The inaugural class of Randolph-Macon College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is thriving, thanks in large part to its leadership. Dr. Cindy Rubenstein serves as director of the program, and Professor Laura Vasel is assistant director. 

We caught up with Vasel—an experienced educator, nurse clinician, and academic leader—to find out what Randolph-Macon’s BSN program means to her. 

Nursing + the Liberal Arts
Vasel is especially excited to help build a nursing curriculum in conjunction with RMC’s strong liberal arts foundation. 

“Using my education and experience in nursing and creating a program from the ground up is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Vasel, who earned her BSN at the College of New Jersey, her MSN at Virginia Commonwealth University, and her Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing Education from Indiana University. 

“Professor Vasel brings a wealth of academic experience and nursing leadership to RMC and the department of nursing,” says Rubenstein. “She is highly committed to the success of our students and is focused on developing learning experiences that prepare students to be excellent nurses in their chosen area of BSN practice upon graduation.”

Clinical Placements
Vasel is currently working to establish clinical placements for RMC nursing students. 

“Clinical placements are an extension of our classroom into health care, where students will engage in nursing practice as part of their education experience preparing them for licensure,” she explains. “We are required to have written agreements for each agency that we partner with, and there are possibilities to expand partnerships of clinical learning to academic-practice partnerships—formal agreements between executive leadership of a clinical or community practice partner and academic leadership at Randolph-Macon.”

The Future of Nursing 
Vasel considers it a privilege to work with students who are going to be responsible for the future of nursing. 

“Being part of an inaugural program creates an opportunity to build an innovative curriculum that will prepare students for a future workforce of jobs that have not yet even been created,”she says. “The entire Randolph-Macon campus community has been so supportive of the new nursing program, which will be crucial in ensuring we have one of the best nursing programs in the state.”

Laura Vasel
Vasel is a certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP-PC) and a National League for Nursing Certified Nurse Educator (CNE). Prior to joining RMC, she served as an assistant professor and RN-BSN coordinator at the Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing in Richmond, Virginia. She has extensive experience in curriculum development, revision, and program evaluation and was an integral part of the leadership team that converted the Bon Secours nursing diploma program to a BSN program. 

Vasel also established academic-community partnerships to create meaningful practicum experiences for students such as regional immersion experiences with Remote Area Medical in Virginia; and partnered with Bon Secours mission services to establish and maintain service-learning experiences within the curriculum.

Vasel’s research focuses on exploring the invisible work of nursing by examining nurses’ cognitive load and how it affects clinical decision making. Currently a doctoral student at Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia, she has presented nationally on a variety of topics.