September 5, 2024, Devils Lake, ND — The nursing department at Lake Region State College has earned a reputation for innovation. Julie Traynor, Dakota Nursing Program Consortium Director, Karen Clementich, LRSC Chair of Nursing, and Kelsey Mertens, Program Coordinator of the Dakota Nursing Program, recently spoke about some of the flagship programs, including their Paramedic to Nurse Program, Mobility (hybrid education) Programs, and the Nursing Apprenticeships Program.
The LRSC Nursing Program, a partner in the Dakota Nursing Program (DNP), provides students with two levels of certification: Practical Nurse and Registered Nurse. Once they have completed general education courses and been accepted into the program, in three semesters a student is eligible for graduation as a Practical Nurse and to apply for an LPN license. After two additional semesters, they are eligible for graduation with an associate degree in Nursing and to apply for an RN license. Beyond the associate degree, DNP consortium students are also able to continue on to earn their BSN degree through any of seven partner universities in the state via online education.
The Paramedic to Nurse Program is a third pathway to a nursing career for students who have already been working for at least two years as a paramedic, and have experiential knowledge and prior training to apply toward their nursing degree. Classes targeted to this unique group shorten the amount of time and credits needed for paramedics to advance in their careers. The program at Lake Region is the only one in the state, and one of few in the nation.
Another program exclusive to Lake Region is the Mobility Program, a hybrid educational format first launched as a response to the COVID pandemic. With this system, students can utilize technology to complete the theory portion of their studies online, then come to campus and clinical partner sites for in-person scheduled hands-on skills practice and laboratory days. This enables open access to the program to students from other geographical locations, even from out of state. This program admits up to 60 students in each level (LPN and RN) in addition to the on-campus cohort every academic year.
Lake Region and three clinical partners also piloted North Dakota’s first RN apprenticeship program, starting back in 2022. This experience now serves as the capstone for a Nursing Registered Apprenticeship pathway, progressing over three years from Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Registered Nurse (RN), with the opportunity for students to enter at any point along the way. Prior to launching, LRSC staff researched apprenticeship models used in other states and brought their initial findings and ideas to the North Dakota State Board of Nursing, who helped to co-create the high-quality professional apprenticeship program.
With so much momentum, it isn’t surprising that program leadership already has next steps in mind, but they’re keeping them close to the vest. “We have lots of new ideas,” Clementich said with a chuckle, “but nothing we’re ready to say out loud yet!” Thanks in part to these innovative accessible programs and a long-standing reputation for outstanding faculty, LRSC’s Nursing Program enrollment for the 24-25 academic year is at a record high, and growing.
Information on the program, faculty, and more can be found at lrsc.edu/nursing. Keep an eye out for more detailed stories to come about partnerships and student outcomes in LRSC’s nursing department.