Ann Voorhies, registered nurse, hosted an informative presentation about the nursing program.

The presentation was Tuesday at 11 a.m. to noon at room S102.

The following is a list are prerequisites to join the nursing program.

• High School Graduation or equivalent.
• Completion of English 100, Math 80 & Reading 54 with a C grade or higher
• (Note) LVN applicants selecting the 30 unit option are required to complete the placement test process for advisement purposes, but are not required to complete the above courses.
• Speak to a Nursing Counselor for the specific courses required.
• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all college work
• Must obtain a score of 62 percent or higher on the TEAS V exam
• Must obtain a score of 70 or higher on the HESI diagnostic assessment test
• Valid US Social Security number is required for admission into the program.
• Submit an application and complete a background check and drug screen

Students are advised that in order to complete and remain in the program the following courses must be completed successfully:

• Philosophy 104
• Psych 251
• Speech 100,120,130,132 or 150

Nursing major, Joanna Barcelona heard about the presentation via email from Project Hope.

Barcelona said, “After watching this presentation, I am excited to finish my education and become a nurse.”

After attending the presentation Mendoza is motivated to pursue her goal to become a nurse.

Nursing major Wendy Mendoza said, “I heard about this event from friends in my Microbiology class.”

Danylle WIlliams-Masser serves as a program assistant for Project Hope as was responsible for promoting the presentation.

Masser said, “I spend time passing out flyers and emails throughout the semester to promote this presentation.”

She assists in coordinating field trips for the nursing program.

“Project Hope is like EOPS only tailored for health related majors,” she said.

Field trips are typically scheduled in the spring as that is when most campuses have tours.

For more information on Project Hope students are encouraged to visit its homepage.

Voorhies, who serves as the director of nursing, said, “Currently our program has 190 students.”

Students who enter our program are enrolled in 12 units minimum and complete in two years.

The nursing program only allows students to complete their science courses twice.

In the event that a student fails a course they will be allowed to retake the course.

Students are encouraged not to take an extended leave from the program because space is limited.

Voorhies explained that the program tries its best to accommodate students needs when placing them at a job training site.

She explained that the nursing field dates back to the 16th Century and has become more science based over time.

Medicine has become more complex and with that so has the type of courses required to enter the field.

Among other changes in the field, nursing is no longer a female-only profession.

Cerritos College has two male nursing instructors.

Voorhies said,”We are happy to have a supportive district in fact they helped fund the construction of our lab facility.”

She also explained that the program has two sources of funding:

• The district
• Yearly grants from the Chancellors office

Voorhies puts in an application yearly to receive grant funding from the Chancellors office.

Students are to be aware that although for Cerritos College Nursing Program requires a 2.5 GPA minimum for acceptance, this is not the case for a CSU or UC.

The minimum GPA required for a nursing program at a CSU or UC is a 3.0.

For more information of the Cerritos College Nursing Program students are encouraged to visit the program’s homepage.