Dalton State College has been awarded a $136,060 grant to expand the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program to its Mountain Campus in Ellijay, Ga., which will allow the college to prepare more nurses to meet regional and state needs.
Grants funded by the Georgia Legislature and allocated through the University System of Georgia will support one full-time lecturer position, additional equipment and supplies, and program marketing at the Mountain Campus, which will allow the college to increase the LPN program’s cohort capacity by approximately 20% beginning Spring 2025.
“This grant will provide trained nurses in an area of great need within our region,” Marina Smitherman, interim dean for the School of Health Professions, said. “We are grateful to the Chancellor, the Board of Regents at the University System of Georgia, and the Georgia Legislature in providing support for this critical expansion of our popular and rigorous LPN program.”
Nurses comprise the largest component of the healthcare workforce, and more than one-quarter of registered nurses report that they plan to leave nursing or retire over the next five years, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The Georgia Nurses Association has reported an expected 21% shortage of registered nurses in the state by 2035.
A 2022 study from the Georgia Workforce Commission emphasized the need to ensure that for Georgians to make the decision to seek education in healthcare pathways, that education should be affordable and new programs should be focused on proven efforts that could help retain healthcare workers in the state after graduation.
Dalton State College has a strong track record in both of these points. The college is the most affordable public four-year college in Georgia, based on net price, according to the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, graduate surveys consistently show that more than 80% of Dalton State graduates remain and work in the state.
Dalton State received additional grant funds in 2023 to expand the college’s LPN/Paramedic Bridge Program – an accelerated program that allows LPN and Paramedic healthcare professionals to earn their ASN in just three semesters.
With the expansion of the LPN and LPN/Paramedic Bridge Programs to the Mountain Campus, students now have a direct pathway to an online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Dalton State’s RN-BSN program is online and provides a seamless progression for ASN-RNs to earn a bachelor’s degree while working in the field. All programs are currently offered at the main campus in Dalton, Ga.
Dalton State accepts more than 100 nursing students each year. This fall, 91 nursing students will graduate in ceremonies on December 17. To learn more about nursing programs at Dalton State, visit daltonstate.edu.
