Published on 11/14/2019.
At their meeting today, November 14th, the California Board of Registered Nursing approved the College of the Redwoods Del Norte Licensed Vocational Nursing/Paramedic (LVN/PMED) to Registered Nurse (RN) Career Mobility Program. Students who have completed LVN or Paramedic degrees can now become RNs in just three semesters at the CR campus in Crescent City. The first cohort of ten students will begin in the spring 2020 semester.
This program, which is expected to alleviate some of the critical nursing shortfall in Del Norte County, has been many years in the making and would not have been possible without the hard work of former CR Nursing program director Alison Pritchard, current director Roberta Farrar, LVN faculty member, Dr. Melody Pope, and Senator Mike McGuire.
Senator McGuire describes the importance of the program this way, “The launch of the College of the Redwood's LVN to RN program in Del Norte County is critical to solving the North Coast's severe nursing shortage. The college has been tenacious in their pursuit of this program, which will create hundreds of family-sustaining jobs in the years to come. It's also a critical component of the soon-to-be launched Bachelor's of Science in Nursing program at Humboldt State. We've been honored to work with both colleges over the past couple of years on this initiative and we congratulate CR on their program approval!”
CR trustee for the Del Norte region Carol Mathews agrees, stating, “Establishment of this program reaches a long-held goal of the Del Norte campus and the community. The program will build critical nursing personnel in the region by adding 10 slots to the current capacity of the district's LVN-RN Bridge program and should result in building the pool of registered nurses in our community.”
Students in the one and a half year program will join classes on the CR Eureka campus through telepresence. There will also be an on-site instructor to answer student questions, oversee in-class activities and otherwise facilitate student learning. Students will perform their clinical rotations at Sutter Coast Hospital, as well as at other health care centers in the area.
College of the Redwoods has already started to notify students on the LVN/PMED waitlist and LVNs who have recently completed the program within the district and the program is expected to fill fast.
CR’s Board of Trustee President Bruce Emad is enthusiastic about the new program, stating, “This approval signifies a milestone in our efforts to provide advance educational opportunities to our students. It will also help us fulfill our long-standing commitment to alleviate the nursing shortage on the north coast.”
For more information or to apply to the program, please visit redwoods.edu/cte/Health-Occupations/LVN-RN
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Photos: Senator Mike McGuire talks with CR Nursing Director Roberta Farrar and her students. CR Del Norte campus photo.