January 30, 2025 3:40 a.m.

Umpqua Community College has introduced a Practical Nursing certificate program that leads to licensure within its Allied Health Department.

A UCC release said this addition creates more opportunities within the nursing pathway, beginning with the Nursing Assistant program, progressing to the PN program, and advancing through UCC’s Registered Nursing program to Oregon Health & Science University for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing.  In addition, there is an option to get started while enrolled at Roseburg High School through the dual enrollment program.

The release said UCC is creating many more options for students to stay in the community and participate in bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. UCC maintains an agreement in which students can dually enroll in the OHSU BSN program. After they graduate from UCC, they are already accepted at OHSU to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

UCC Nursing Program Executive Director Chelsea Gillespie-Towne said this will provide a fast track for students to enroll in both programs and complete a master’s degree. Gillespie-Towne said, “There options will allow students to balance work and life and still graduate with a bachelor’s degree, enabling them to excel in the work force”.

The release said the job placement rate for registered nurses from the latest class of UCC graduates in 2024 was 100 percent, of which 40 graduates reported acceptance of employment as registered nurses upon successful completion of the registered nursing licensure exam. UCC’s exam pass rate has consistently been, on average, over 90 percent for the past six years.

Enrollment is open and applications for the fall term nursing program close on February 28th.

For more information on nursing programs at UCC, go to: www.umpqua.edu.