MONROE, Mich. – Due to limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Monroe County Community College has postponed the Summer Semester portion of its Practical Nursing certificate program curriculum until the Fall 2020 Semester and will not admit a new cohort of students into the program for Winter Semester 2021.
The current cohort of Practical Nursing program students will graduate in May 2021 rather than December. These students were notified of the situation and their academic plan going forward via an official email earlier this week from Dr. Kim Lindquist, dean of the Health Sciences Division and director of nursing.
The college closed on March 20 and remains closed in compliance with the governor’s stay-at-home order. MCCC is offering only online classes for Summer Semester and exploring the possibility of offering 100 percent of classes via remote formats or a combination of online and hybrid formats for the Fall Semester.
“At a minimum, we will need to be diligent about maintaining an appropriate social distance, especially during the initial reopen, but an even greater challenge for the Practical Nursing program is the lack of clinical site availability,” Lindquist said.
Clinicals are the application of the skills that students have learned in lab settings and classroom dynamics. ProMedica Health System – MCCC’s partner for P.N. courses that include clinicals -- is not accepting any students at this time, and Lindquist does not anticipate any changes to that situation until at least late summer. Long-term care facilities are not accepting students either, so they are not available as an alternative, she said.
Because the current cohort will be completing delayed portions of its curriculum at the same time a new group would come into the program, the college cannot accept a new PN cohort for Winter 2021.
“We simply do not have the human and physical resources to bring in a new group while trying to get the current group completed,” Lindquist said. “I appreciate this is very disappointing for potential applicants, but, regrettably, we have no other choice.”
MCCC President Dr Kojo A. Quartey expressed his sympathy for the difficulty these changes have and will cause both current and prospective practical nursing students and thanked them for their understanding and patience. He also recognized the college’s administration and faculty, who he said worked diligently to find solutions in an ever-changing and unprecedented situation.
“We realize it has been a very trying couple of months full of changes and uncertainty for these students, and I wish this could have a more positive outcome,” he said. “But we have exhausted all the alternatives. I know the administration and faculty have been working hard to keep things moving forward, and our current and prospective students have been patient throughout all of this and working hard to stay up to date. We sincerely appreciate all of their efforts.”
Lindquist added that she and the P.N. program faculty are very sensitive to the disappointment current students may be feeling over the delay in completion.
“We had originally thought that we would be able to 'catch up' this summer and planned accordingly,” she said. “Unfortunately, the effects of the pandemic are being felt for much longer than most people ever imagined. After careful consideration, we just did not see any other way to for our current cohort of students to complete the program in a way that doesn’t put them at a disadvantage in their studies or possibly jeopardize their future success as practical nurses.
“We thank them for their patience during these challenging times and look forward to celebrating their many successes as soon as reasonably possible.”
Current and prospective students are encouraged to email Lindquist with any questions or concerns at klindquist@monroeccc.edu.
About Monroe County Community College
Founded in 1964, Monroe County Community College is a public, two-year institution supported by tax monies from Monroe County, educational funds from the State of Michigan and student tuition. The college’s mission is to enrich lives in our community by providing opportunity through student-focused, affordable, quality higher education and other learning experiences. The Main Campus is located at 1555 South Raisinville Road, Monroe, Mich., 48161, with easy access to Toledo and Detroit. The Whitman Center is located in Temperance, Mich., 48182, near the Ohio-Michigan Border. Detailed information about MCCC is available at www.monroeccc.edu.