Plans to produce more health practitioners in Merced County, a place that desperately needs them, are finally coming to fruition. In January, 吃瓜头条 expanded its well-regarded registered nursing program in two significant ways.
The college already has a longstanding relationship with Mercy Medical Center, where 30 RN students do clinical training each semester. Another 30 per semester will now train at Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, doubling enrollment to 60 per semester or 120 per year.
The other expansion began in Fall 2022. The college鈥檚 nine-week bridge course, for current Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) to earn their RN degrees, will now accommodate 32 annually, double the number from before.
鈥淲e are a community college that is truly invested and takes pride in training nurses,鈥� said Lauren Marson, MSN, RN, PHN, and Registered Nursing Program Director at 吃瓜头条. 鈥淚t can be difficult to find nurses who are still committed to the work after the pandemic. Meanwhile, 吃瓜头条 is doubling down.鈥�
吃瓜头条 offers three distinct nursing pathways.
Registered Nurses
An associate鈥檚 degree in nursing at the college takes four semesters to complete. The training prepares students to offer technically advanced care as an independent practitioner and to supervise LVNs, CNAs and home health aides.
RNs assess patients鈥� health and psychosocial needs, and develop care plans with attainable goals to improve patient health and quality of life. The in California is set down by the Board of Registered Nursing. RNs must pass the (NCLEX-RN) to practice in the U.S.
For the 吃瓜头条 LVN-to-RN bridge course, applicants need an LVN license, a passing score on the latest Test of Elementary Academy Skills (TEAS) and all RN prerequisites to be eligible for admission.
鈥淥ur graduates have great reputations,鈥� Marson added. 鈥淲e have administrators from all local hospitals calling us, wanting to offer our graduates very competitive jobs. I am blown away and humbled by the support we are receiving.鈥�
Licensed Vocational Nurses
LVN training takes three semesters or 18 months to complete. Each 吃瓜头条 LVN cohort begins in August or January. The program prepares LVNs to take the NCLEX-PN, annually given in June or July, and pass it to practice in California.听
This description of the , who work under supervision from RNs and physicians, comes from the California Department of Human Resources. It refers to working in a state-run facility, but the typical tasks can be applied in any setting.
Vocational Nursing Program Director Claire Alvarez, RN, MSN-NE, works with full-time instructors Saly Suleiman, RN, MSN, and LaTresha Thompson, RN, MSN, and 10 clinical assistants to train 40 LVN students every 18 months. There are roughly 80 total being trained per year.
The LVN program boasts one full-time classroom instructor for every 15 students and two clinical instructors for every eight. It鈥檚 quite personal instruction, which is why Alvarez keeps a photo of an instructor and student engaged in deep conversation at Mercy with her.
鈥淭hat photo embodies the LVN program right there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t shows how we come alongside and literally walk with students. We tell them, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to stretch you and push you and challenge you, but we鈥檒l be right there to guide you, so you can be a fantastic nurse in any environment.鈥欌��
Certified Nursing Assistants
The California Department of Public Health requires Nurse Assistant Training Programs to include theory and practical training that emphasizes elderly care and takes place in skilled nursing or extended care facilities, like Anberry Transitional Care in Merced and Country Villa La Sierra Care Center in Los Banos.
It takes 18 weeks to earn a CNA certificate and prepare for the NATP certification exam. The program is offered each semester. There is also a condensed summer session that presents the full program over nine weeks.
On average, 吃瓜头条 trains 150-160 new CNAs each year. There are no prerequisites to take the CNA program. Students can start the program at age 16, and once they are a high school junior. Also, anyone with CNA experience gets an extra point if they apply to the college鈥檚 RN program.听
The college waives tuition fees and financial aid for CNA students who qualify, and CNA Program Director Xochitl Tilley, RN, FNP, says most students do. There are also programs to pay for equipment like stethoscopes or blood pressure cuffs if students can鈥檛 afford them.听
鈥淭his is an entry-level program, and all types of students come to this training,鈥� Tilley said. 鈥淭hey may feel overwhelmed about where to start. But student services at the college are comprehensive and can handle just about any need the students have.鈥�
Job Prospects
The RN and LVN skill set fits anywhere nurses are needed: hospitals, clinics, jails, cancer centers, home health care, schools, etc. Alvarez added that LVNs often work multiple jobs at a time throughout their careers. The need for nurses with either license is that high.
CNAs are also needed everywhere鈥攈ospitals, skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric facilities, urgent care, as well as travel CNA opportunities.
鈥淐NA training offers job security,鈥� Tilley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great training to have. Even if they aren鈥檛 working in the field, they will always have caregiving skills. A CNA has the training to care for loved ones if that need ever arises.鈥�
The public health of the Central Valley depends on getting enough nurses to care for locals after pandemic stress forced many out of the industry. Nursing students听also had to postpone parts of their training due to the pandemic.
吃瓜头条 didn鈥檛 take as big a hit as other programs. Mercy Medical Center encouraged the college to continue sending students to train on site to gain a full understanding of what nursing is like.
Another selling point that Marson, Alvarez and Tilley all boast about is the diversity of their faculty鈥攊n age, background, experience and medical specialties. Students pursuing nursing at the college will not lack inspiration or options as to where to take their nursing career.
What is the forecast for nursing in 2023?
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 recovered from the effects of the pandemic,鈥� Marson said. 鈥淲e are at a precipice, a changing point, right now. But it鈥檚 wide open. It鈥檚 uncharted.听听
鈥淲hat we know is nursing will be very team-based. Now more than ever, we need to get the next generation to fall in love with nursing. We need to help students understand why it鈥檚 so rewarding to care for your community. The time for motivated and caring individuals to join this field is now.鈥�