FVCC Creates Pathway for Nursing Students to Earn a BSN at Montana Tech

Flathead Valley Community College has partnered with Montana Technological University in Butte, Montana to provide nursing students financial assistance and simple transfer during their nursing education.

Students pursuing their two-year Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) at FVCC are eligible for up to $2,000 in support funds and direct transfer of coursework when they choose to continue their studies at Montana Technological University (Montana Tech) upon graduation from FVCC. Montana Tech offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), so the partnership creates a pathway for students seeking an efficient and affordable way to continue their nursing education.

ASN students complete two initial years of nursing courses at FVCC and are fully able to practice in a health care setting and start their career upon graduation and passing exams. Students who wish to continue their education and earn a BSN go on to a bachelor’s program to complete the additional two years required.

FVCC Nursing Program Director Carla Genovese worked with Montana Tech to create the partnership, called ‘Digger Connect,’ in reference to the Montana Tech mascot.

“With Digger Connect set up between the two schools, our FVCC students can easily transfer their ASN credits to directly apply toward earning their BSN at Montana Tech. That’s huge. The idea was to create compatible coursework and add some extra financial support to help our students succeed,” Genovese said.

Amanda Siemens, incoming FVCC Nurse Faculty and current ICU nurse at Logan Health in Kalispell, knows first-hand the stress transferring can bring when pursuing nursing education.

“This pathway from ASN to BSN through Digger Connect is a game changer and I wish this partnership was around when I was in school. Continuing on toward a BSN is an expensive decision, so it was really important to us at FVCC to create an in-state option for our ASN graduates where course timelines met up for seamless transfer,” Siemens explained.

With the current state of health care and staffing shortages as the norm, timely transfer and completing a degree on time is more important than ever.

“Digger Connect is designed to help students stay on their chosen track and get out into the job market to practice at the full scope of their training and education without delay. Nurses have been and still are in high demand, so these nursing graduates have no problems finding good jobs,” said Genovese.

Each FVCC ASN student interested in Digger Connect can receive $1,000 per semester for two semesters toward their BSN at Montana Tech. There is no limit on the number of students who can participate and take advantage of these funds and transfer pathway.

For more information about the nursing programs available at FVCC, visit fvcc.edu/nursing.