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Is a health care career in your future?
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Have you ever considered a health care career, perhaps even as a second career?
We recently spoke to Marco resident Patricia Arcidiacono, Program Coordinator for the Basic Nursing Program at Edison College’s Collier Campus. Two other Marco Island nursing professors have also been teaching nursing at Edison since 2004: Regina Gorski, who teaches Fundamentals of Nursing and Health Assessment classes, Debra Ebaugh who teaches Adult Nursing I and the Mental Health classes. All three educators are Registered Nurses who are masters prepared in nursing.
Pat describes the current needs for RN’s.
“There is always a need for nurses in this area. Naples and Marco Island have a seasonal population which makes the demand for nurses variable during several months of the year. However, with the booming population in Southwest Florida the need for healthcare workers will be on the rise. Also, the average age of a nurse is 48 years old. It is anticipated that the baby-boomer-aged nurses will be retiring soon leaving openings to be filled by future nurses. Additionally, with the baby boomer population making up such a large percentage of the U.S. population, and the diseases and chronic conditions that go along with the aging process, there will be an even greater need for nurses in the future.”
There are actually two nursing programs on the Collier Campus. The Basic Nursing Program is designed for students with no previous healthcare background. The Advanced Placement Program is designed for individuals with healthcare backgrounds as either a Licensed Practical Nurse, a Paramedic, a Respiratory Therapist, or a Cardiovascular Technician who want to change their career.
Both programs make the student eligible to take their licensing exam to become a Registered Nurse.
Although the Advanced Placement Program has been on the Collier campus since the 1983, the Basic Nursing Program began in the Summer of 2002 and graduated its first class in May 2004 with 16 graduates.
Since then there have been 8 graduating classes with double the amount of students graduating in each class.
The Advanced Placement Program admits 12 students once a year and the Collier Basic Nursing Program admits 48 students twice a year. While graduates ranged in age from 22 to 60, the average age is between 30-35.
The student population is represented by a variety of races and nationalities. Approximately 10-20 percent are males. There are also students in the program who after many years in a different field now desire to change their career and become a nurse.
Students complete 72 course hours to graduate the program. The Basic Nursing Program is four and a half semesters long and the Advanced Placement Program is three semesters.
Upon graduation the students receive an Associate in Applied Science degree. In addition to many nursing courses, students take the following general education courses: algebra, human biology, anatomy and physiology I and II, English, humanities, microbiology, general psychology, human growth and development.
Students do receive information in the program about alternative therapies but there are not specific courses on either alternative medicine or geriatrics. All of the nursing courses do address the needs of the elderly population and the students practice clinical nursing in several geriatric facilities in Collier County.
Nursing program students learn nursing in many Collier County facilities, including: Naples Community Hospital and Physicians Regional Medical Center for their hospital experiences, the Willough for psychiatric experiences, the Multiple Sclerosis House, and facilities of Hospice, Big Cypress, Marion E. Fether, and Manor Care.
The students are expected to obtain 16 hours of community service and have been involved in the Heart walk, the MS walk, and with the Lions Club eye screening activities where they take blood pressures and glucose checks in Immokalee.
Many of the nursing students work in healthcare while receiving their education at Edison. Some work in the community as an LPN or CNA (Certified Nursing Assistants), which they received from a vocational program or through the high school medical academies prior to entering the nursing program.
Other students work in the hospital as a Clinical Technician after they have completed their first semester of the Basic Nursing Program. Working in this capacity is advantageous to a student because it increases their exposure to the healthcare system and assists them to decide upon the type of nursing they would like to pursue after graduation.
For more information contact Patricia Arcidiacono for the Basic Nursing Program at 732-3746 or e-mail parcidiacono@edison.edu and Gayle Wetzel for the Advanced Placement Program at 732-3747 or e-mail gwetzel@edison.edu.
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