Gwinnett Tech to Offer Registered Nursing Program
Associate Degree Program Will Begin Accepting Applicants in August; Initial Class of 40 Students Will Start in September 2009
Gwinnett Technical College will now offer an associate of applied science degree in nursing and will begin accepting applications for the program August 1, 2008.
Gwinnett Tech has received developmental approval from the Georgia Board of Nursing to offer the associate degree nursing program. Those admitted in the first class -- 40 students -- will start classes in September 2009. The admissions deadline for this class will be January 15, 2009.
"We are eager to serve the community with an associate degree RN program. There's a tremendous need for additional nurses in the community and we know that our program will make a real difference for students, residents and healthcare employers," says Sharon Bartels, president, Gwinnett Tech.
The addition of the associate degree RN program, explains Bartels, reflects the continued demand for healthcare professionals and the college's commitment to fill that need. Funding for a new Life Sciences Building at Gwinnett Tech was approved this year as a part of the state's budget. The building will ultimately provide space for additional classrooms and students in Gwinnett Tech's nine Health Science programs, including nursing.
Kim Hudson-Gallogly, MS, RN, WHNP-BC, will serve as the nursing program director. Hudson-Gallogly has almost twenty years experience in clinical nursing and nursing education. Most recently, she served as an assistant professor at North Georgia College and State University and as a women's health nurse practitioner for Student Health Services at the college. Hudson-Gallogly earned a bachelor of science in nursing from Georgia College and a master of science as a woman's health care nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist from Georgia State University. She is now completing a PhD in adult education from the University of Georgia.
"Nursing is a discipline like no other. Great nurses not only have great compassion, but also must have a comprehensive and leading-edge education, strong clinical training and proven critical thinking skills," explains Hudson-Gallogly. "Gwinnett Tech's health science graduates – across the board – have earned an outstanding reputation and we look forward to continuing that standard of excellence in the degreed nursing program."
Gwinnett Tech nursing students will complete their clinical training at area hospitals, including Gwinnett Medical Center and Emory Eastside Medical Center.
Gwinnett Tech has offered a practical nursing diploma program for many years, and will graduate the current class of practical nursing students in June 2009. As the college implements the new associate degree nursing program, the practical nursing diploma program will be on hiatus.
Once the associate degree nursing program is underway, Gwinnett Tech will apply for candidacy to earn accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, a timeline that will accommodate accreditation before the first class graduates. While specific academic programs at the college often earn specialized industry accreditation, Gwinnett Tech is also accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
For more information about Gwinnett Tech's Nursing program or about any of the college's more than 45 program options, contact 770-962-7580 or visit www.gwinnetttech.edu.
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