LUMBERTON — Robeson Community College board of trustees members were told Monday a program that has yet to start already has been approved by the state Board of Nursing.
The college’s Paramedic to RN Bridge Program is set to start next summer, said Eva Meekins, Nursing Department director. The program will allow paramedics to spend three years studying at RCC to get an associate’s degree in nursing and then one year at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke to finish studies to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“We are one of the few schools in the state that offer a paramedic to ADN program,” Meekins said.
The bridge program will allow students to become certified as a paramedic at RCC, go to work as a paramedic, and come back to pursue a nursing degree, she said. Going to work to earn money is an important aspect of the bridge program. Some students need to receive a paycheck in order to gain the financial freedom to pursue higher education in any field of study, including nursing.
The program already has garnered a lot of interest.
There have been 5,000 Facebook hits expressing interest in the program, said Eric Freeman, Emergency Medical Science Program director.
“We don’t have the capacity to meet the demand,” Meekins said.
The bridge program will not deplete the county’s paramedic force, Freeman said. The college already has determined that not every paramedic in the county wants to pursue a nursing degree.
“I think it’s a great program, a great niche,” said Trustee Raymond Cummings, who also is chairman of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners.
In related nursing news, Meekins told the trustees that RCC’s nursing program has been pre-approved for accreditation by the National League of Nursing.
Receiving accreditation means the nursing program meets all the academic standards set by the National League of Nursing.
“There was a lot of work behind that pre-approval. It’s not an easy thing,” RCC President Kimberly Gold said.
Hurricane Florence caused very little damage to the RCC campus, said Tami George, college vice president and chief financial officer. A lot of shingles were blown off the Student Services Building, and wind-driven water entered through the double doors of Building 17, on the northeast edge of the campus. There was evidence of water puddling in other buildings, but there was no flooding.
“Wind-driven water is not covered by insurance,” board Chairman Sammy Cox Jr. said.
The college is working with its insurance carrier, George said. An estimate of the cost to repair the storm damage has not been worked up. The trustees will be notified once a cost estimate has been determined.
In other business, the trustees:
— Approved technical revisions to its Facility Naming Policy and approved a Board Self-Evaluation Policy, which is a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation requirement.
— Gave first-reading approval to technical revisions to Academic Freedom and Grievance policies.
— Learned that Connie Ivey, assistant vice president of University Transfer & Health Science, has been nominated for Southeastern Health’s 2018 Regional Community Health Awards for her “extraordinary work in advancing the health of our communities through partnerships, learning and providing high quality and compassionate care.”