Information provided by Gavilan College.
Gavilan College is planning a major restructuring of its nursing programs due to changes in the industry and a desire to help students complete programs more quickly and efficiently, according to a recent press release.
“We need to help students make the best use of their time and provide the education that will lead them to the greatest career success,” said Denee Pescarmona, vice president of academic affairs. Pescarmona, who joined Gavilan in July, has been in discussion with the nursing faculty for several months regarding potential changes to the program.
In order to facilitate the transition, the college will not be admitting a new Licensed Vocational Nursing (LVN) class in Fall 2019, the press release said.
According to the release, students who are currently enrolled in the first and second year of the four-semester LVN program will be able to complete that program as planned. Students who wish to begin an LVN program in Fall 2019 can speak with their counselors about applying at neighboring colleges. They plan to restructure and restart the LVN program for Fall 2020.
Gavilan College is still accepting Fall 2019 applications for the Registered Nursing (RN) program.
The nursing faculty hopes to restructure the program in a way that allows students to attain their career certifications more quickly. They are planning to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether the college should restructure the RN Program from the current “ladder” approach, requiring attainment of the LVN prior to application to the RN program, into a stand-alone program. They plan to accept applications for a restructured LVN program for Fall 2020.
As details become available, they will be posted at www.gavilan.edu/academic/ah/index.php.