'Streamlined path to a sustainable career': OC offers Navy corpsmen, Air Force medics way to become LPNs

Peiyu Lin, Kitsap Sun
·2 min read
1
Olympic College is preparing to start a new program that allows military veterans to qualify as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in two quarters after meeting prerequisites. The program is part of OC's health care program expansion on its Poulsbo Campus.
Olympic College is preparing to start a new program that allows military veterans to qualify as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in two quarters after meeting prerequisites. The program is part of OC's health care program expansion on its Poulsbo Campus.

In the coming months Olympic College will provide a new pathway for veterans like Navy corpsmen and Air Force medics who are looking for a career transition to the civilian world, potentially the first program of its kind in Washington.

OC is launching a Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing (CM-PN) pathway that allows graduates to qualify as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in two quarters after meeting prerequisites, the college announced on Monday.

"Veterans acquire a wealth of skills during their service to our country. However, applying these skills to civilian careers can be challenging,” OC President Marty Cavalluzzi said in a statement. "The Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing pathway recognizes and values service members’ military experience and offers a streamlined path to a sustainable career in the high-demand healthcare field."

Officially named as Corpsman/Medic to Practical Nursing Certificate of Specialization, the program will start accepting students this spring. Its curriculum includes classroom study, laboratory application, high-fidelity simulation, and supervised clinical experiences aligned with the established outcomes of OC's practical nursing program, according to OC.

"We will accept 5 students during this initial year. We are recruiting for spring quarter so that applicants can take two prerequisites: Dosage Calculations, and Introduction to Pharmacology," Shawn Devine, OC's Executive Director of Communications told Kitsap Sun in an email.

"To the best of our knowledge, this is the only program of its kind in Washington," Devine said.

The CM-PN program is one of the five new health care programs that the college is planning to launch in its first phase of expanding health care programs in Poulsbo. OC will first teach the class at its Bremerton campus and it is a pathway under OC's Practical Nursing program until a new 40,000-square-foot health science building is constructed in Poulsbo. Eventually, the program will be moved to the Poulsbo campus, according to Devine.

More: Kitsap County, VMFH commit millions to Olympic College's health care expansion

Alecia Nye, dean of Nursing and Allied Health at OC, said that the launch of the CM-PN pathway allows the college to acknowledge the dedication of its veteran students while also helping to meet the critical demand for healthcare professionals in the community.

“With one of the largest military-connected student populations among all of Washington’s colleges and universities, Olympic College is uniquely positioned to create innovative programs like this one that recognize the experience of veterans,” Nye said.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: New OC program trains Navy corpsmen, Air Force medics to become LPNs in two quarters