The School of Nursing at Miami-Dade Community Coll

The School of Nursing at Miami-Dade Community College has received approval from the Florida Board of Nursing to offer a program in Licensed Practical Nursing that will begin in August.
The full-time, one-year program will offer a vocational certificate. It also will provide a basis for students to earn an associate’s degree in nursing, making them eligible to become  Registered Nurses.
“LPNs are in high demand in South Florida,” Dr. Kathie Sigler, president of the Miami-Dade Medical College Campus, says. “We are very pleased that the Florida Board of Nursing has recognized our ability to meet the needs of our community and provide a short-term, direct-entry track into careers in nursing.”
The average hourly wage for increased nurses  in the state is $12.69, according to the Florida Department of Labor and Security.
Applications are currently being accepted for the program’s first class, which will accept approximately 50 students. Applicants must hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
For more information, contact the New Student Center at the Miami-Dade Medical Center Campus at (305) 237-4141.

The University of North Carolina-Greensboro will offer the state’s first graduate program in genetic counseling during the 2000-2001 school year.
Counselors will be trained to work closely with clinical geneticists. They will perform a variety of services, from collecting a family’s medical history to explaining the science of genes and chromosomes. If patients and families take genetic tests, counselors will help them interpret the results, telling couples what health problems their children may face.
They will also provide abortion-counseling services for families that want them, and may help clients find other families with children with similar health problems and doctors who treat those diseases.
Students in the program will take courses in biology, philosophy and psychology. They also will  work in the lab and complete clinical internships in several North Carolina hospitals, including the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
“It requires strong knowledge of basic science,” says Dr. Vincent C. Henrich, a genetics professor. “But it also requires an ability to interact with people. It’s an interesting fusion of a lot of different skills.”
For more information, contact Henrich at his e-mail address: <[email protected]>.

Chesapeake College, a two-year institution in Wye Mills, Md., will soon be able to offer Eastern Shore residents a chance to earn a bachelor’s, master’s or a doctorate.
The presidents and representatives from University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Washington College, Salisbury State University, Wor-Wic Community College and Chesapeake College signed an agreement in December outlining policies for the center and establishing a supervisory structure.
The center is scheduled to open in 2002. It will offer day and evening classes. Each institution will bring its strengths to the center to provide students with a variety of majors from which to choose.
“Our key market is the adult learner and to extend access to those individuals,” says Dr. Stuart Bounds, president of Chesapeake College. “For adults with a family and work, it’s difficult to travel long distances to get those degrees.”
The 25,000-square-foot building will include 10 classrooms, 2 computer labs and a small amphitheater.
Bounds says the Eastern Shore Association of Colleges will request planning funds from the Maryland General Assembly this session to design the building. In 2001, the group will request the funding for construction.