Nursing CE Central
Tri County Tech in Oklahoma has announced a new accelerated LPN program for local high schoolers. Beginning in August 2024, students accepted into this program will start working as nursing assistants a full year before peers in traditional nursing programs.
Students will be able to save money by gaining nursing experience before they graduate high school and get the qualifications needed to work while pursuing higher education.
The nursing bridge program is one of the many avenues Oklahoma is undertaking to combat the rising nurse shortage. Oklahoma currently ranks 46th in the United States for nurses per capita.
Learn the full details of this new program and how it was created in our full article.
Currently, the Nursing Assistant Program is one of the most competitive pathways at Tri County Tech, with nearly 100 students competing for 48 seats. Students in this program gain experience through labs and clinical simulations.
After graduating from the Nursing Assistant program, I went on to the Practical Nursing program. From the clinical programs to simulation labs to discussions, you learn everything you need to know to grow as a future nurse and person.
– Gracie P, Tri County Tech Graduate
Once the program is completed, students take a state certification exam and begin working as certified nursing assistants (CAN). Of the 48 students in the Nursing Assistant Program, 16 exceptional students will be offered an accelerated track into practical nursing.
If they continue with the practical nursing plan, graduates will continue studying for seven months before becoming certified LPNs. This bridge program allows them to start working as LPNs a full year before peers in traditional nursing programs.
Students will participate in over 600 hours of clinical experience across a variety of healthcare settings to give them hands-on experience in nursing. This clinical experience will be offered alongside various introductory courses to give students the foundational knowledge they need to care for patients.
The following list of courses is available through the nursing assistant and practical nursing program:
The nursing bridge program also offers certifications in long-term care, home health aid, and CPR/First aid.
While most students will likely begin working full-time once certified as LPNs, they can also leverage these course credits and clinical experience to transfer into a four-year advanced degree program.
Tri County Tech has an established relationship with Oklahoma Wesleyan University, allowing students to automatically transfer credits from the nursing bridge program to a bachelor’s degree. Students will be able to work as nurses locally while finishing their bachelor’s degree, creating more experienced nurses who are invested in their community.
Tri County Tech received $1.6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act, a grant totaling $1.9 trillion to combat economic and employment issues from COVID-19. These funds were used to help Americans who lost their job during quarantine, test vaccines, and improve public health infrastructure.
The grant was used to fund the Nursing Bridge program at Tri County Tech, as well as a complete renovation of the existing healthcare facility.
Tri County Tech is not the first to cultivate high school talent in nursing. There are currently over 70 schools that offer direct admit, allowing qualified high school students to enter directly into nursing school at university.
For adult nurses looking to further their career in nursing, there are also graduate nursing programs that offer guaranteed admission. Once again, this allows nurses to gain experience through accelerated programs and get back to direct care sooner.Â
Many nursing schools and hospitals have started initiatives to grow the nursing workforce. Tri County Tech is now taking it a step further by preparing high school students for a career in nursing.
The nursing bridge programs allow students to save money by taking on fundamental academics while still in high school and then transitioning into real-life care settings to gain hands-on clinical experience. As new nurses enter the field every year, programs like this give students an edge over the coming generation of nurses.
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