The shortage of registered nurses in South Florida could be eased by Palm Beach Community Colleges new part-time nursing program funded by a nearly $650,000 three-year grant from the Palm Healthcare Foundation. The program enables full-time employees and parents to attend nursing school.
“We needed a more flexible delivery method. Since we have so many non-traditional students, we needed a nursing program that wasnt offered during the day Monday through Friday,” explained Joanne Masella, PBCC registered nursing program coordinator. Classes in PBCCs new part-time program, which began in January, 2005, are offered evenings, weekends and online. Prerequisite courses for admission into the program are now available online, too. Clinical practicums in hospitals and other health care agencies are scheduled for Saturdays. The associate in applied sciences degree will take two years and nine months to complete. “This grant helps to address the nursing shortage crisis by opening access to education to students who would normally not be able to attend classes,” said Suzette Wexner, President of PHF. “The part-time nursing program is anticipated to attract a much more diverse population of students, including minorities, older students, parents and second career seekers.”
