"Interest remains high in a nursing career," says Kamela O. Deel, director of the nursing program, "and a major part of the reason is job security." The class size of 38 is approximately the same as the past few years.

"It is common knowledge that there is a nationwide shortage of nurses, so students know they can find a job, regardless of where they live," she points out. The loss of jobs in the Danville region has also increased interest in nursing.

Deel reports that 97 percent of the students who graduated this spring passed the State Boards on the first attempt. "That's an outstanding score," she says. "Our classes consistently outperform the national and state average for the percentage of nurses who are successful on Boards on the first attempt."

All June graduates have been hired, and approximately half of them are working at Danville Regional. "Our program has graduated nearly 2,000 nurses, so we've made a significant contribution to nursing education and healthcare in the Danville area," Deel said. The school was established in 1898.

This year's class is benefiting from new technology. "We have a computer-based instructional manikin called SimMan that enables students to hear heart and lung sounds and measure blood pressure and pulse rates that are essential components of a patient assessment," Deel reports. In this day of computer technology, this is a definite advantage to our students. "They will learn better and faster with the new technology that simulates realistic patient situations." The end product of the educational program is a competent nurse providing quality patient care.

She reports that a number of Danville students will enter a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program at Virginia Commonwealth University or Old Dominion University. "The majority of students in these two locally available programs are our graduates," she said. "They are well prepared to succeed and receive academic credit for courses taken here."

Danville Regional also offers a program specifically geared for Licensed Practical Nurses to become Registered Nurses. This special program allows students who are already LPNs to complete their course work in a shorter time period than the regular generic students. The majority of students in this track continue to work on weekends while enrolled.

In addition, Danville Regional has a Radiologic Technology Program to train students to work in the field of imaging. It was established in 2002 due to the demand for providers in this field.

For more information on education programs, call (434) 799-4510 or visit www.danvilleregional.com/abschnur.html.