The Northern Marianas College Board of Regents will soon review the curriculum submitted by the proposed Emmanuelle College in the CNMI.
The college, which plans to offer a vocational nursing degree program, Licensed Vocational Nursing, on Saipan in May this year, submitted its letter of intent to the Board of Regents two weeks ago.
The new college aims to attract local and foreign students who want to complete the course in less than a year and be able to work afterwards.
California-based investor Sedy Demesa-Bernabe, who held talks with CNMI government and business groups last week, also met with the NMC Board of Regents last week. According to NMC, the CNMI Nursing Board Licensing Office has already approved the new college's license to offer such a course.
NMC will be receiving some packets from the Emmanuelle College containing information about the college and its proposed curriculum. Demesa-Bernabe said the nursing courses to be offered on Saipan are based on a curriculum approved by the California Board of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education and the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.
The NMC Board of Regents will have its regular board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20, to tackle the issue.
Demesa-Bernabe said that graduates of the program would be eligible to take up the NCLEX [nursing licensure exam] or even choose to pursue other advanced nursing courses.
Demesa-Bernabe, who owns the second-largest nursing home chain in California, Pleasant Care, said that LVNs receive a wage rate of up to $27 per hour in the U.S.
An LVN is an entry-level health care provider who is responsible for rendering basic nursing care. A vocational nurse practices under the direction of a physician or registered nurse.
Emmanuel College will be located at Pacific Towers, formerly Koreana Hotel, in Chalan Kanoa, a property acquired by Demesa’s group about two years ago. The college is named after Demesa’s husband Emmanuel, who is the president of Pleasant Care.
LVN program will be open to local residents, as well as students from South Korea, China, and the Philippines, among others.
Home | Weather | Advertising | Classifieds | Subscription | Contact
Us | About Us | Archives
©2006 Saipan Tribune. All Rights Reserved
