Central Georgia Technical College has officially been approved to begin enrollment for the new Associate Degree Nursing, or RN, program. The approval was granted by the Georgia Board of Nursing at the group’s regular meeting today in Macon.
 
“The approval of CGTC's associate nursing program marks a significant gain for our college and community in meeting the demand for qualified registered nurses,” said Dr. Amy Holloway, vice president for Academic Affairs at CGTC. “This approval results from several years of planning and strong support from healthcare partners such as Houston Healthcare. With the recent addition of the Sonny Watson Health Sciences building in Warner Robins, we now have the additional state-of-the-art classroom and lab space to support this program.”
 
CGTC currently offers Practical Nursing programs at three campuses in Warner Robins, Macon, and Milledgeville. With the addition of the ASN program, students will have the option to pursue an advanced level of nursing by earning an associate’s degree and gaining the skills and knowledge needed to practice as Registered Nurses. Graduates of the program will be qualified to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.
 
“I am very pleased that the Georgia Board of Nursing approved our program,” said Jessica Willcox, program director for the ASN program at CGTC. “Our feasibility study showed a need for RN’s in our service area and that the community is supportive of a new ASN program. This is a great step forward for our students and community and I am proud of the team effort that was put into this building this curriculum.”
 
Now that CGTC has received approval, the College can move forward with enrollment for students interested in this program. The College will begin accepting applications immediately.
 
This competitive admission program will require that students successfully complete preliminary general and health core classes and an admissions test in order to apply for a seat in the ASN program.  These courses can be completed online or at any CGTC location prior to competing for admission into the ASN program.
 
CGTC began working toward an ASN program based on the demand of middle Georgia healthcare providers and a nationwide nurse shortage. Michael O’Hara, vice president for Human Resources at Houston Healthcare, has advocated for the availability of such a program for local students.
 
“Houston Healthcare approached CGTC four years ago with an urgent request to seek approval for a Registered Nursing program, in addition to the existing Licensed Practical Nursing program,” O’Hara said. “We did so based on our intimate familiarity with the quality of graduates from CGTC, and a projected nationwide shortage of nurses through at least 2020. We knew an earnest effort would be made toward that end, but did not anticipate this favorable news in such rapid fashion. CGTC has again gone over and above to support the future of Houston Healthcare and our community. We are grateful to have a world class academic institution to call on in a time of need.”

Nursing has also been recognized as a high demand career in Governor Deal’s High Demand Career Initiatives report for the state of Georgia. With projected state and nationwide shortages, the development and implementation of additional training programs is critical.
 
The ASN program will be housed in the new Roy H. “Sonny” Watson Health Sciences building. This three-story, world class facility opened earlier this year and includes space for several new programs in addition to the ASN program, such as Physical Therapy Assisting, Emergency Medical Services, and Hemodialysis.