The new Associate Degree Nursing pathway launched in 2021
Coming from a family of healthcare professionals, Amy Boldig always knew she wanted to be a nurse.
“I had a stepsister who was involved in a car accident and became a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down,” Amy shares. “That was my introduction to health care.”
Working full time as a surgical assistant while also parenting four children, Amy knew quitting her job to attend school full time would not be an option. Fortunately, Amy didn’t have to make a choice. When FVTC launched a part-time Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program, Amy was part of the first cohort of students.
“This has proven to be a great option for students,” says Barb Timmons, department chair of Nursing. “Because they take classes through the summer, it is two-and-a-half calendar years of core nursing and since it started, we have taken feedback from the students to enhance the class schedule and make it more manageable for them.”
The part-time students attend classes 2-3 days a week. Theory and skills classes start in the late afternoon; clinical classes start earlier in the afternoon and continue up until 10:00 p.m. The schedule allows students to work during the day and take classes at night.
Registered nurses make up more than half of the hospital workforce, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association. In 2021, Wisconsin reported a nursing shortage for the first time since the early 2000s. The part-time ADN program is seen as a new pathway to help fill a gap in the workforce. “It is increasing the number of graduates to be able to work in the field of nursing,” Barb explains.
The part-time option began in the summer of 2021 and the first cohort of 14 students graduated this past December. The next cohort begins in June.
Learn more about Amy’s educational journey:
Spectrum News1: FVTC launches new pathway to become a nurse
