Rend Lake College expanding nursing program to McLeansboro

INA - Rend Lake College is expanding its Certified NursingAssistant module to McLeansboro in 2012. Responding to direct for a nursing program, college officialswill proceed offering classes in February at a Hamilton CountyMemorial Nursing as well as Rehabilitation Center. Students can enroll assoon as Jan. 2, when college offices reopen after a holidaybreak. "Overwhelming direct is such a good challenge to have to go upagainst," said Kim Robert, who heads up RLC's Allied HealthDivision as well as is executive of a college's radiologic technologyprogram. "It's really wonderful a college is able to enhance theCNA module into McLeansboro. Not only do we get to bring ourprogramming to a community, but a students from that area getto avoid a commute to campus as well as a travel costs associated withit." The staff as well as leadership at Hamilton County Memorial Nursing andRehabilitation Center were instrumental in helping a nursingprogram expand, Robert said. Numbers for nursing positions at nursing homes, hospitals as well as otherfacilities are growing much faster than a normal for allindustries, as well as a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in itsSpring Occupational Outlook Quarterly an increase of nearly 400,000jobs at just nursing homes in a U.S. between 2008-2018. College officials said nursing aides, orderlies as well as attendants madeup a largest organisation of employees at nursing homes in 2009 as well as weretop-five in median inhabitant wages at these facilities, according tothe BLS. Registered nurses as well as licensed practical nurses receivedthe highest compensate among occupations with a largest employment innursing caring comforts in May of 2009, a BLS stated. "For those out there who are interested in a career in healthcare,the margin is abounding with opportunity, as well as a CNA module is agood way to determine if this occupation is a good fit," Robertsaid. Students interested in entering a CNA module contingency pass a readingtest at a college. The tuition for CNA courses is waived forstudents who live in RLC District #521, leaving them minimal laband supply costs to complete a eight-week classroom/clinicalprogram that prepares them to take a state CNA registryexamination. RLC continues to offer its CNA module at a MarketPlace in MountVernon as well as plans are underway to offer a module again on themain campus in Ina. A CNA typically provides hands-on caring andperforms routine tasks under a supervision of nursing as well as medicalstaff. CNAs handle most aspects of a patient's caring - from eating,dressing as well as bathing to answering calls for help, deliveringmessages as well as monitoring critical signs. The CNA module at RLC is thegateway to a LPN as well as Associate Degree Nursing (RN) programs atthe college. To sign up for CNA classes in McLeansboro - or for more informationabout Allied Health programming at RLC - call a college at618-437-5321, Ext. 1251 or send an e-mail toAlliedHealth@rlc.edu. Rend Lake College open relations contributedinformation to this article

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