Trends In Education
EDUCATION
MOLLY BARTELS
105
IRSC is expanding its nursing program to offset the nursing shortage.
nursing education by developing communication, leadership
and research skills she uses in the workplace.
RETURNING TO TEACH
Many IRSC graduates continue their education and attend
graduate schools elsewhere to become nurse practitioners
and other advanced nursing professionals. A number even
return to teach nursing at the college.
“About 20 to 30 percent of our faculty right now are graduates
and we love that, and they love IRSC,” Gagliano says. “A
lot of students come back because they want to give back.”
So what’s the attraction that gravitates students to the nursing
program and makes it so successful?
Perhaps, it’s the affordability of IRSC with 91% of students
graduating with no debt. Or maybe because it targets nontraditional,
working students and effectively graduates and
prepares them to enter the medical workforce.
Not only that, the college was the 2019 recipient of the prestigious
Aspen Award that recognizes outstanding achievement
among community colleges throughout the nation.
Moore explains the key to the school’s success that drives
students toward excellence.
“It’s about culture — people who are dedicated to the
proposition to educate students, no matter where they are,”
he notes. “As long as our students don’t quit, we don’t quit.
Our people are dedicated to that.”
Having a student-focused mission that changes lives in
South Florida is really what the college is all about. It’s no
wonder that students compete for a coveted spot in the nursing
program. With the expansion just around the corner, its
outreach will be even more impactful.
“These students, once they leave, are people that we
interact with in the community,” Gagliano says. “They are
the ones who will be taking care of our families. And it’s that
draw of care of community and love for community and love
for the mission that is unique about this institution. With that
culture, it transcends through each division. Especially in
nursing, it is alive and well — and that is what makes us very
different and unique.”
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