Fort Myers Technical College is introducing a new program that will facilitate future healthcare professionals' journey to becoming a registered nurse in less time and for a fraction of the cost. Classes started Monday, June 8.
The program allows you to first become an LPN, or licensed practical nurse, which can do things like draw blood.
Once you become a licensed practical nurse in the state of Florida through the Board of Nursing, you can then become an RN. They can do more advanced tasks, such as providing a health assessment of a patient.
It's helping fill a critical nursing shortage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the United States will need another 203,000 new RNs every year until 2026 to fill openings.
This program was created by Fort Myers Technical College Nursing Instructor Mary Anne Enns.
"This program is unique in that we're hybrid and so we run six-week courses," Dr. Enns said. "Weeks one and six are in the classroom from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m."
The novel LPN to RN pathway takes two years instead of four and saves the student more than $53,000.
The LPN-RN pathway has the following total estimated cost and time breakdown:
- Practical Nursing Program at FMTC: $7,684 and is a 1,350-hour program lasting 12 months
- IV Therapy at FMTC: $410 and is a 30-hour program lasting 1 week
- Professional Nursing (LPN-RN) Program at FMTC: $7,555 and is a 900-hour program lasting 12 months
According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the average cost of attendance without room or board for the same program is $69,004 and takes a minimum of four years to complete. The total cost of the Fort Myers Technical College LPN to RN Pathway is estimated at $15,649 and takes only two years.
Students who are in the program said the cost and time are a huge deal.
"As a single-income family with a child and full-time work and everything, the pricing and the fact that it was only going to take me a year as an older person was awesome," said student Elizabeth Cardamone.
Student Kaitland Cabral said she has always wanted to do more in the healthcare field, and this program is allowing her to do that.
"There's other programs out there that just take either a great deal of time or they cost like a significant amount of money," said Cabral. "So this has made my dream very possible."
Dr. Enns started the program as part of her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Educational Leadership degree at American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Post University.
The program was approved by the Florida Board of Nursing and the Florida Department of Education.
"The biggest hurdle for us was going through the Department of Education to actually get the curriculum framework approved because it was not approved anywhere in the state of Florida," Dr. Enns said.