Accelerated Nursing Program Challenging Students
Just 17 of the 36 students who enrolled in an accelerated nursing program at Fresno City College remain on the original program schedule just over half way through the 14 month program, the Fresno Bee reports.
The program, developed with $850,000 in grants to expand nursing education at the college, seeks to increase the number of fully qualified nurses in the area as health facilities work to comply with state nurse-to-patient ratios, according to Carolyn Drake, dean of instruction in the college's Health Sciences Division.
Drake said the students who must repeat sections of the program were not achieving low grades. She said, "It was about having the ability to complete assignments because of the demanding course schedule."
Drake added, "We believe this (course) is an indicator of how they would work ... in a fast-moving environment. It's supposed to be very hard now, so the students can be successful later."
However, students say everyone in the class is struggling because of the workload, not just those who must repeat sections of the program, according to the Bee (Boyles, Fresno Bee, 9/15).