Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) has become the first college in the state of Louisiana to establish a nontraditional dual-enrolled Practical Nursing cohort for high school students, set to start in Fall 2022.
This nontraditional cohort will take classes from the first-semester curriculum of the Practical Nursing program in their Junior and Senior years of High School. Once completing all first-semester practical nursing courses and graduating from High School, the student will be given advanced standing into the program’s second semester. This enables the student to continue into the second semester of the Practical Nursing Program and complete the program 12 months after they complete high school in a high-wage, high-demand job.
NTCC has been a long-standing community college with five campuses in Lacombe, Bogalusa, Livingston, Hammond, and Livingston that offer a Practical Nursing Program at each campus to ensure they reach the surrounding regions.
Being able to capture High School students during their junior year can help them be successful early in the practical nursing program.
Frank Jabbia, St. Tammany Parish Public School System Superintendent, said they are excited for their students to have another career pathway for high-wage, high-demand jobs. Jabbia added that the medical field is a vital part of the St. Tammany community, and through this partnership with NTCC, they will be able to offer students the opportunity to have careers in the same parish where they attend school. Additionally, this program will help them become job-ready in nursing within one year of High School graduation.
