Hudson County Community College (HCCC) recently held a special event to celebrate the full transition of the CarePoint Schools of Nursing and Radiography to the Hudson County Community College Schools of Nursing and Radiography.

Participating in the ceremony were HCCC President Glen Gabert, Ph.D., CarePoint Christ Hospital Chief Operating Officer Marie Duffy, HCCC Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Eric Friedman, Ph.D., HCCC Associate Dean of Nursing & Health Sciences Catherine Sirangelo-Elbadawy, Director of the HCCC Nursing Program Carol Fasano, and Director of the HCCC Radiography Program Suzanne Novy. Also in attendance were HCCC Senior Vice President for North Hudson Campus and Student & Educational Services Paula P. Pando, Ed.D., HCCC Vice President for Development Joseph D. Sansone, HCCC Foundation Chairman Mandy Otero, and students of the College’s Nursing, Radiography, Paramedic, EMT, and other Life Sciences programs.

Dr. Gabert said the event marked the completion of the transfer and sponsorship of the nursing and radiography programs from CarePoint Health Christ Hospital to Hudson County Community College. He explained that the cooperative nursing program was initiated with Christ Hospital, Bayonne Hospital, and Saint Francis Hospital 17 years ago, and the College has continued to cosponsor the program with CarePoint. In December 2014, the College and CarePoint Health signed an agreement to physically relocate all equipment and services in September 2015 to the HCCC Joseph Cundari Center, which was renovated to accommodate the programs. Nursing practicum activities continue at the CarePoint Christ Hospital, Hoboken Medical Center, and Bayonne Hospital as well as at Overlook Medical Center, Peace Care at St. Ann’s, Promise Care, and Palisades Parish. The HCCC Nursing and Radiography faculty includes qualified and experienced instructors who hold at least master’s degrees.

The event featured tours led by Nursing and Radiography program students; nebulizer, birth, EKG, CPR, and other demonstrations utilizing “human patient simulators;” digital x-ray taking and reading demonstrations; and even the opportunity to participate in a guided tour inside a real ambulance led by a HCCC EMT instructor.

The fully accredited HCCC Nursing and Radiography programs are housed in the College’s Joseph Cundari Center which was renovated to accommodate those and the other Life Science programs – Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic, Medical Assisting, and Medical Coding. Students have the advantage of learning in a facility equipped with the newest technologies. For example, the nursing studies area specifically accommodates the program with state-of-the-art simulated rooms in various hospital settings (pediatrics, OB/GYN, general medicine, orthopedics, ER, and more). Each area is equipped with a variety of interactive “human patient simulator” mannequins with lifelike bodily functions (such as “coughing,” “breathing,” “spiking elevated temperatures,” “urinating” having “high blood pressure,” even “giving birth”). The Cundari Center also includes expanded nursing multimedia, and a new student lounge. Additionally, Hudson County Community College recently opened its new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Building, which is adjacent to the Cundari Center. The opening of the STEM Building now allows nursing and radiography students to take their science labs in close proximity to their other classes.

Earlier this year, the New Jersey Board of Nursing/National Council of State Boards of Nursing posted the pass rates for nursing school graduates who have taken the NCLEX for the first time. The posting shows that 93.75% of graduates of the Hudson County Community College Nursing Program passed first time out, placing the HCCC program in the number eight position for passing among all New Jersey Registered Nursing programs and the number four position among all New Jersey associate-degree, Registered Nursing programs.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the U.S; it is predicted there will be 439,000 new nursing jobs opening between now and 2024. The need for nurses is expected to continue growing and may reach crisis proportions as the aging nursing workforce retires and the demand for health care services soars because of the Baby Boomers aging. Likewise, the need for qualified radiologic technologists and technicians is projected to grow by 9-17% – or 56,000 positions – within the next 10 years.

“The Hudson County Community College Nursing, Radiography, and other Life Sciences programs are all about building better lives. Look at the difference you are making. You are part of a legacy,” Dr. Gabert told the students at the October 12th event.

One such student who attests to the difference the HCCC Nursing program has made in her life is Maritza Beniquez, a registered nurse and member of the CarePoint Health Medical/Surgical Telemetry staff. A 2013 graduate of the HCCC Nursing program, Ms. Beniquez stated: “I was a second-career student. I had seen the ads to come to Hudson County Community College and become a registered nurse. The professors and counselors, and everyone I encountered here, were so supportive of me on my journey to fulfilling my dream. If anyone wants to go to school and get a fresh start – to do something with your life, some call that you might have – know you can do that here at Hudson County Community College.”