Celebrating the success
of its newly established registered nursing
(RN) associate degree program, Anoka-Ramsey
Community College Cambridge Campus hosted
an open house May 5. Prospective students
from surrounding communities and program
donors were greeted by current nursing
students, faculty and staff from the College.
The event showcased the college’s
nursing facility in Cambridge which is
generously supported by the community
of East Central Minnesota and its health
provider partners.
“There are approximately 1,200
open positions in health care field just
in this (East Central Minnesota) area,”
says Dr. Ray Magnuson Founder of Cambridge
Memorial Hospital and Member of the Foundation
Board. “The College is a crucial
factor in filling those positions and
to the success of this community. It’s
really a draw.”
The Hospital Foundation has donated
a total of $52,000 to the nursing program
at Anoka-Ramsey’s Cambridge Campus.
Other donors include Grandview Christian
Ministries, Cambridge Medical Center,
and Mercy and Unity Hospitals.
The RN program at the Cambridge Campus
was initiated in response to Minnesota’s
nursing shortage and to provide area health
care workers an opportunity to continue
training to become registered nurses.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College also offers
the associate in science degree nursing
at its Coon Rapids Campus as well as the
opportunity for registered nurses to complete
a four-year bachelor of science degree
through Metropolitan State University.
Registered nursing is projected to become
one of the top ten fastest growing jobs
this decade with median wages between
$20 and $23 per hour. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, new registered
nurses are expected to fill more than
a million job openings nationwide between
2000 and 2010 – more than any other
occupation that requires post- high school
education.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College’s
open house coincided with National Student
Nurses Day, May 8, and Florence Nightingale’s
birthday, May 12. “Nurses: Lifting
Spirits, Touching Lives” is this
year’s theme for National Nurses
Week, May 6 - 12 — an event celebrating
the work of America’s 2.7 million
registered nurses to save lives and to
maintain the health of millions of individuals.
The Cambridge Campus is located at 300 Spirit River Drive South, Cambridge. For more
information about the nursing program,
contact Dean of Nursing, Ann Holland,
at 763-422-3440.
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