The Vocational Nursing (VN) Program is now offered at the Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts’ Sacramento Campus. According to Abraham Cicchetti, Sacramento Campus director, the program will support the Greater Sacramento region by providing trained nurses ready to focus on patient care and community health. “Many of our communities are in dire need of access to healthcare,” says Cicchetti.
“As a healthcare-based college, Gurnick has vowed to continue developing future healthcare providers, ready to advocate for their patients,” explains Cicchetti. “It is important to point out that our clinical partners are integral to the didactic and clinical education. They help mold and develop students into confident and competent nurses,” says Cicchetti.
The program’s mission is to offer quality allied health and nursing programs that integrate professional skills, career-focused education, and hands-on practical experiences by empowering students to develop and achieve their personal and career goals. “Opening a VN program in the Sacramento region has been in the grand design since the infancy of the campus,” adds Cicchetti. “Thanks to the dedication and efforts of our community, clinical partners, and our Gurnick family, we can offer valuable education to assist in addressing workforce deficits in the healthcare community.”
“Our goal is to provide services that support students’ efforts to succeed in their academic goals,” says Samantha Manlosa Sanchez, Dean of Nursing. “We remain dedicated to our mission to ensure graduates are empowered to develop the available resources, promote nursing to a more responsive model, and allow nurses to achieve their personal and career goals. This is accomplished by encouraging our students to advance education while meeting the community’s demands and making meaningful contributions to the nursing workforce in this region,” says Sanchez of the endeavor.
“Gurnick Academy is responding to the growing demands of nurses and the current and future health needs of the public in an evolving healthcare system,” says Dr. Larisa Revzina, Chief Academic Officer. “The addition of a VN program in the Sacramento region is an affirmation of our academic institution’s commitment to our mission of delivering high-quality instructions in nursing and allied health programs,” says Dr. Revzina. “Our academic institution continues to support the nursing students to achieve their personal and career goals by providing the highest possible standards of resources to educate, train, and prepare future licensed vocational nurses to join the community of nursing workforce in the Sacramento region.”
The new program comes at a fortuitous time as VN nursing is expected to expand to meet community demand. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, projected employment growth is upwards of 9.1 percent between 2019–2029, with an estimated 65,700 job openings1 and forecasts likely to double—even triple in upcoming years. Additionally, the unemployment rate for vocational nurses is a mere 2.4 percent.1 Further, the vocation receives high rankings within multiple core employment areas. U.S. News ranked it #19 out of 100 Best Health Care Support Jobs for 2021, with overall satisfaction in median salaries, growth percentages, occupational stress levels, and work-life balances using an elusive mix of factors.1
More than great job rankings, VN professionals speak to a sense of altruistic satisfaction. For those genuinely wishing to make a difference in others’ lives, vocational nursing allows daily close-up interaction with fellow healthcare staff, patients, and patient’s families—making a real impact.
The Vocational Nurse Program cohort is currently enrolling with prerequisites starting on October 5, 2021, and core courses on January 3, 2022. Sacramento provides a spectrum of allied health and medical imaging programs, including medical assistant, x-ray tech, radiologic technology, magnetic resonance technology, and ultrasound technology. Do you think a VN vocation may be for you or someone you know? Find out by taking this Vocational Nurse Career Readiness Quiz.
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Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private, post-secondary academy offering quality allied health, imaging, and nursing programs operating six campuses in California: San Mateo, Modesto, Fresno, Concord, Sacramento, and Van Nuys.
Citations
1 ^a, b, c “How U.S. News Ranks the Best Jobs.” U.S. News. U.S. News and World Report L.P. January 12, 2021. money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/how-us-news-ranks-the-best-jobs.
