Manor College will launch its new Practical Nurse Program this fall on the Jenkintown campus. Students in the program leave prepared to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nursing (NCLEX-PN).

The four-semester, 15-month Associate’s degree program intends to address a regional nursing shortage felt more acutely since the pandemic. Program Director Dr. Marti Trudeau wants to graduate more LPNs to help address the shortage.

“The RN nursing shortage is severe and it can’t improve because all of the nursing schools have their max occupancy,” Trudeau said. “Rather than beating our heads against the wall trying to make more RNs, we’re talking about nurse extenders and an LPN is that.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, employment opportunities in the nursing field are growing 10.7 percent nationally and more than 16 percent in the Philadelphia metro area. 

Scholarships remain available for the Fall 2023 semester. These include merit-based scholarships, state grants and partial tuition scholarships. In addition, Manor College offers a special grant to award students who are refugees fleeing from another country, immigrants and first-generation college students.

Only three percent of institutions with a Practical Nursing program offer it as an Associate’s Degree program. 

“I love a blank slate,” Dr. Trudeau said. “It’s not laden with baggage. You’re starting from the bottom up. I’m a firm believer in putting the effort up front for that foundation and just keep building on that.”

For more on the program and Dr. Trudeau, you can click here.

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