Flexible LPN program offered

Health care is fundamentally about people caring for people, and one of the health professions most closely tied to direct patient care is the Licensed Practical Nurse or LPN. While technology and scientific advances have dramatically changed medical practice in the past few decades, the LPN is still the person most often at the patient’s bedside, or in the clinic, taking vital signs, administering medication or helping with daily living activities.

As the 78 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 face their sixtieth birthday and beyond, they have a double impact on the need for high quality nursing services. Many of the healthcare workers which hospitals and clinics rely on are retiring, and as they age the boomers are increasingly becoming patients. This has created a nursing shortage that offers many opportunities for people who have a genuine desire to help others.

But how can someone who lives in Effie, or Bigfork, or Talmoon take advantage of this growing employment trend? For those who have the desire, and the time management skills, to complete a full time college program but can’t manage commuting to traditional classes, Bigfork Valley Hospital and Itasca Community College offer a new alternative. By combining online courses with monthly practical skills classes, and clinical practice at the hospital, area residents can complete a fully accredited practical nursing program in 18 months.

“This partnership between Bigfork Valley and ICC started with a federal grant geared toward economic development. As retirees move into our area the need for trained health care workers increases, and to be successful that training has to be accessible” explains Dr. Barbara McDonald, ICC’s Academic Affairs Dean. “We were tasked with developing the online portion of the LPN program, but a student doesn’t have to stop there. The program is fully articulated so if someone wanted to continue their training and become an RN they could transfer all their credits and do that through Hibbing Community College.”

Sue Aldrich, Interim Director of Nursing at ICC, says the program is perfect for people who have always wanted to go into nursing but whose family or work obligations make it impossible to attend traditional classes. “The program is not self-paced though,” she cautions. Adding, “there are deadlines and people need to know that it takes the same commitment as any full time program of study.” However, Aldrich says, “With clinicals scheduled over one long weekend per month, from Thursday through Sunday, and class work done online, this is a great option for people who need flexibility.”