As healthcare workforce demands continue to rise across Oregon, Lane Community College is expanding its role as a leader in health professions education. The college’s latest innovations include the launch of an online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program and continued investment in simulation and virtual reality training for nursing, paramedicine, and allied health students.
The new RN to BSN program is designed for working registered nurses and recent ADN graduates who want to advance their careers through bachelor’s-level preparation. The online format allows students to continue working while completing coursework focused on leadership, public health, health equity, and evidence-based practice. Applications for the fall 2025 cohort are due by August 15.
“The RN to BSN program is a natural extension of our commitment to the local healthcare workforce,” said Jennifer Tavernier, Associate Dean of Health Professions. “We have built this with our students, faculty, and regional partners in mind.”
Courses are led by the same experienced faculty who teach in Lane’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, Oregon’s largest. The continuity supports student success and provides a learning environment grounded in real-world application and clinical expertise.
“Our programs are built in close partnership with the healthcare community,” Tavernier said. “We are focused on real preparation, real jobs, and real care.”
Lane’s broader efforts to modernize healthcare education include the addition of a new Virtual Reality Simulation Lab and the expansion of interdisciplinary simulation-based instruction. These labs allow students to engage in complex clinical scenarios, practice critical procedures, and build team-based communication in a safe, controlled environment.
“Virtual reality is becoming a staple in nursing,” said Cory Miner, Dean of Health Professions, Health, Physical Education, and Athletics. “For example, one virtual reality simulation hour is the equivalent of two hours in the actual clinic. We've got a new virtual reality simulation lab. It's helping to alleviate the strain on our clinical partners. It's also big in paramedics, so we see that it's going to transfer to paramedic, and then also to medical assisting and various other programs that can use it as well.”
Lane is also piloting Oregon’s first Paramedic to RN bridge program. This new pathway is designed to help experienced paramedics transition into nursing by recognizing their prior training and clinical experience.
“It bridges two really needed markets to help paramedics become RNs,” Miner said. “The schedule of a paramedic and an RN mesh together very well, so we have built a pathway that will allow these two professions to merge. Our nursing governing board was excited to give us the opportunity to pilot it, and they're excited to take it on.”
Students across Lane’s health professions programs also participate in interdisciplinary simulations that reflect the complexity of real healthcare environments. These experiences help prepare students for collaborative care and improve readiness for team-based roles in hospitals and clinics.
The division has also taken steps to ensure a supportive and inclusive learning environment through a recent culture and climate initiative. A division-wide committee now leads efforts around psychological safety, accountability, and equity for students, faculty, and staff.
“Our division underwent a cultural assessment with Dr. Roger Cleveland,” Miner said. “Through this we developed a division culture and climate committee. The committee is focused on building psychological safety, accountability, and equity across all of our teams. It includes divisionwide participation that are gearing up for fall listening sessions, restorative dialogue training, and value-based leadership development.”
As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, Lane’s innovative programs and instructional practices are helping students gain the knowledge, experience, and confidence needed to serve their communities.
Applications for Lane’s RN to BSN program are open now through August 15. More information is available at lanecc.edu/bsn.
Lane Community College educates over 15,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $675 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 8,900 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.