Northwest Technology Center held its annual graduation ceremony for the Practical Nursing program before a packed house recently in the Seminar Room of NWTC-Alva. Nine students completed the Practical Nursing curriculum this past week and are ready for licensure testing in the upcoming months.

The graduates include: Jesus Arizmendi, Chelsea Head, Jentrey Lancaster, Rustin Murrow, Maria Ramos, Jennifer Red Hat, Sarah Reed, Carla Smart and Katy Tanio. The students started the eleven month program in November of 2016. Instructors for the program are Tara Thomas, Karlea Irvin and Cindy Jones. The keynote speaker for the event was Diane Duffey, former PN Director at NWTC.

During their eleven month curriculum, the students participated in classroom instruction, clinical experiences and participated in HOSA skill-building competitions. Eight of the nine graduates qualified to attend the National HOSA Competition held in July and each placed in the top 10 in their respective event. All of the graduates took WorkKeys certification tests and earned either Silver or Gold level certificates.

NWTC’s program is approved by the State Board of Nursing. The Board determines the number of students which can be trained each year and specifies the curriculum and approves clinical sites for the program.

The Practical Nursing program will begin again in late October with a new group of students. Due to stringent testing and certification requirements, the Practical Nursing program has a separate application and admission process from other programs offered at NWTC. For more information, contact Kate Nickel, PN Secretary at 580.327.0344 or via email at knickel@nwtech.edu.