Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 19, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 15 E D U C A T I O N & C A R E E R G U I D E F O C U S A great city deserves a great team. To learn more or contact the team, visit Rockland Trust.com/Worcester Member FDIC Whether it's working capital, fraud protection, or financial planning – we've got your business covered. QCC looking for more Quinsigamond Community College, whose nurse education program completed a comprehensive reaccreditation process in 2021, which resulted in a recommendation for the program to receive an eight-year accreditation, found itself unexpectedly asked to take on a chunk of the Becker student body. QCC was contacted by Worcester State and asked to take on a share of the students forced to transfer, said Pat Schmohl, dean of QCC School of Healthcare. "We were able to facilitate that by making some changes in our transfer policies in order to accommodate that influx of students," Schmohl said. However, it involved tremendous work by faculty and staff since students came onboard at many different stages in their education. Since then, the school has sent almost 60 of those students on to the workforce. In August, QCC was awarded a state Skills Capital Grant, worth nearly $500,000, which will be used to update three nursing labs at its Healthcare and Workforce Development Center. e labs enable nursing students to have hands-on training on the most state-of- the-art equipment, which is crucial in preparing them for a career in the field of nursing. While that might seem like a step forward in helping to train more individuals for nursing careers, Schmohl and Patricia Creelman, professor of nurse education, stress the funds do not increase capacity; they only help maintain the facilities. In fact, they said, lack of funding is keeping them from expanding their programs further. MWCC's 96 graduates Mount Wachusett Community College this past spring held a traditional pinning ceremony for the graduates of its associate degree in nursing program, the school's 49th graduating class. e class was made up of 96 students enrolled in either the day nursing program or else licensed practical nurses who returned to MWCC to continue their education through the Bridge to Nursing program. Graduates of the program have historically had a high pass rate on the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses. Many students also use the program to transfer into a baccalaureate nursing program, according to data provided by the school. Like QCC, in July MWCC secured a $500,000 state Skills Capital Grant to upgrade equipment and facilities, in particular, its two simulated health science labs and associated control and debriefing rooms. Pat Schmohl, dean of QCC School of Healthcare Worcester State University was one of the Central Massachusetts colleges who accepted nursing students from Becker College, after the Worcester institution closed in 2021. PHOTO | COURTESY OF WORCESTER STATE UNIVERSITY W

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