Ten practical nursing students will be graduating next month from the Colby Community College program in Goodland. The program, located in the former Armory building, began offering classes in June 2011. The practical nursing program is a collaborative effort between CCC and the Northwest Kansas Technical College. Students who will graduate include Cassandra Aguirre (Goodland), Jessica Gittinger (Goodland), Jobeth Hawkins (Vona, Colo.), Victoria Hererra (Burlington, Colo.), Yolanda Ledesma (Kanorado), Shannon Miller (Burlington, Colo.), Rebecca O’Neal (Goodland), Erica Palmer (Goodland), Ashley Stickley (St. Francis) and Anita Ward (Topeka).

Classroom lecture and labs for the nursing program are located in the Armory. Clinicals for students are conducted at the Good Samaritan Center and Goodland Regional Medical Center.

Cheryl Traub, RN, is the director of the Goodland program.

“Our students have assisted with a local blood drive, the Sherman County flu vaccine drive, the Flatlander Festival and offered free blood pressure clinics,” said Traub. “We are pleased that eight of the 10 students will be continuing their studies by enrolling in the associate degree nursing program next year.”

The program in Goodland can accept 12 students each year. CCC has also expanded the nursing program in WaKeeney and Norton. In addition, an evening associate degree nursing program was added in Colby.

Instructors for the Goodland program are Sandra Barber, RN, Julie Juenemann, RN and Traub.

For more information about these programs, contact Director of Nursing Ruth Wolfram at (785) 460-5444.