ADVISORY/38 Students Pinned Nurses Upon Completing an 11-Month Intensive Nursing Program at Drexel University.

Assignment/News Editors

ADVISORY...for Friday (Sept. 20)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Drexel University 

What:       After 11 months of daily studying, clinical rotations and
            medical training, 38 students will graduate from Drexel
            University and enter the workforce with a bachelor of
            science in nursing.

            These students are the first graduates of the Accelerated
            Career Entry (ACE) Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program.
            A direct response to the nationwide nursing shortage, ACE
            is designed to prepare nurses to enter the field as soon
            as possible.

Who:        Thirty-eight students from diverse educational backgrounds
            will participate in the pinning ceremony with their
            families. Although this "commencement" will be momentous
            to all graduates, it will mean the most to Andrea
            Farnsworth. Diagnosed with cancer while still in her early
            twenties, Farnsworth, who holds a bachelor's in
            psychology, realized she wanted to become a nurse to
            provide others with the same support and interaction she
            received from nurses during her treatment.

            Gloria Donnelly, dean of the College of Nursing and Health
            Professions, will address the new nurses. Mary Ellen
            Smith, professor and director of undergraduate nursing
            programs, who has been with the students from day one,
            will see them complete their goal.

When:       On Friday, Sept. 20 beginning at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where:      Wyndham Philadelphia at Franklin Plaza (17th and Race
            streets)

Background:

            --  Introduced last fall, ACE became the first intensive
                11-month full- time nursing program in Philadelphia
                for individuals holding a bachelor's or master's
                degree in other fields.

            --  Each nursing student is given a palm pilot to download
                valuable data during clinical rotations as part of
                Drexel's commitment to integrate the latest
                technologies into the classroom.

            --  ACE is the first nursing program to provide such
                devices to students.

Visuals:    Students' emotions, reactions to completing program...
            Students being pinned nurses...Students receiving cheerful
            embraces and congratulations from faculty and family
            members...

www.drexel.edu/dateline