New Nurses Head to a Hospital Near You
Eighteen new nurses are heading to serve on the frontlines at a hospital near you! Westmont graduated 18 nurses May 2 from its 16-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. 12 of the 18 graduates are staying to work in the Central Coast. The Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing Program, which began in January 2022 operates in partnership with Cottage Health and Sansum Clinics in Santa Barbara, has already graduated nearly 40 nurses.
The ABSN program allows someone with a baccalaureate degree to complete the intense education and clinical training to become a registered nurse within 16 months at Westmont’s downtown Santa Barbara campus.
Also, very popular at Westmont is its new fast-track nursing program allowing students to earn two bachelor’s degrees in four-and-a-half years with a direct pathway to a career. Traditional high school graduates, first-year and transfer students may now choose this more economical, fast-track option when pursuing a nursing career through Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing.
Students will complete three and a half years toward their first degree on the Montecito campus and then enter the ABSN program prior to earning a bachelor’s degree at Westmont’s downtown location at 26 W. Anapamu. Accepted students will begin the ABSN program in the second semester of their senior year and attend classes at the downtown campus. They’ll receive their first bachelor’s degree at the end of their first semester and complete their ABSN after one more year.
Applicants may qualify for financial aid packages and scholarships that are available for both degrees at Westmont. Students interested in the fast-track program can learn more from their academic adviser and the ABSN admissions counselor and apply using the NursingCAS application. Interested students should contact Westmont Admissions at 805-565-6000 to schedule a visit and tour the campus and nursing facility. The spring cohort for the ABSN program is accepting applications for January 2025.
The Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing Program, focused on compassionate care, offers a unique liberal arts education that blends classes such as Health Assessment, Pathophysiology and Fundamentals of Nursing with Understanding My Neighbor: Society, Culture, and Health with professors from sociology and philosophy.