Cerritos College Receives $480K Grant to Expand Registered Nurse Training Program

Nursing studentsThe Nursing Department has received a $480,000 Song-Brown Program Registered Nurse Education Program Award grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) to update the skills lab for the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program. 

The funding will be used to improve the skills lab equipment and technology and assist with faculty hiring, training, and development in order to train and mentor skilled future healthcare workers. The College’s 22,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art skills lab provides students with the critical equipment they need to acquire the best training. This interdisciplinary facility prepares students to successfully transition from the classroom to the workforce.

“The Song-Brown Grant from HCAI is an incredible opportunity to support our students by enhancing our program,” said Elizabeth Riley, Ph.D., dean of the Cerritos College Health Occupations Division. “We are exploring opportunities to incorporate augmented reality and virtual reality experiences, as well as honing our students’ skills with the latest experiential learning tools, technology-enhanced feedback on performance, and state-of-the-art equipment that mirrors what they will encounter in their real-world work environment. We are excited to be one of the recipients of these grant funds so that we can expand our preparation of nurses for the health care workforce in California.”

HCAI awarded $16.9 million in grants to 32 registered nurse training programs to help expand and improve access to equitable health care in California. 

The Cerritos College Nursing Program was ranked among the top 10 best nursing schools in the Western United States as the only two-year college to earn a top spot in 2015 (NurseJournal.org). The Program, accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc., offers an opportunity to prepare for a nursing career through mastery of a specific body of knowledge and skills. For more information about the program, please visit www.cerritos.edu/nursing