Kenai Peninsula College Nursing Program Review

Kenai Peninsula College (KPC) is a community campus that forms part of the larger Alaska University Anchorage (UAA). The college was commissioned in 1965 to offer adult basic education for the military base in the Kenai Peninsula.  The college operated in temporal and rented space before putting-up its own building in what is currently the Kenai River Campus.

The college has expanded and offers over 35 certificate, bachelor, associate and occupational endorsement programs. The college has also acquired three other sites including a campus at Kachemak Bay and 2 extension sites at Anchorage and Resurrection bay. The College is also a center of distance and online education for the University of Alaska Anchorage

Nursing At Kenai Peninsula College

As a community campus of University of Alaska Anchorage, KPC offers qualified students the occupation-oriented Associate of applied science in nursing program. The program through UAA is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and is approved by the Alaska board of nursing. This is the only nursing program offered at KPU.

Associate of Applied Science Degree

The school of nursing at UAA recently established an extension program to offer the AAS program at two campuses of KPU; at the main campus in Kenai River and the Kachemak Bay Campus. The first cohort of 8 students started the program at the Kenai River campus in the fall of 2012 while the Kachemak Bay campus admitted is first cohort of 8 students in spring 2012.

Interested students should note that with the next admission cycle after pioneer class of 2012, KPC will be offering alternating admission at the two campuses with 14 students being admitted in each campus. This precisely means that if one campus admits students this year, it will not admit new students the next year. Instead, the other campus will have its admission period. This arrangement has been put in place owing to the limited resources for clinical rotation sites.

Both campuses have competitive admission and eligible candidates are required to have completed all general education courses.  All applications must be sent via the school of nursing at University of Alaska Anchorage with students indicating the campus of interest.  A high school GPA of 2.0 and 3 letters of recommendation are required to be admitted to take the general education courses. Students are also required to take a Nurse Entrance Test. Ranking for competitive and selective admission is based on all factors above.

Upon admission, students take all theory coursework in online formats or via interactive video sessions coordinated from UAA of other UAA sites. However, students must avail themselves at their respective campus to take the clinical courses. Sometimes, due to limited availability of certain clinical rotations and learning resources around KPC, students may be required to travel to anchorage for clinical classes.

In total, students take four consecutive semesters to complete the 70-credit curriculum and earn the Associate of Applied Science in nursing degree. They also gain eligibility to take the NLCEX-RN exam to become registered nurses.

Contact:

Kenai Peninsula College
156 College Rd, Soldotna.
AK 99669

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