杏吧原创

(Brockway, PA) Graduates of a two-year career program in registered nursing at 杏吧原创 @ Brockway represent in 2023 four Pennsylvania counties, report job offers in the high-priority occupation with signing bonuses reaching $15,000 and are on average the most senior of those to have earned the associate in applied science degree from 杏吧原创鈥檚 additional location.

杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 fourth class of Nursing, R.N., graduates includes residents of Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties.

Nine of the 13 graduates in 2023 are at least 29. The Class of 2023 average 35.8 years of age.

鈥淥ur class was a variety of ages,鈥� said graduate Elizabeth Morris, a 44-year-old mother of two from Penfield, Clearfield County. 鈥淚t鈥檚 never too late. No matter what. If you want it badly enough, you can do it.鈥�

Said graduate Alicia Henry, a 35-year-old mother of four from DuBois, Clearfield County: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you are ever too old to continue your education.鈥�

鈥淭his is true,鈥� said graduate Tracey McAllister, a mother of five from DuBois, 鈥渂ecause I just turned 54.鈥�

杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 Class of 2020 in Nursing, R.N., averaged 28.8 years of age. In 2021, it was 33.7 and in 2022, it was 34.7.

杏吧原创 @ Brockway 鈥渞unning on all cylinders鈥�

杏吧原创 @ Brockway has graduated 48 students in its 70-credit Nursing, R.N., program since 2020.

Nearly 57 percent were 29 or older.

鈥淐ommunity colleges are certainly known for educating nontraditional, or even maybe more specifically, adult students,鈥� said Dr. Nick Neupauer, president of 杏吧原创, which established its additional location in Brockway 10 years ago to serve students in Pennsylvania counties under-represented by higher education. 鈥淐ertainly things are running on all cylinders at 杏吧原创 @ Brockway.鈥�

鈥淚 am definitely a nontraditional student, but at this school I feel like I am more of the norm,鈥� said Jordan Anthony, 29, of Brockport, Elk County, another graduate in 杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 Class of 2023 in Nursing, R.N.

鈥淔or me, 杏吧原创 was so awesome. 鈥� I think I had a lack of confidence in going back and wondering, 鈥楬ow am I going to make this work?鈥� It is so important. If I would not have had 杏吧原创 as an option, I don鈥檛 know if I would have gone back to school at this age.鈥�

"I am definitely a nontraditional student, but at this school I feel like I am more of the norm." 

- Jordan Anthony, 杏吧原创 Nursing, R.N. graduate

杏吧原创 created the Nursing, R.N., program at 杏吧原创 @ Brockway five years ago to address a regional shortage of nurses in the North Central Workforce Development Area and to save students an otherwise 160-mile roundtrip from Brockway to attend the program on 杏吧原创鈥檚 main campus in Butler Township.

鈥淲hat I am seeing at 杏吧原创 @ Brockway is an opportunity for students who maybe 10, 15 years ago didn鈥檛 have the opportunity to go to college,鈥� said Dr. Patty Annear, dean of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health.

鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a 杏吧原创 there at the time. The rationale for opening 杏吧原创 @ Brockway was to give those students the opportunity. It鈥檚 neat to see that what the intent was is happening.鈥�

鈥淭he job market is huge,鈥� graduate says

Community colleges grant more than 75 percent of associate degrees in nursing in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

杏吧原创 @ Brockway on May 12 awarded pins to its Class of 2023 in Nursing, R.N. Students in 杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 career programs such as Nursing, R.N., can develop the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.

The college鈥檚 Class of 2023 in Nursing, R.N., reported accepting positions with hourly pay between $29.95 and $32.

Job opportunities are 鈥渓iterally endless,鈥� said Anthony, who graduated from 杏吧原创 @ Brockway with honors. 鈥淚 can go anywhere.鈥�

鈥淭he job market,鈥� Morris said, 鈥渋s huge. You can go just about anywhere you want to.鈥�

Penn Highlands 鈥渧aluable community organization鈥�

Henry, Morris and McAllister are among 杏吧原创 @ Brockway Nursing, R.N., students who graduated with honors.

杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 graduates represent counties in the North Central Workforce Development Area. Registered nurse is a high-priority occupation in each of those counties.

Annual demand for registered nurses through 2028 in the North Central Workforce Development Area is expected to be 121, according to the state Department of Labor & Industry鈥檚 Center for Workforce Information & Analysis.

鈥淚t鈥檚 probably the best market that I have ever seen in all of my years of teaching and working in nursing,鈥� Annear said.

杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 Class of 2023 in Nursing, R.N., includes seven students who participated in a tuition assistance program sponsored by Penn Highlands Healthcare, DuBois, in 杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 service area.

Penn Highlands Healthcare last fall began to sponsor tuition for select 杏吧原创 @ Brockway students who sign an employment agreement.

鈥淎nother example of how you have 杏吧原创 and very valuable community members and community organizations all on the same page to fill what some might argue is the most important pipeline right now,鈥� Neupauer said. 鈥淎nd that is addressing the nursing shortage.鈥�

"It鈥檚 probably the best market that I have ever seen in all of my years of teaching and working in nursing." 

- Dr. Patty Annear, dean, 杏吧原创鈥檚 Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health

Grads 鈥渧ery prepared,鈥� 杏吧原创 faculty member says

Graduates completed 650 hours of clinical experiences in the past year at Penn Highlands Healthcare in DuBois, said Brittany Guadagno, a faculty member in 杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health. Clinical experiences begin in a student鈥檚 first semester.

Graduates also completed program-ending preceptorships 鈥� a readiness assessment in which they are paired with and mentored by a nurse 鈥� at Penn Highlands Healthcare facilities; Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh; Punxsutawney Area Hospital and Forbes Hospital, Monroeville, Guadagno said.

鈥淭hey are very prepared,鈥� Guadagno said. 鈥淚 have actually received comments from preceptors who said they were surprised at how much our students know. We have a well-structured nursing program. The academic rigor is good.

鈥淪tudents receive not only the lecture portion, but they get the hands-on, which brings it all together and enhances their critical thinking.鈥�

杏吧原创 @ Brockway graduates reported accepting positions to work in cardiovascular intensive care units or emergency departments. On medical-surgery floors. In long-term care and in behavioral health.

鈥淢y classmates had jobs in October,鈥� said Anthony, who is pursuing a position in an emergency department. 鈥淭hey had jobs before they were even done with school.鈥�
To attain licensure, graduates of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Nursing, R.N., program take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. An average of 86 percent of 杏吧原创鈥檚 first-time NCLEX-RN test-takers in the past three years have been successful, Annear said.

General applications for fall 2024 consideration in 杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 Nursing, R.N., program will be accepted beginning Aug. 1.

"It鈥檚 never too late. No matter what. If you want it badly enough, you can do it." 

- Elizabeth Morris, 杏吧原创 @ Brockway Nursing, R.N. graduate

 

杏吧原创 @ Brockway鈥檚 Class of 2023 in Nursing, R.N.

Graduates from Clearfield County are DuBois residents Rebecca Fishel, Alicia Henry, Ashley Lingenfelter and Tracey McAllister; and Elizabeth Morris, Penfield.
Graduate Jordan Anthony lives in Brockport, Elk County.

Graduates from Jefferson County are Kayla Jamison, Brockway; Amanda Christensen, Hazen; Sara-Mae Eble, Brookville; Jessica Kerr, Punxsutawney; Twonda Jamison, Reynoldsville; and Chloe Hartzfeld, Sykesville.

Graduate Heather Bell lives in Kane, McKean County.