Nursing fair an opportunity for career connection

Starting pay for a registered nurse in Nevada can be $28 an hour, according to a professor of nursing at Western Nevada Community College, and today nursing students at the school will have a chance to make such future connections.

"The students were interested in hearing from various hospitals about what they could offer in terms of employment, and we were being contacted almost weekly by hospitals wanting to come into a class and talk to students," said WNCC Professor Sable Shaw, who is organizing the event with nursing instructor Sherry Neil Urban and the WNCC National Student Nurses Association. "Rather than take class time, we decided to do it this way."

The Nursing Career Fair is scheduled from noon-2 p.m. in the second story of the Cedar Building. Businesses from around the area will be present to talk with nursing students and people considering changing to the nursing field from a different career. Many hospitals offer nursing apprentice roles, Shaw said.

Nevada, which has a nursing shortage, also has many nurses approaching retirement age. Nationwide, 25 percent of nurses are over the age of 50, but in Nevada that percentage is 44, she said.

Hospitals expected to be present include: Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center, St. Mary's Hospital, Washoe Medical Center, Barton Memorial Hospital, Banner Churchill Community Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital.

"This is an opportunity for students to learn about employment opportunities all over at various locations," said Dr. Judith Cordia, WNCC's director of nursing and allied health. "Some are large facilities, some are small, some are hospitals, some are clinics. (This) gives them a vision of what's out there."

There will also be information available at the fair about the nursing programs at WNCC. Students can graduate from the community college as a licensed practical nurse, requiring a year and a summer course of classes, or as a registered nurse with two years of classes.

"There's so much going on in nursing today," said Cordia. "There's so many different kinds of nursing opportunities."

The program is competitive. Between 130-170 students apply each year, but just 48 are admitted in the fall semester. Open spots in the second year are those seeking to become registered nurses.

"The LPN education is more based on skills," said Shaw. "But we want the RNs to have the knowledge behind the skills."

WNCC also offers a distance-education nursing program, which is available for students in Fallon and WNCC's rural service areas. Shaw said students can go on to a four-year degree at a university, but that does not guarantee more pay than an registered nurse.

She said California is known to pay its nurses well, but that many of WNCC's graduates stay and work in Nevada.

If you go

WHAT: Nursing Career Fair at Western Nevada Community College

WHEN: Noon-2 p.m. today

WHERE: Second Floor, Cedar Building, Western Nevada Community College, 2201 W. College Parkway

CALL: 445-4402

• Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.