IMMEDIATE
NURSING BECOMES
SINGLE LARGEST MAJOR AT ABAC
TIFTON—For the first time
ever, the nursing program is the single largest major at
Many job opportunities are available in the field of nursing due to the current shortage in the nursing occupation. With incentives like sign-on bonuses and offers of paid relocation, the interest in nursing is growing steadily. And the same is true of the nursing population at ABAC.
“As of now, there are currently 297 new students enrolled in nursing for
fall semester. By fall there should be over 500 additional students in pre-nursing
courses,” said
There are also other changes taking place within the Division of Nursing. “There has been an increase in the number of younger students entering into the nursing field,” said Golden.
Another trend change is the increase in younger males, and males in general, entering the program. Golden said, “We had seven male graduates this past semester. That is double the amount we have had previously. Usually we have older male applicants.”
The third change taking place in the field of nursing is the growing number of people who are getting into nursing as a second career. “Non-traditional students make up 65 percent of our population,” said Golden. “We’ve also had students who were husband and wife, parent and child, or siblings attending the program together.”
There are two ABAC programs available for those interested in the nursing field. Those with no medical background or experience can take the two year program. This consists of learning the basics and then building on them through the semesters. Those who choose to get their R.N. degree this way sometimes opt for getting their core classes out of the way in order to focus solely on their nursing courses later. As a result, the program could take three years to complete.
The average pass rate for the Registered Nurse Licensing Exam at ABAC has consistently been in the 90 percent range, with last year’s range at 94.9 percent.
The second ABAC program is geared to those participants who have some form of
Page 2 of 2 Nursing Program Continued
medical training. It’s to provide advanced placement status to people who already have the
experience as an LPN, paramedic, respiratory therapist, or surgical technician. Unlike the regular nursing program, this is a once a week endeavor on Wednesdays. Students in this program are ready to take the R.N. licensing exam in 12 months.
Participants interested in either program must apply to both ABAC and the Division of Nursing. The deadline for admission to the two-year degree program for spring is Sept. 15. For those persons already in the medical field, the admission deadline for the transition program is Feb. 15 for the term starting in June, 2005.
Financial assistance is available for both programs. For more information on that assistance, contact the Financial Aid office at (229) 386-3235. For more information on the nursing programs available, go to www.abac.edu for online applications and descriptions of programs or contact the Nursing Division at (229) 386-3262.
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