SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) is offering a new program for NWACC students and high school students to complete a nursing degree in a year or three semesters.
The Practical Nursing program accepted applications for students over the summer. High school students will begin their course at Don Tyson School for Innovation in January. The 11 students had orientation on Nov. 11.
"They're going to learn anything to do with nursing, vital signs, documentation, anything they need," said Carla Boyd, Director of Nursing for NWACC. "They can work in hospitals, clinicals, doctors' offices, whatever they wanted to do."
Practical nurses monitor patients' health and administer basic patient care. They also help provide basic comfort for the patient.
The program is completely funded for high school students from the Arkansas Office of Skills Development. After three semesters in the classroom and at clinicals at local hospitals, students will be able to sit for their practical nursing NCLEX.
If they pass, they'll be licensed as an LPN, and they can immediately start applying for jobs. Boyd said their salary could range from $45,000 to $55,000.
"We're really excited for what they can get out of it," Boyd said. "Nursing changes rapidly. There's nothing that just stays the same in nursing, in any of the medical fields, so we highly recommend our students keep going, keep progressing and keep furthering that education, because it's only going to broaden their horizons and open more doors for them."
Boyd said they designed the program to fit the needs and demands of a growing Northwest Arkansas.
"We're just trying to keep up with the growth and hospitals, physicians, offices, schools, they're all just they're really needing nurses, and so this is another opportunity," Boyd said. "We can get it done while they're still in school, and they can get out into the workforce faster."
The program can accept up to 16 students from any high school in Northwest Arkansas.
Bailey Stephens is a senior at Don Tyson School of Innovation. She's one of the 11 starting the program in January.
"I've always wanted to be in a career where I could help people and that was kind of my main motivation," Stephens said. "I've been taking some NWACC classes here at Don Tyson that are kind of geared toward healthcare, and I learned about the program through those classes."
Stephens said she's excited for the program to give her hands on experience. She's interested in becoming a pediatric nurse.
"I'm really excited for the clinical aspect of it to kind of get a more hands on approach, because you can read a lot about nursing every day and learn about it in class, but it's really different to actually get that hands-on experience," Stephens said. "I'm really hoping to work on some more practical skills and patient care in hospital settings."
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