Road to nursing careers goes through Muskogee
May 8—Fort Gibson High junior Kaylee Morgan moves virtual reality control sticks to explore the human body.
"It lets me learn the heart, you get to pull apart bones and everything," she said while sampling the device Tuesday at an Indian Capital Technology Center job expo.
It also is a small step Morgan is taking toward a career as a certified registered nursing anesthetist. Morgan, a student at ICTC, is studying to be a certified nursing assistant this semester and has been accepted into ICTC's LPN transition program for next year.
ICTC and the adjacent Connors State College are two Muskogee stops on the road to a nursing career for many area residents.
The LPN transition program is one of two practical nursing programs offered at ICTC Muskogee.
ICTC adult practical nursing instructor Denise Williams said many graduates from the program find jobs in acute care and hospitals once they get certified.
"Many of our students already have jobs," Williams said. "One has a job at St. Francis Hospital. Several have jobs at Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith."
Wagoner Community Hospital had booths at Tuesday's job expo. Hospital emergency room manager Seth Marston, RN, said the Wagoner facility mostly needs surgery and emergency room nurses.
"We do have students come through our facility," Marston said. "They're putting out pretty well as far as their skill sets go, and critical thinking is important in students."
Connors offers associate degrees in applied nursing, which helps students get certified as a registered nurse.
Graduates with an associate in applied nursing are eligible to take their RN certification exam.
"We're probably the second or third link in the chain," said Diana Mashburn, Connors' director of nursing and allied health. "They can start as a CNA or an LPN, or we can be the first link. You can come right into the nursing courses here without having to be a CNA or LPN."
Mashburn said LPNs usually work in clinics or physicians' offices. Their jobs include taking vital signs and administering medications. She said they must be supervised by RNs in most cases.
RNs work in acute care, and their jobs could include administering blood or doing an assessment.
Mashburn said 59 nursing students are to have their pinning ceremony Friday.
"That's a pretty healthy number," she said. "That's a handful less than what we had a year ago, which was our largest class ever — 65."
Nursing instructors at both schools said nurses are in high demand.
Mashburn said job placement is not a challenge for CSC nursing graduates.
Williams said job opportunities took a hit during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but job offers are back on the rise in this area.
"I'm not sure we'll ever meet the nursing demand because there is just a shortage," Williams said. "It's definitely going to increase with baby boomers getting older."