By Ashley Steiner

The Practical Nursing program on the Beloit campus is striving to take the program to the next level and stand out among the crowd! We have a proven track record of producing quality nurses that excel in the area.  In order to stay competitive, we are always evolving in order to reach the next level of nursing education. This year the first steps have been taken to make a curriculum change through the Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN) that allows our program to integrate IV therapy into our coursework. This means that all our students beginning with the 2021 graduating class will head into the workforce with the qualifications to complete IV therapy nursing interventions under the LPN scope of practice.  Prior to this curriculum change, nurses were required to complete the Practical Nursing program and pass their NCLEX Board examination before being able to take an IV certification course. “This update allows students to learn IV therapy without the additional time or cost of taking an additional IV certification course outside of their nursing program,” explains Melissa Crump, Director of Nursing, Beloit Campus.  With this change, upon graduation and the passing of their NCLEX boards students can immediately start working as an LPN and complete nursing interventions related to IV therapy and IV medication administration. Our students have the opportunity in our lab to practice IV skills which include: IV insertion/removal, central line dressing changes/care, programming IV pumps and administering medications through an IV line. “This is a huge benefit to our students and definitely puts them a step above others that are not IV certified when it comes to applying and competing for jobs!” stated Sara Arnold, Nursing Instructor, Beloit Campus.

 

Located in Beloit and Hays, Kan., North Central Kansas Technical College is dedicated to being a leader in workforce development by maximizing value for students, employers and communities through educational excellence. Our mission is to deliver applied, innovative and personalized education to empower learners, enrich lives, develop skilled professionals and strengthen economic systems. Achieving excellence with integrity through dedication, innovation, collaboration and communication is what we attain through our core values.