Cox College to open satellite campuses in Branson, Monett

Story by Kyle DeVries

 

It isn’t a secret that health care facilities across the country are looking to find more nurses. To help fulfill this need, Cox College will be opening two satellite campuses to expand their footprint in Missouri. One campus will be located in Branson, on the campus of Cox Medical Center Branson, and the other will be located in Monett at Scott Regional Technology Center.

The debut of these two new campuses bring benefits to Cox College, as well as the communities they will reside in. Branson is already home to Cox Medical Center Branson, and a brand-new CoxHealth hospital is currently under construction in Monett.

“There is a real need in those communities,” says Dr. Amy Townsend, Chief Nursing Administrator at Cox College, who helped lead the expansion. “We want to help build the workforce in Branson and Monett with local nurses who are invested.”

At this time, both programs will only offer Associate of Science in Nursing students (ASN) courses, and the classes will be offered on nights and weekends. Ten students at each location will begin classes in January of 2021. It’s hoped that these programs will expand in the future to include other degree programs as well.

Anessa Garner, Career Services Coordinator at Scott Regional Technology Center in Monett, was another instrumental figure in connecting Cox College with SRTC. “This is a natural fit to the community and will help serve rural health care needs,” says Garner. “This partnership will provide a bridge for not only residents of our community to pursue a degree in nursing, but also for our own Health Occupations students to make a seamless transition to higher education in the field of health care.”

In addition to these new campuses, Cox College is putting the finishing touches on a $6.6 million renovation this spring to improve the functionality and aesthetic of its facility at Cox North Hospital in Springfield.

The extra space created in the renovation will accommodate the growing institution as more students will continue to enroll. Cox College was recently approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing to accept 150 more nursing students incrementally over the next few years to combat a national and regional shortage. By 2023, Cox College will be the second largest nursing program in Missouri, and will accept up to 400 nursing students.

An informational event will be held at Scott Regional Technical Center at 11:30 a.m. in Monett on January 30. This event is open to the public.

To apply for the ASN nights and weekend courses at Branson or Monett, contact Cox College’s admissions team to receive more information about how to do so. They can be reached by phone (417-269-3401) or email (admissions@coxcollege.edu). The deadline to apply is September 1, 2020.