Harford Offers Accelerated Nursing Programs

Harford Community College had received $1.2 million grant which will help them to develop their nursing program. A 15-month course was included wherein classes will be done in the evening, every weekend and thru online. The short term course will help the 88 nurses to be prepared by 2014.

An association of area hospitals named Health Services Review Cost Commission gave the grant to deal with the critical nursing scarcity. A pilot program will was launched last May by HCC together with Upper Chesapeake Health. Their goal is to provide weekend studies at its Bel Air campus and evening classes at Accelerated Nursing Program.
  
For extra accommodation for students and instructors, Web-based instructional components will be made available. The clinical requirements will be fulfilled by the students during 12-hour shifts every Saturdays and Sundays. Katherine McGuire, grants manager at HCC, stated that this is a thorough program with a selection process that is uniformly accurate. Students are really dedicated. They will learn practical, hands-on experience on how to work in a 12-hour shift. According to Jane Kapustin, Assistant Dean for the master's program at the University Of Maryland School Of Nursing, in online programs some students answer the queries at 2 a.m. or during Saturday. They have to adopt the changing environment and let the students be prepares for a 24/7 and 365 days profession. A clinical nurse leader program is offered at the University of Maryland, they want to assist those who have a bachelor’s degree in another field and want to shift to another career. Students have 2 options: 16 or 24 month programs.

In 2006, HCC received $670,000 grant that helped them to establish their first accelerated nursing program: an intensive summer course. Laura Preston, HCC Dean of Nursing, said that the accelerated courses offer the same clinical and course work in an intense time which resulted to high success rates. [via]