Need for nurses fuels program establishment on Monroe Campus

Bethlehem, PA (08/06/2018) — This fall 2018, Northampton Community College's (NCC) two-year associate degree in applied science registered nursing program is available for the first time fully at the Monroe Campus. In the past, students could take a portion of their classes at Monroe, but would need to travel to the Bethlehem Campus in order to complete their degree. Now students can complete all classes at Monroe. NCC also has numerous agreements with RN to BSN completion programs throughout the country.

In addition, a new state-of-the-art nursing simulation laboratory is being opened at Monroe, which will give students hands-on clinical experience during their coursework.

"Practical nursing program graduates had to come to Bethlehem Campus to continue on the path to receiving a registered nursing degree, but now, it's a seamless transition to that program close to home for Monroe County residents," notes Dr. Mary Jean Osbourne, director of nursing programs at NCC.

The campus is offering the RN program to meet the growing needs of the health care industry in Monroe and surrounding areas. St. Luke's was a part of the expanding industry having built a hospital in 2016 in Bartonsville. A year later, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) acquired Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg in 2017, and it became Lehigh Valley Hospital - Pocono. LVHN has plans to build a new hospital, Pocono West, off of Route 715, projected to open in 2020.

"This program offering speaks to NCC's mission statement because we are directly affecting the community in a positive way, and as nurses, we are fulfilling our professional obligation to the heath of that community," says Osbourne.

The industry is expected to grow 16% nationally, 20% in Pennsylvania, 16-19% in the region, and it's the number one high priority occupation, meaning there's a critical need for nurses.

The program is already full to capacity for the fall semester. However, if interested in applying in the future, please apply online at www.northampton.edu. For the foreseeable future, the program is only admitting every fall.

Osbourne is proud of the registered nursing program's launch at Monroe Campus. "The outcome for our students is excellent. This is a well-established, successful, highly-respected program in the community. Now everything that is awesome about Bethlehem's program will be in Monroe."

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Nursing Students in Class