Rogue Community College (RCC) received final approval this week from the Oregon State Board of Nursing (OSBN) to nearly double the size of the Associate Degree of Science in Nursing Registered Nurse (ADN-RN) training program, increasing available training spots by up to 24 students annually.
“Leaders in our nursing program worked quickly and effectively to expand offerings,” said President Randy Weber. “With the commitment of our health care partners across Southern Oregon, we are excited to be creating solutions to the region’s nursing shortage.”
Set to launch in April 2024, students in the new spring-start cohort will complete their training in six consecutive terms using a condensed timeframe. To efficiently coordinate faculty and clinical placements, the spring ADN-RN group will run continuously from first-year to second-year coursework without breaking for summer terms.
“It is so exciting to see this new opportunity open for our students,” said Deneen Silva, RCC’s director of Nursing and Allied Health. “The effort to add these training spots is a true collaboration. We have worked with regional health providers to assess the need for RNs and the strength of the training pipeline. From this work, we knew we could make a positive impact with this program expansion.”
“We have consistently had strong demand for the RN program,” Silva said, “and by increasing our open spots, we will help more students reach their career dreams.”
According to the 2020 Oregon Longitudinal Data Collaborative study, more than 8,000 qualified student applications were submitted to nursing programs in 2020, yet only 19% were accepted.
RCC Nursing Administrator Margaret Brewer stated, “There is a visible gap between nurses in the workforce and nursing students graduating from RCC. The college is poised and ready through further expansion of the ADN-RN training program to work toward reducing that gap.”
To meet OSBN training standards, students must complete hands-on clinical training. RCC health care partners Asante (Rogue Regional Medical Center and Three Rivers Medical Center) and Providence Medford Medical Center both committed to ensuring RCC students will have enough clinical placements to complete their required training, without limiting access by other established schools in the region.
RCC is also working to expand clinical placement training agreements with regional surgery centers, long term care and rehabilitation facilities, home health and hospice agencies, wound clinics and local jails. “Students will have opportunities to train in multiple settings beyond acute care,” Brewer said.
In addition to the ADN-RN pathway, RCC offers a Practical Nursing (PN) program and a Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Advanced Placement to RN program. Entry-level training in nurse assisting is also available through a six-week Nursing Assistant 1 (NA1) program.
Application information and deadlines are available on the RCC website, www.roguecc.edu, or by phone, 541-956-7500. The application for the winter-term ADN-RN program opens in July 2023.
Source: RCC
