in Shreveport allowing our educational scope to expand into north Louisiana. This geographic expansion paved the way for the early acceptance MOU with Centenary College which is an important step in increasing the number of individuals pursuing a career in nursing. The high demand for nurses locally, regionally and nationally makes the return on the investment of a nursing degree extremely attractive,” shared Linda M. Ledet, DNS, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, Assistant Professor of Nursing, LSU Health New Orleans.
The new agreement with LSUHSC’s New Orleans nursing campus is the latest in a growing number of ties between Centenary and the LSU Health system statewide. The two institutions signed a guaranteed interview agreement for the LSUHSC-Shreveport MD program in November 2022 and a guaranteed interview agreement for the physician assistant (PA) studies program at LSUHSC-Shreveport’s School of Allied Health Professions in October 2020. In the past decade, Centenary has expanded post-graduate opportunities for students though preferred admission and guaranteed interview agreements in nursing, pharmacy, and medicine, including osteopathic medicine. More information about these opportunities is available at centenary.edu/partnerships.