Nursing cohort expands to accept 60 students per semester
April 4, 2023Yuma, AZ (April 4, 2023) – To help address nursing shortages affecting our communities, Arizona Western College has expanded its Nursing Program to accept an additional 20 students per semester.
This spring, AWC began accepting 60 students for its Nursing cohort, of which there are currently 54 students enrolled. Previously, the program only accepted 40 students each Fall and Spring.
“Yuma County is a rural area that needs more healthcare workers, especially as our community continues to grow,” said Cinthia Alvarez, AWC Director of Nursing. “It is exciting to lead the nursing program in the expansion, because our community partners have received the expansion so well. The college is happy to continue to serve the Yuma community.”
In 2021, graduates from the AWC Nursing Program saw a 97.6 percent job placement rate and an 82.6 percent placement for jobs in Yuma County.
“During a time when there is a shortage of nurses nationwide, Arizona Western College’s Nursing Program is continuing to build up a knowledgeable and qualified workforce of nurses to help fill the gaps,” said Reetika Dhawan, AWC Vice President of Workforce Development & CTE.
The AWC Nursing Program prepares students to earn a two-year Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing. After students complete their first three semesters in the program, they have the option of taking the LPN exam and exiting the program or continuing to complete their last semester of nursing school to be eligible to test for a Registered Nurse (RN) License. The program also includes opportunities to become a Certified or Licensed Nursing Assistant (CNA, LNA). Learning experiences include classroom, lab, clinical, and online settings as well as computer interactive learning and simulation.
More information about AWC’s Nursing Program can be found here. Admission into the AWC Nursing Program can lead to eligibility for entrance into a baccalaureate degree program in Nursing as part of a concurrent enrollment program with Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University or University of Phoenix. Once a student is admitted to the AWC RN Program, they can pursue a baccalaureate degree and potentially graduate with their associate and baccalaureate degrees in Nursing.
The AWC Nursing Program has been approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing and is also accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
Contact:
Cinthia Alvarez
Director of Nursing
Arizona Western College
Cinthia.Alvarez@azwestern.edu
(928) 317-6038