Hudson County Community College to Mark the Full Transition of the CarePoint Schools of Nursing and Radiography to the College
October 5, 2017
October 5, 2017, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) will hold a special event to mark the full transition of the CarePoint Schools of Nursing and Radiography to the Hudson County Community College Schools of Nursing and Radiography. The event will be held on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 10 a.m. at the HCCC Joseph Cundari Center, located at 870 Bergen Avenue on the College’s Journal Square Campus in Jersey City. After the rededication ceremony, there will be tours and simulated emergency scenarios featuring students, faculty, two ambulances, and the HCCC “hospital” setting.
The event will provide an opportunity for the College to highlight all of its healthcare-related courses: Nursing, A.S.; Radiography, A.S.; Paramedic Science A.A.S. and Emergency Medical Technician Certificate and (offered in partnership with Jersey City Medical Center); Medical Assisting, A.A.S.; Health Science, A.A.S.; and Occupational Therapy Assistant, A.S.; Medical Coding Certificate; Personal Fitness Training Certificate; Certified Nursing Assistant; and Certified Home Health Aide.
HCCC President Glen Gabert, Ph.D. said the event will celebrate the completion of the transfer and sponsorship of the nursing and radiography programs from CarePoint Health Christ Hospital to Hudson County Community College. He explained that the cooperative nursing program was initiated with Christ Hospital, Bayonne Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital 17 years ago, and the College has continued to cosponsor the program with CarePoint. In December 2014, the College and CarePoint Health signed an agreement to physically relocate all equipment and services in September 2015 to the HCCC Joseph Cundari Center, which was renovated to accommodate the programs. Nursing practicum activities continue at the CarePoint Christ Hospital, Hoboken Medical Center and Bayonne Hospital as well as at Overlook Medical Center, Peace Care at St. Ann’s, Promise Care, and Palisades Parish.
The HCCC Nursing and Radiography faculty includes qualified and experienced instructors who hold at least master’s degrees. Students now have the advantage of learning in a facility equipped with the newest technologies. For example, the nursing studies area specifically accommodates the program with state-of-the-art simulated rooms in various hospital settings (pediatrics, OB/GYN, general medicine, orthopedics, ER, and more). Each area is equipped with interactive practice mannequins, and there is even a mannequin that “gives birth.” The Cundari Center also includes expanded nursing multimedia, and a new student lounge.
Additionally, the College recently opened its new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Building, which is adjacent to the Cundari Center. The opening of the STEM Building now allows nursing and radiography students to take their science labs in close proximity to their other classes.
The nursing and radiography programs remained fully accredited during the transition. Earlier this year, the New Jersey Board of Nursing/National Council of State Boards of Nursing posted the pass rates for nursing school graduates who have taken the NCLEX for the first time. The posting shows that 93.75% of graduates of the Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Nursing Program passed first time out, placing the HCCC program in the number eight position for passing among all New Jersey Registered Nursing programs and the number four position among all New Jersey associate-degree, Registered Nursing programs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the U.S; it is predicted there will be 439,000 new nursing jobs opening between now and 2024. The need for nurses is expected to continue growing and may reach crisis proportions as the aging nursing workforce retires and the demand for health care services soars because of the Baby Boomers aging. Likewise, the need for qualified radiologic technologists and technicians is projected to grow by 9-17% – or 56,000 positions – within the next 10 years.
Information on HCCC healthcare-related studies may be obtained on the College’s website – www.hccc.edu.