by Carol Jonson

Wanted: Women and men for in-demand careers. Flexible hours. Lots of options. The toughest job you will ever love. That’s what you’ll discover a career in nursing is all about. Opportunities abound

If you’re looking for job security, choosing nursing as a career looks very promising. Hospitals and other health care facilities are crying for qualified nurses, creating a shortage that is expected to continue for the next 20 years. Projections indicate that by 2020, nearly 20 percent of nursing jobs will be vacant because there aren’t enough new recruits to fill positions left open as current nurses retire. Not only can you find job security in the nursing profession, you’ll also discover its flexibility.

Nurses can work days, evenings, midnights, weekends, full-time or part-time. In addition, you’ll find it’s a profession open to letting you take time out to raise a family, then return to work when you choose. Nurses can work in a variety of areas: emergency medicine, surgery,  pediatrics, psychiatric, obstetrics. They can choose their settings: hospital, clinic, medical office, prison, school, factory or any number of other locations.

Salaries for nurses in southeast Michigan can range from $30,000 a year for individuals who are licensed practical nurses to more than $50,000 for individuals who are registered nurses with an associate’s degree from a community college.

Today, 70 percent of registered nurses have associate degrees. Continuing your education with a bachelor’s degree offers additional opportunities in public health and community nursing, and more opportunities for leadership. With a master’s degree, a nurse may become a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist or clinical nurse specialist.

OCC nursing programs

• Associate Degree in Nursing
• Practical Nurse Education
• Second Year Associate Degree Completion Option
• Transitional LPN to Associate Degree Nurse OCC’s two-year, 72-credit

Associate Degree in Nursing program is one of the most respected in the nation, according to Dr. Boulos. "OCC associate degree graduates have exceptionally high passing rates the first time they take their state and national licensure exams," Dr. Boulos says. "More than 95 percent of our graduates pass on the first try, versus the state and national averages of 85 and 86 percent." And passing rates for OCC’s licensed practical nurse graduates have been 100 percent on the first attempt for the past four years.

In the college’s Practical Nurse Education program, students follow the same first-year course of study as students in the associate degree program. After completing the program (this can be done in three semesters once students have completed pre-requisite courses in microbiology, human anatomy and physiology, according to Dr. Boulos), students are eligible to take their licensure exams. Many LPN graduates decide to return to school to complete an associate degree and become registered nurses.

OCC’s Second Year Associate Degree Nursing Completion program is designed for OCC-graduated LPNs. After completing an additional 31.5 hours of credit, they earn their Associate Degree in Nursing and can take the state and national exams to become licensed as registered nurses.

The fourth nursing program at OCC is the newest, and just graduated its first class of 42 in December 2002. A second group of more than 150 is expected to graduate in April. This 63-credit program - Transitional LPN to Associate Degree - began in September 2001 in response to community need, and is the only one of its kind in Oakland County. It’s designed for individuals working as licensed practical nurses who graduated from schools other than OCC, and it offers individuals "a marvelous way to expand and build on their knowledge and work experience. The program is very progressive and takes the needs of adult learners into consideration," Dr. Boulos explains. Area hospitals have been very supportive of the program, Dr. Boulos says, and many are clinical training sites for OCC nursing students. "These hospitals know the quality of OCC’s programs and our graduates are in demand."

In our Winter, 2001 edition we reported the story of Delicia Lewis, an Oakland Community College Licensed Practical Nurse program graduate who had returned to OCC to enroll in a new program that enables an LPN to make the transition to Registered Nurse by taking an additional 31.5 credits of course work. Here’s an update on Delicia’s progress over the past year. As part of her studies Delicia was assigned to Henry Ford Hospital for her clinical training practicum in general medicine. So impressed were her superiors that they began recruiting her before she graduated. Delicia finished classes with OCC in the fall semester, scoring all A’s and B’s (except for one C), and completed her coursework on December 13, 2002. In exactly one month’s time she was hired by Henry Ford Health System (HFHS). As part of the hiring process Delicia took the six-part HFHS Entrance Nursing Test, earning the highest score that any candidate had ever attained on the exam. Now, she is preparing for the state licensing exam in early March. For her part, Delicia is very pleased with her new job. "I like being at HFHS because it’s a teaching hospital…I wouldn’t mind staying here until retirement" she says. Obviously, Henry Ford Health System is just as positive about Delicia.