Roxbury Community College gets approval to start new nursing program in fall 2021

Roxbury Community College will soon offer a completely new nursing program next fall, which aims to serve the diverse needs of Boston’s health care industry, according to the program’s director.

“Especially in a time when we are struggling through this global pandemic with health concerns at the forefront of everybody’s mind, this is a great opportunity,” said Valerie Roberson, president of Roxbury Community College.

RCC has been without a nursing program for a year after the school lost its accreditation from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing because of a lack of stability in leadership and failure to meet curriculum standards.

Roberson said the process of regaining accreditation was a big project, and now the Board of Registration in Nursing has granted the school initial approval.

The new nursing program is entirely different from before, said Stephanie Victoria, RCC director of nursing.

“It’s a brand new, completely new curriculum, completely new courses, completely new textbooks, completely new faculty,” said Victoria, who added she is looking forward to hiring faculty and creating a strong team of educators.

The two-year, full-time day program will contain 40 students for the first cohort and the application for the fall 2021 start date is April 15, according to Victoria.

She said students are already very interested, and inquiries “are coming out of the woodwork.” Victoria said she wouldn’t be surprised to see 300 applicants for the program.

Victoria said she is looking forward to giving students a high quality education with cutting edge technology, a simulation lab and new curriculum.

Victoria said every time a new nurse enters the workforce, “We are improving society and that’s truly how I feel.”

She said RCC has many students of color, international students and diversity in several areas that will serve Boston well.

Roberson said, “What COVID has shown us is that individuals need to have a trust in health care providers and sometimes that trust comes from having people that look like you and speak the same language as you.”

She said RCC has maintained strong relationships with health care providers in Boston who are anxious for the program to be up and running “because our nurses are some of the most diverse in the commonwealth.”

RCC also has other health science programs including radiologic technology, phlebotomy, clinical medical assistant and medical billing and coding.

Roberson and Victoria said staff will be hard at work hiring faculty and preparing for the fall when they are excited to welcome in the first cohort which will graduate in May 2023.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/351vUno