Savannah Technical College Nursing Program Review

Savannah Technical College is focused on turning out graduates who can succeed in their chosen professional fields. Over 5000 students attend the college each semester, studying in over seventy professional programs. Savannah Technical College (STC, or Savannah Tech) awards associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates, and operates in multiple locations, including Savannah, Hinesville/Ft. Stewart, and Effingham County.

Savannah Technical College has a strong reputation for its healthcare programs, and offers a wide range of options for entry-level training. Among these programs is the Practical Nursing Diploma program, which is approved by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Practical Nurses.

Practical Nursing Diploma

The quickest way for a prospective nurse to enter the nursing field is to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). This provides immediate opportunities for employment, and leads naturally to further education and career advancement at a later date. Savannah Technical College has a PN program to prepare LPNs for entry into the nursing profession. But before actually applying to the LPN program, a student needs to complete a Health Care Assistant Certificate of Credit, specializing as a nurse aide. This entails nine classes, most of which are also applied to the LPN program requirements. Including these classes, the program takes four semesters, and requires sixty credit hours. Of the required classes, only three are general education requirements (English, math, and psychology). Other than these three classes, a student begins right away with nursing classes and clinical rotations. At the end of the program, the student is eligible to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX_PN) and look for work as an LPN.

Other Options

While Savannah Technical College does not have any nursing programs other than the Practical Nursing Diploma, there are other ways to enter the field. A student can consider a short program to become a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA). While taking only a minimal amount of time and costing very little, this will allow her to enter the nursing field. After gaining some work experience, she can decide if becoming a nurse is a good career choice for her, and go back to school to become an LPN or RN. The CNA program at Savannah takes only one semester and requires only four classes.

Alternatively, completing the Health Care Assistant Certificate of Credit program as a nurse aide is a required part of the LPN program, but the certificate is useful in and of itself. A student could earn this certificate by taking nine classes and go immediately to work as a nurse aide without going on to the remainder of the LPN program. As with the CNA program, this would allow a student to decide based on experience if nursing is the right career path for him. He can go back to complete the LPN program at a later date. Similarly, a student could earn a certificate of credit through the Patient Care Assistant Program. This takes two semesters and requires seven classes. A student can go from this program to employment as a nurse aide. Some of the courses in the program would be transferred if the student decided to go back to school at a later date to become an LPN or RN.

Contact:
Savannah Technical College
5717 White Bluff Road
Savannah, GA 31405

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