Moria Dailey
Published: December 7, 2005
After having to cut enrollment due to lack of faculty, PJC’s nursing department is back, Department Head Janice Ingle said.
“We wanted to focus on students already enrolled in the program,” Ingle said, explaining that current classes had not been cut, but new enrollees had not been accepted.
In January 2005, the college cut slots for 85 new students in the registered nurse program and 60 students in the licensed practical nurse program, Ingle said.
But, in January 2006, 90 new RN students and approximately 30 LPN students will be admitted.
Thanks to several grants received by the nursing department, including a $1.3 million grant, the nursing department has been able to increase faculty. The department hired four new faculty members this fall, some of which replaced faculty members who were retiring, Ingle said. She also explained that there will be four new faculty members in January, bringing the total number of full time faculty to 19 people.
PJC’s nursing department offers RN and LPN programs, as well as a certified nursing assistant certificate program.
The CNA program is a 6- to 7-week course, Ingle said, that is for people who do not have enough time to attend school for an extended period of time.
“It’s a good introduction to health care,” Ingle said. “There are abundant job opportunities.”
Most students who graduate from the CNA program go to work in long term care facilities.
The RN program is a two-year program, and the students who graduate with an RN degree are able to work most anywhere they choose, including many hospital departments.
“There’s really a lot of interest in this program,” Ingle said. Registered nurses are in high demand, and Ingle explained that there is a great deal of recruiting locally.
LPN graduates are also in high demand, locally. The LPN program is a year long program, but students that graduate are able to enroll in the LPN to RN bridge program, which is offered every summer, Ingle said.
LPN’s mostly obtain jobs with long term care facilities or in a hospital. They must work under the direction of an RN in a hospital setting.
