Tag archives: nursing

Nursing Graduates Earn Pins
By Scott Craig   |   January 2, 2024

Westmont celebrated the accomplishments of 18 new graduates of the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program at a pinning ceremony December 14 at Montecito Covenant Church. This is the second cohort to graduate from the 16-month accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, housed at 26 West Anapamu. President Gayle D. Beebe, program director Dianthe […]

Nursing Program Earns Final Accreditation
By Scott Craig   |   December 5, 2023

The Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) voted to approve accreditation for Westmont’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. Westmont had to clearly demonstrate that its nursing program, which launched in January 2022, met all four of the CCNE standards: mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching-learning practices, and assessment […]

Nursing Hits 100% Success Rate
By Scott Craig   |   August 1, 2023

All eight graduates of Westmont’s inaugural Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) cohort have successfully passed the National Council for Licensure Exam-RN (NCLEX-RN) and begun careers as nurses. Half of these nurses serve in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. They completed the program in May 2023. The 2023 national average for Bachelor of Science […]

Beloved Professor Speaks at Commencement
By Scott Craig   |   May 9, 2023

About 332 graduates will participate in Commencement on Saturday, May 6, at 9:30 am on Thorrington Field with 149 graduating with honors. Westmont’s inaugural cohort of eight nursing students will attend the ceremony, marking the culmination of their 16-month education in the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program. Also, 49 Golden Warriors who graduated in […]

College Hosts Nursing Open House
By Scott Craig   |   February 14, 2023

Westmont hosts an information session for its new accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program on Wednesday, February 15, from 5:30-7 pm at Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing, 26 West Anapamu Street. The open house will be an opportunity for prospective students to meet faculty, admissions and financial aid representatives and tour the downtown […]

Nothing ‘Uncanny’ About Talented Local Artists
By Scott Craig   |   May 24, 2022

The abundance of accomplished artists from the Tri-County area is on full display at the annual juried exhibition in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Westmont alumnus and hyperrealist painter Robin Eley ‘01 juried the show, Uncanny, which is available May 19 to June 18. A free, public opening reception for the exhibition is Thursday, […]

Nursing Students Learn the ABCs of Compassionate Care
By Scott Craig   |   May 3, 2022

The inaugural cohort of students has nearly completed their first semester of Westmont’s 16-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. The intimate class of eight students has been learning on state-of-the-art equipment through a curriculum immersed in the Christian liberal arts. They’re scheduled to graduate in May 2023.  The ABSN allows someone with […]

Velas to Direct New Nursing Program
By Scott Craig   |   September 7, 2021

Carol Velas, who has served as a registered nurse for 35 years, will direct Westmont’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, which begins in January 2022 pending approval by the California Board of Registered Nursing. The former senior manager for state licensing and accreditation at Chamberlain University in Chicago, Velas helped design Westmont’s […]

Westmont Creates Region’s Only Accelerated Nursing Program
By Scott Craig   |   June 10, 2021

Amid a global pandemic and dire nursing shortage, Westmont’s proposed Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) arrives just in time to meet a great need not only in the Santa Barbara community, but also in California. The program, run in partnership with Cottage Health, received unanimous approval for its feasibility study from the California […]

Dear Montecito: Hope Saxon
By Stella Haffner   |   February 11, 2021

It’s natural for students who move away from home to feel nostalgic about the place they left. I am reminded of this every week, reading letters about people’s experiences growing up in Montecito. Some speak to my own memories more than others. The letters about surfing and hiking… well, let’s just say I look like […]

Vicky Diaz Pagenkopf, Family Nurse Practitioner
By Calla Corner   |   January 30, 2020

Family Nurse Practitioner Vicky (Virginia) Diaz Pagenkopf apologizes for getting emotional when she talks about the woman who convinced her to pursue a nursing career. “I was finishing my requirements to go to UCSB to become a high school teacher and was looking for a temporary job. My younger sister, who worked as a nurse’s […]