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Nurses graduate from Rappahannock Community College in large numbers this spring
BY MEGAN WILLIAMS Fifty-four women and six men received associate degrees in nursing from Rappahannock Community College May 8, one fewer than the total from the past three years combined. The demand for nurses has a lot to do with the current surge in nursing profession graduates. "Students are looking for job security in this economy," said Sara Headley, a nursing instructor at RCC. "They can go to any city or community in the country and find a job as a nurse. And they're trying to find the fastest route toward becoming one." An associate degree in nursing takes two years of study as opposed to the four years it takes to receive a bachelor's degree. The surge in graduates may be due to the program's becoming easier for the participants. Not in terms of course load, but in getting there. Prior to this year, students completed one of the program's two years at RCC and the other at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond. The effect of having both years in one location is evident in the numbers: 20 graduates in 2006, 26 in 2007, 15 in 2008 and 60 in 2009. The 60 graduates attended a pinning ceremony on May 8. Elizabeth Crowther, president of RCC, spoke at the ceremony along with the co-class presidents. Most graduates will now take the registered nursing exam and continue on to work at area hospitals, according to Tom Martin, Rappahannock Com-munity College public information officer. "Some already have temporary employment," Headley said. "Legally they can work as an RNA, registered nursing applicant, before they take the state exam." The program, similar to Germanna Community College's associate degree in nursing program, consists of 69 credit hours over four semesters. The number of students attending Germanna who receive an associate degree in nursing has remained steady over the past few years, differing by only a few students each year. Classes are typically filled to capacity. Seventy-two students completed the program this year, according to Barbara Taylor of the public information office at Germanna. RCC will most likely see a decrease in the number of associate degree in nursing graduates in the next few years due to spaces in clinical classes becoming more limited, according to Headley. Megan Williams: 540/374-5000,
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