A Solution for Aspiring Rural Nurses: A New Way to Study (and Practice) in Your Hometown

People who dream of becoming nurses live all across the US. Future nurses can be found in big cities and small, across rural and urban divides, in historic and new communities alike. Nursing schools, on the other hand, aren’t always so easy to come by. For many people in the US, an hours-long journey is required just to access the nearest pharmacy or clinic, let alone a nursing school or clinical rotation sites.   

The good news is that, in 2025, distance doesn’t need to be a barrier to education anymore. To help career possibilities feel closer to home, a group of pioneering nurse innovators in Atlanta has created a one-of-a-kind hybrid nursing program model. 

The Distance Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (DABSN) program at Emory University provides a top-ranked education to aspiring nurses who intend to stay and practice in communities where few or no other nursing educational opportunities exist.

Thought Leaders With a Novel Solution for Nursing Shortages

Angela Haynes-Ferere, DNP, FNP-BC, MPH, FAANP, is an associate professor at Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta, GA. She is also the DABSN program director. Under the guidance and leadership of Dean Linda McCauley, Dr. Haynes-Ferere implemented the innovative program. Dean McCauley envisioned the DABSN because, having lived and worked in rural locations herself, she knew firsthand how limited access to nursing care can impact people’s lives.

Together, these nurse leaders saw that providing care in rural communities starts with educating nurses in locally appropriate ways.  

“The goal in designing the program,” says Dr. Haynes-Ferere, “has been to allow students from all over the country to access the high-quality educational opportunities that Emory offers while becoming part of the Emory nursing community—and then taking that community with them to their respective areas throughout the country and globe.”  

“It’s also a way to address workforce shortages by seeking individuals who are coming from unique, underrepresented, and underserved regions of the country,” she adds.  

How the DABSN Program Works

The DABSN program combines in-person instruction with remote learning, enabling students to live and study in their home communities. That means you can apply what you learn in local healthcare facilities, benefiting your town before you even graduate. You can avoid the disruptions to life that come with moving to a new place to pursue a degree as well.

The DABSN program runs on a three-semester schedule that takes 12 months to complete, compared with a typical two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program.

The shorter schedule involves an intensive workload with few breaks. But it also allows students to enter the nursing workforce quickly, which means earning income (and easing student debt) sooner than with traditional programs. The accelerated timeline is helpful for people who are pursuing nursing as an additional degree or a second career— especially those who are the primary income earners or caregivers in their home.  

An Inclusive Culture of Adult Learners

The DABSN program is designed for adult learners looking to transition their careers to nursing. Unlike typical BSN programs, it only accepts students who have already received bachelor's degrees in other fields. 

“These are individuals seeking to use their nursing degree as a way to complement their existing practice or to reposition themselves in the nursing profession,” Haynes-Ferere says. 

Having a health care background is not a prerequisite. Many incoming DABSN students—who have worked in professions including law and law enforcement, education, arts, and sports—are new to the care professions.  

Prioritizing the Needs of Rural Towns

Nursing schools—and newly minted nurses—tend to concentrate in urban areas with large medical centers that often already have a surplus of nurses. But nursing shortages are particularly acute in rural areas that are located far from nursing schools or facilities where students can complete clinicals. Even if promising nursing candidates from such locations gain admission to nursing schools elsewhere, it can be a burden to relocate for school and then relocate back home after completing school.

The DABSN program solves for this common challenge through its hybrid model. 

“Clinicals are really driven by the students' home location, and students are accepted into the program based on our ability to place them in their local communities where they plan to live and practice after graduation,” says Haynes-Ferere. “We can address areas that have demonstrated higher needs for nurses.”

Combining In-Person and Remote Learning

You may have seen commercials for online nursing programs that allow you to study “anytime” and “anywhere.” Unlike these programs, which often revolve around viewing pre-recorded instructional videos, the DABSN engages you at each step of the curriculum with live online instruction with Emory faculty, plus in-person learning.

First Semester

During the first semester, students complete:  

• Foundational coursework delivered using live (“synchronous”) courses with Emory nursing faculty. These courses are supplemented with some recorded (“asynchronous”) content. 
• Intensive, in-person simulation and clinical rotations at the Emory campus in Atlanta. 

“Students in their first semester will complete their clinicals with Emory faculty during their on-campus competency evaluation period,” explains Haynes-Ferere.  

Once they are deemed ready for clinicals in their home location, they will be placed in a local clinical where they complete medical surgical rotations for their second and third semester, she adds. “We work with community partners to identify strong preceptors to work with students.”

Second Semester

In the clinical portion of study, you participate in clinical experiences near your home. An Emory faculty member supports you for personalized clinical rotations in partnership with an experienced on-site clinical nurse preceptor.

“We are very hands-on, very student-accessible, and very involved,” says Haynes-Ferere. “Students are supported by dedicated DABSN clinical faculty, who meet with our clinical partners in the students’ home communities and check in with the students. Our faculty will also work with the clinical preceptors to make sure that the clinical objectives are being met and that students are developing competency in practice.”

Third Semester

At the end of the third semester, you complete additional in-person clinical rotations at Emory. This visit includes preparation for the nursing licensure test (NCLEX), as well as on-campus simulations.  

“When we bring the students back to campus before they graduate, we'll do a clinical kind of ‘grand rounds’ to make sure that they are ready for nursing practice,” says Haynes-Ferere. “So far, we've had over 40 percent of our students take positions in hospitals where they completed their clinicals.”

Finding the Right Fit for You

The DABSN program is not for everyone. The curriculum’s rigor requires a serious time commitment, making it difficult to hold a job while pursuing the program. “Students who have gone on to graduate school out of this program found it was probably more challenging than some of the work they had in their advanced study courses,” notes Haynes-Ferere. 

And while Emory holds a State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) that enables it to provide postsecondary education to students living in many states outside of Georgia, it doesn’t translate across all 50 states. That’s because several state boards of nursing (SBONs) currently do not allow students from distance programs to be licensed in states like California, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas. 

The DABSN program is gaining licensing permissions in more and more states, which will enable students to practice in more areas throughout the country in the years to come.  

Currently, most graduates receive job offers before graduation, with 99 percent employed within three to six months of graduation.  

“To be successful in this program, you have to be a self-starter, a problem-solver, and you need curiosity and a willingness to do the hard things,” says Haynes-Ferere. “For students who are highly motivated, the program sets them up for success.”

🤔Let’s keep the conversation going – What do you think about Emory’s new DABSN program? Would you attend it? Share your comments below!