Carteret Community College Adds Second Nursing Cohort

Morehead City, N.C. (August 31, 2022) – The North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON) has approved Carteret Community College to increase enrollment in its Associate Degree Nursing program from 50 to 100 total students. For the first time ever, Carteret CC will offer a spring start date creating two nursing cohorts within the same academic year.

“Nursing shortages continue to threaten hospitals across the country including our own,” says Camella Marcom, chair of the ADN program at Carteret CC. “By offering two start dates into the ADN program, we can graduate twice as many nurses and help close the labor gap.”

Carteret CC started the Associate Degree Nursing program in 2005 with its first graduating class in 2007 and was awarded accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) in 2010. The program’s total enrollment includes all first- and second-year students and has been capped at 50 since the start. Beginning August 2022, NCBON approved increasing the program’s enrollment cap to 100 students.

“Every year we have more students applying to the program than we are permitted to enroll,” says Laurie Freshwater, Dean of Health Sciences at Carteret CC. “Students are eager to fill the nursing shortage, but colleges often have difficulty expanding health science programs, such as nursing, because of enrollment caps or limited funds, faculty, and space. At Carteret Community College, we are very fortunate to have a strong partnership with Carteret Health Care, and with the program’s enrollment now increased to 100 students, we are thrilled to offer a second nursing cohort with a spring start date.”

The first spring nursing cohort will start January 2023 and have an anticipated graduation date of December 2024. “For 2022 our nursing program had an 89% passing rate which is well above the national average of 74.39%,” says Marcom. “We have a rigorous program, and since the start, we’ve been able to maintain an 85-95% pass rate, which is a true testament to the quality of education our nursing faculty are providing these future nurses.”

The application period for the ADN spring start date has closed, and Carteret CC faculty have started the review process for Spring ’23 admission. Those interested in applying for the ADN program can look forward to the Fall 2023 admissions cycle which opens October 2022. To apply or learn more visit www.carteret.edu/nursing.

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