Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center Nursing Program Review

Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center (MJCTC), which was founded in 1968, cooperates with nearby high schools to provide work-training opportunities to approximately 500 high school students a year. Students in grades ten through twelve from the high schools in the Juniata and Mifflin County School Districts are eligible to spend half of each school day at the career and technology center, preparing for a direct entry from high school into the work force or getting a head start on college-level programs. In addition to educating high school students, Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center provides adult education classes, including a program for practical nursing.

Practical Nursing Program

The Practical Nursing program at Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center is not open to high school students; a high school diploma or a GED is necessary to apply. The program takes a full year to complete, and consists of four terms. The first two terms are dedicated to background courses and an introduction to the basics of nursing. The second two terms consist of more advanced nursing classes in mental health nursing, maternity nursing, pediatric nursing, and community health nursing. Students simultaneously complete clinical rotations, starting in the very first term.  The Practical Nursing program begins twice a year, in March and in September. Classes are offered during the daytime. There is no part-time or evening option available. Graduates of the practical nursing program receive a diploma and are eligible to take the National Council Licensing Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX_PN). If successful on the exam, graduates earn the title of Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), and are prepared to provide nursing care to patients under the supervision of Registered Nurses (RN) and physicians. Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center’s Practical Nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

Nursing Aide Program

While the Practical Nursing program is not open to those who have not yet graduated from high school, high school students may enroll in the nursing aide program. While continuing to take classes at their own high school, they will also learn basic nursing skills at Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center. They will earn CPR certification, as well as learn the essential skills they need to take the Pennsylvania exam for certified nurse assistants (CNA). These skills include lifting and transporting patients, feeding patients, assisting with grooming and bathing, and performing basic medical tasks such as taking blood pressure. After completing the nursing aide program and becoming certified in the state, graduates may directly enter the work force as CNAs. Alternatively, they may transition into a practical nursing program like the one at Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center, or into an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) program at a college. After getting a real sense of the nursing profession through his hands-on experience, a graduate of the nursing aide program will have the experience and background to make the best career choice for himself.

Contact:
Mifflin Juniata Career and Technology Center
700 Pitt Street,
Lewistown, PA 17044