State officially announced on Oct. 25 its new nursing program, which is exciting for many.
“They’ve been trying for 10 years,” said Dr. Mary Sizemore, director of nursing for State’s new program. “The last nursing program had been through the community and tech college, but it moved to BridgeValley.”
According to Sizemore, only she and Dr. J. Paige Carney, dean of the College of Professional Studies, are employed by the nursing program, but “many others have shown interest in working for the department.” They still are in the process of hiring teachers.
“The first classes are scheduled for the fall semester of 2020,” Sizemore said.
“The funding for the program came mostly through donations,” Sizemore said. “The Dickinson Foundation, the Maier Foundation and the Jacobson Foundation, and most of the equipment came from CAMC.
“There are only 30 slots in the first class,” Sizemore said, making the start of the program very competitive. “Candidates must pass the application process, an entrance test and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5.”
“The plan is to train and keep qualified nurses in the region,” Sizemore said. “We just need more of them.”
