Mercer University has educated and prepared future nurses for the workforce from its Atlanta campus for decades. That tradition of excellence was extended this semester, as the first cohort of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students began their studies on the Macon campus.
“We’ve wanted nursing in Macon for a long time,” said Dr. Jennifer Bartlett, professor and associate dean of nursing on the Macon campus. “The heart and soul and the tradition of nursing is in Atlanta, and we’ll stay in Atlanta, but the impetus to bring it (to Macon) is really twofold.”
Offering the nursing program in Macon allows residential students to get the full Mercer undergraduate experience while also addressing local shortages in the field of nursing.
Previously, Macon residential undergraduates had to transfer to the Atlanta campus after their sophomore year to complete their nursing classes. As a result, they missed out on some activities and traditions during their final two years. Now, they have the option to study in Macon, which means they can continue their campus involvement, including athletics, Greek life and the Peer Advisor program.
First-year nursing student Sabah Parbatani welcomed the chance to remain on the Macon campus and is still on the dance team.
“Nursing school I knew was going to be tough, but I knew I already had a support system in place (in Macon),” she said. “I knew I just had to adjust to my classes. It was nice having the familiar background.”
Caleigh Mcquaig, another first-year nursing student, said she was trying to decide between taking her nursing courses at Mercer in Atlanta or transferring to another college closer to home. So when staying in Macon became an option, it was an easy choice because of all the connections she had made.
“When they announced the Macon campus, I was very excited,” she said. “I had become really good friends with my roommates, and I just liked the feel of this campus and didn’t want to move further away from home.”
Bringing nursing to Macon also aims to fill gaps in the field by creating another workforce pipeline for local hospitals and health care facilities.
“We’re doing that in Atlanta, but we really are seeing and feeling that in rural areas in Middle Georgia,” said Dr. Bartlett, who worked on the Atlanta campus before taking on her new position. “So being able to build that pipeline to have nurses who will want to be educated here, will want to live here, and will stay here in Middle Georgia, there’s a big push to embrace that. It also exemplifies our vision of Mercer that we’re so deeply embedded in the communities that we serve.”
Dr. Patsy Butts, clinical assistant professor in Macon, said many members of the Macon community have expressed how happy they are to have Mercer’s nursing program in the city.
“I live in the community, so I’m excited to see Mercer graduates taking care of patients in the community. I’d like to see a whole flood of Mercer RNs here in our hospitals,” she said. “It feels like we hit the ground running. It’s flowing well. The students are getting what they need. It’s like we’ve been here all along.”
There are 26 first-year nursing students in the first Macon cohort. Next year, both junior and senior nursing students will be on campus, Dr. Bartlett said.
“It’s just been fun,” said Brandy Vann, clinical instructor in Macon. “It’s also been a huge learning curve. We have a lot of fun in the labs. I enjoy being around the students. They’re engaged, and they seem excited. They ask a lot of questions.”
The students were celebrated during the first white coat ceremony on the Macon campus on Sept. 12. They have been very responsible and hardworking, Dr. Butts said.
“Since day one, they were very engaged and very eager to learn the process, which makes our jobs much easier,” said Savelia Howell, clinical instructor in Macon.
Courses are taught by four faculty members and four adjunct professors, each with different areas of expertise in the nursing field. More faculty will be hired in the future to address the needs of additional cohorts, Dr. Bartlett said.
Students learn in a classroom in Stetson Hall and a two-room simulation lab and eight-bed lab in Godsey Science Center. Faculty members have offices in Newton Hall.
“The students appreciate the facilities,” Dr. Butts said. “We have a lot of really good equipment for them to learn on, a state-of-the-art space. I think they feel like they are welcome here; they are wanted here. They are proud to be part of the program.”
Parbatani said the simulation lab is set up like a hospital, giving her a feel for the real experiences she would have in that setting.
“They’re so high-tech that we’re able to do basically anything,” Mcquaig said. “The labs and the simulations are all just incredible. I think the faculty have done an amazing job in getting everything put together and helping us transition.”
Plans are underway to build a second lab in time for the fall 2026 semester and, eventually, for the lab spaces to relocate from Godsey to a more permanent space.
“This is a temporary space, so we’re trying to build things so that they are state of the art and highly functional and (that) students are proud of,” Dr. Bartlett said. “But also, (we’re) recognizing that we need to be a little nimble and be ready to move when that opportunity comes. What we learned through the process of designing and building our temporary space will definitely help us in creating a highly functional forever space.”
Howell, who taught in Mercer’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing track in Atlanta before joining the Macon team, said the Macon nursing professors have been welcomed by the Atlanta nursing faculty as well as the faculty in other disciplines on the Macon campus.
“The Atlanta faculty have been very gracious and lovely to work with. It’s the same curriculum. We’re one program; we’re simply two campuses,” Dr. Bartlett said. “I really look forward to collaborating even more with faculty on the Atlanta campus. We really were recipients of a lot of their knowledge and goodness, and I feel at this point we’re able to give to them as well and collaborate.”
Vann said she hopes to see excellent pass rates when the first set of Macon nursing graduates take the NCLEX-RN state exam, which would be a positive reflection on Mercer’s new nursing campus.
“I really enjoy the material we’re learning,” said Parbatani, who hopes to go into pediatric nursing. “I feel like now it’s actually related to the profession I want to go into. I think all of our faculty are so amazing, and they really try to make that one-on-one connection.”
