Located within the city limits of Missouri, the Washington branch of East Central College (eastcentral.edu) is home to a nursing program that provides associate of applied science degrees for nurses looking to become either LPNs or RNs. Full-time nursing students at East Central are expected to take four semesters and one summer of classes, leading up the NCLEX-RN exam, which requires an age minimum of 19 years. In conjunction with the East Central branch in nearby Union, students in Washington may achieve an LPN status at their home branch.
Central Methodist University (centralmethodist.edu) in nearby Union, Missouri, is a satellite branch of the main campus of CMU located in Fayette. The Union location offers a bachelor of science in nursing. It is a four-year degree program, and classes are generally scheduled in the afternoons and evenings to accommodate daytime workers. All of the classes offered in Union are located at the city's branch of East Central College.
For a more specialized approach, the Chamberlain College of Nursing (chamberlain.edu) has a location in St. Louis, which is just over an hour's drive from Washington. This college offers degrees such as a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), an associate degree and a master of science in nursing (MSN). Students may achieve a BSN in as little as three years, as the school encourages eliminating the summers-off framework typical of four-year colleges. The college's main focus and emphasis is on clinical, hands-on experience.
Another specialized program, a part of the larger Barnes-Jewish College, the Goldfarb School of Nursing (barnesjewishcollege.edu) is located in St. Louis as well. The school offers three degree programs: a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), a master of science in nursing (MSN) and a doctorate in nursing practice or nursing philosophy (DNP/Ph.D.). Although the BSN program prepares nurses for general and family practices, MSN students will develop more medical research skills, and DNP or Ph.D. students will become "research scientists." The college boasts the only DNP program of its kind in the nation.