A buzz about Mt. San Jacinto College’s nursing program, boosted with a $1.49 million grant last year, has caught the attention of the state community college chancellor and an Inland congressman.

Chancellor Mark Drummond and Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, are scheduled on Tuesday to tour the Mt. San Jacinto College Menifee campus, where the program is housed. The college plans to show off its latest training and resource facilities and tout the benefits of the grant, which is part of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Nurse Education Initiative aimed at easing nursing shortages. College officials hope this visit will spark more visits by local dignitaries that will help create partnerships and promote the college.

“Their constituents are our students, or could be,” said Mark Zacovic, president of the community college district, which serves students from Banning to Perris to Temecula. “It’s important that they understand the full range of programs and services that we offer, and we’re also interested in making sure they’re aware of the needs at our college.”

With the grant, the college will be able to train up to 120 additional students for nursing careers by 2010. Each semester, about 24 students who have met nursing prerequisites become part of the grant program, which pays for tuition and books. There are 40 enrolled in the program now. Grant funds have allowed the college to hire one additional full-time faculty member and add digital resources. A new simulation lab opening Monday was also funded. It includes five computerized mannequins that moan, deliver babies, have heartbeats and can have intravenous shots.

The college also aims to solidify partnerships with Valley Health System of Hemet and the Southwest Healthcare System in Wildomar. Under the grant, the college must partner with two agencies that can provide in-kind services equivalent to matching contributions. Health providers have agreed to offer use of facilities for bedside or clinical lessons, while students commit two years to working for them.

Janci Blodgett, 27, of Hemet, said she could not pass up the opportunity to apply. After being a licensed vocational nurse for seven years, she said, Blodgett wanted to train to become a registered nurse. She said she didn’t have the funds to go back to school.

“It’s about $1,800 for a semester of books alone,” she said.

This fall will be Felicity Williams’ second semester at the college. The 26-year-old Menifee resident said everything she has learned so far in the program gets her excited about a medical career. She said instructors have taken extra time to teach things that she won’t be studying for years to come.

“So far everything I learn I want to do,” Williams said.

Rick Collins, dean of instruction, said the college wants to let visitors know how they respond to the demands in the work force. One of those areas is sonography, where health professionals perform ultrasound exams. By 2014, the diagnostic-related field will grow about 27 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The college starts a new diagnostic medical sonography associate degree and certificate program this week. Through a $98,000 grant, Collins said the college was able to purchase equipment for the program, which takes 18 months to two years to complete.

Menifee campus’ new learning resource center, child development education center, computer information-services program and plans for a new technology building will be highlighted during the tour. Zacovic said he also wants to share the district’s master facilities plan, which would accommodate up to 50,000 students by 2025.

A $720 million college bond proposal to build such facilities failed in June. Though the district missed the Aug. 11 deadline to place another measure on the November ballot, it is likely that it will ask voters to approve a bond in 2008.

“So if there is another bond election we want to make them aware why, what we’re doing and that we can count on their support,” he said.

© 2006, The Press-Enterprise Company

This entry was posted by Taman Siswa on Monday, August 14, 2006 at 12:36 am and is filed under Education News. Tags: College, Education News, Grant, Student, Study, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.