By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY ó Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will house its nursing programs at North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis next semester.
President Dr. Carol Spalding said the move will put the licensed practical nursing and the registered nursing programs under the same roof for the first time.
ěThe programs have wanted to be together to share equipment and faculty,î she said.
The transition into the collegeís $26 million, 62,000-square-foot biotechnology building will also free up space at the North and South campuses, where the programs are currently being administered.
The North Campus currently has a space shortage of 132,000 square feet.
Spalding said the goal has always been to have the programs at one location, but neither campus could handle the influx of students.
Shifting the programs to the Research Campus is a logical solution because of the biotechnology component, she said.
ěWe are really excited about this move because we believe the nursing program translates biotechnology into careers that people understand,î Spalding said.
Spalding said everyday tasks performed by nurses, such as drawing blood, are a good example of biotechnology in action.
College spokeswoman Paula Dibley said nursing students will also have more lab space to work in after the move.
The college will use $240,000 in grant funds to renovate two of the buildingís unfinished classrooms.
ěThey are going to be pretty state of the art,î Dibley said. ěThey are going to be very interactive with a simulated hospital in one of the rooms.î
Students will also have access to lifelike mannequins to practice their diagnostic and treatment skills.
About 131 students will be affected by the change. Dibley said college officials recognize some students will likely have to travel further to get to class, but the location is more centralized.
ěObviously for some students itís not going to be ideal, but Kannapolis is smack in the middle of our service area,î she said.
Dibley said another advantage to housing the nursing programs at the Research Campus will be its close proximity to the Cabarrus Health Alliance, which is currently under construction.
ěThatís just walking distance from the Research Campus so some of our students have the potential to do some field work there,î she said.
Spalding said there will still be space at the Research Campus for the collegeís agricultural biotechnology program. The program has been put off until interest and demand pick up.
ěWe are not going to get ahead of the industry,î she said. ěRight now, biotechnology in general has got more applications.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
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