GCC launches new registered nursing degree program
The Guam Community College announced the launch of its new associate of science degree in Nursing – a Registered Nursing program on May 14 at its Mangilao campus.
GCC said the program is designed to create a direct pathway for licensed practical nurses to become registered nurses.
The program received conditional approval from the Guam Board of Nurse Examiners in July 2024.
The inaugural cohort consists of 20 students who had begun coursework in March according to Mary A.Y. Okada, CEO and president of GCC. All are currently employed across the island’s healthcare facilities.
GCC's ADN-RN program cohort consists of 20 students. Photo by Skyler Obispo
Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, who is a former nurse, said that nurses are the backbone of the healthcare profession.
“Nurses spend 10, 12, sometimes 16 hours a day with [their] patients,” she said. “Doctors rely on nurses.”
Leon Guerrero said the program comes at a time of a national and local nursing shortage.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, 100,000 nurses left the profession nationally. On Guam, 150 nurses did not renew their licenses.
“By 2027, if we don’t do anything there’s going to be a … shortage, because we are looking at one out of five nurses leaving the nursing profession,” she said.
Jennifer R. Cruz, senior vice president and chief nursing office at the Guam Regional Medical City; said the hospital has 70 nurses and 50 are travel nurses. Travel nurses from off-island fill positions temporarily and are highly paid.
Cruz said the inclusion of the program and the cohort means a “stronger, more self-reliant healthcare system on Guam.”
Okada also announced that the tuition of every student in the cohort would be covered by the GCC's Foundation Board of Governors. According to John Dela Rosa, GCC's assistant director of communications and promotions, the total value of all 20 scholarships are valued at $82,446.40.
The next step for the students after the program is to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses exam, which would certify them as licensed registered nurses. mbj
