By Patsy Joyner
Columnist

Paul D. Camp Community College’s Nursing Program graduated its sixth class during a ceremony at the College’s Workforce Development Center on Friday.

Since beginning in August 2004 with the admission of 30 students, the program has added a CNA to RN Bridge Program and an LPN to RN Bridge Program. According to Dr. Candace Rogers, Nursing Program Head, these programs were developed to recognize the unique knowledge and healthcare experience the Certified Nurse Aide and the Licensed Practical Nurse bring to the educational setting.

Nurse graduates from the first class in 2006 through the current class of 2011 total 180. Most of the graduates live and work within their rural communities, and several have gone on to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Nursing program highlights

• The nursing program has a community focus. Each nursing student is responsible for completing 30 hours of community service during the course of the two-year program. The majority of the students complete more than the required 30 hours.
• The nursing students conduct health presentations and participate in an annual disaster drill. Again this year, the nursing faculty partnered with Southampton Memorial Hospital, and also had the participation of service-area EMTs for the first time.
• The nursing students focus on activities to promote good health. During the fall semester, PDCCC employees were able obtain free health screenings. During that time, the PDCCC nursing students provided information about various health topics.
• All nursing students and faculty attend the Virginia Nurses Association’s Annual Nurses Day at the General Assembly. The purpose of this activity is to introduce the students to their responsibilities as nurses to improve the health of their communities through the legislative process.
• During spring semester, the PDCCC Nursing Student Association exceeded its goal of raising $1,000 at a “Bowling for Babies” fundraiser held at the Franklin Bowling Center. Proceeds of more than $1,500 were donated to the Shaken Baby Syndrome of Virginia Inc., a project the students wanted to support after hearing the story of the grandson of Steve and Kathy Stowe of Hampton.

For more information on PDCCC’s Nursing Program, call 569-6731.

Career Readiness Certificate

Another career option at PDCCC is the Career Readiness Certificate, a portable credential based on WorkKeys assessments that verify to employers an individual possesses basic workforce skills needed for 21st-century jobs.

Recognized by thousands of companies nationwide, WorkKeys is a national job analysis and assessment system developed by American College Testing. To earn a Career Readiness Certificate, individuals undergo testing related to reading, applied math and locating information through the WorkKeys system.

These skill areas were identified as the most utilized assessments in the Occupational Profile database at ACT, which contains more than 13,000 job profiles.

Individual participants have the option to earn three levels of Career Readiness Certificates, based on their test performance: the Bronze Level, indicating possession of core employability skills for approximately 30 percent of the jobs profiled by WorkKeys in these skill areas; the Silver Level indicating possession of core employability skills for approximately 65 percent of the profiled jobs; and the Gold Level, indicating possession of core employability skills for approximately 90 percent of the profiled jobs.

For individuals who do not initially achieve the Career Readiness Certificate, assessment results reveal the training needed to achieve the skill levels required for obtaining the certificate. PDCCC’s Division of Workforce Services offers training and education to assist certificate seekers in boosting their skill levels to obtain a certificate.

For more details on the Career Readiness Certificate or other career options and programs, call 569-6700 or visit www.pdc.edu.