Cecil College Nursing Program celebrates 40 years of excellence
Published on May 6, 2021
NORTH EAST, Md. – Cecil College is celebrating four decades of excellence in the education of future nurses for the Mid-Atlantic region. This year is the 40th anniversary of the nursing program at Cecil, which is one of the most coveted nursing schools in the State of Maryland, with its graduates highly recruited for employment in the region.
“Community College nursing programs are critical to meeting the workforce need for nurses in Maryland. Cecil College is preparing nurses to meet the challenges of today’s health care environment,” said Cecil College President Dr. Mary Way Bolt.
Cecil College’s nursing program is fully approved by the Maryland State Board of Nursing and nationally accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Cecil College is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
The formula for success for the nursing program is evident. The dedication of the faculty is a testament to the program, with four of the six full-time members holding doctorate credentials. The full-time faculty include; Assistant Director Dr. Roxanne Rash, Dr. Lauren Dawson, Amy Smythe, Dr. Shirley Gharbin, Mary Knarr, and Dr. Cynthia Horton. In addition, 11 adjunct instructors with advanced degrees are full-time practitioners in the medical field.
“There have been many changes to the program throughout the years, but several things have remained constant. The faculty enjoy working with the students and watching them grow. Regional hospitals hire the graduates without difficulty. Most importantly, the graduates and the Nursing program have been well respected since the beginning, and I think that this is the most important thing of all,” says Associate Professor Mary Knarr.
A full-time faculty member at Cecil College since the inception of the nursing program in August 1981, Knarr is an integral part of the nursing program and the Cecil College community. She was recently presented the Nurse Annual Faculty Recognition (NAFR) Award by the Maryland Higher Education Commission for her work on implementing a “mind and body” program to provide students with effective coping strategies for school, work, and home life.
Due to the success of Cecil College’s program, it has a job placement rate of 80 percent within nine months of graduation over the past few years. These students work in a multitude of fields, from critical care and home healthcare to surgical environments. The remaining 20 percent are students who decide to pursue their bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing before seeking employment.
“The Cecil College nursing program allowed me to become the nurse I am today. The faculty held all students to a high academic and professional standard because nursing is not easy. It is a complex and stressful profession though it is also very rewarding. I could not imagine being anything else,” said Cecil College alumna Stacie Swain, BSN, RN.
Swain is the Acting Nurse Manager at the Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where Veterans improve their lives through the development of adaptive living skills. Swain will complete her Master of Nursing degree later this year.
“The Cecil College nursing program gave me the foundation and confidence to further my education and career. I would highly recommend the Cecil College nursing program to anyone interested in becoming a nurse,” said Swain.
Another ingredient for the program’s success is the curriculum, which incorporates theory and practice into each nursing course. This learning formula provides students with a hands-on approach regarding experience, beginning in the first semester. This training was critical at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when ChristianaCare’s Union Hospital put out a call for assistance with vaccination clinics. Dr. Horton and Dr. Gharbin worked with their senior nursing students to ensure the vaccination clinics had the help needed. This request for assistance turned into a real-life learning experience for the students who took part, as they were not behind the scenes but on the frontlines with other healthcare workers.
“There are many factors that contribute to our program success over the years. First are our hard-working students and faculty. Next is the structure of our curriculum, where our theory courses are tied to student’s clinical to develop competencies through explanatory activities and practice. What students are learning in class, they apply in clinical at the same time. There are programs that offer all the didactic upfront with the clinical schedule in the last semester. Under this format, students do not have an opportunity to practice what they learn in class. Finally, we could not have a successful program without the support from our community, including the college administration, Board of Trustees, clinical agencies, and generous Foundation donors,” says Dean of Health and Human Services Dr. Nancy Norman-Marzella.
The success of this philosophy is reflected in the pass rate of the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) by Cecil students, which is required for their license as a registered nurse. The nursing program has consistently been among the highest performing schools in Maryland, with the highest pass rate in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019.
Located within 10 miles of Delaware and Pennsylvania borders, the college doesn’t just support Cecil County. It educates the nursing workforce for the tri-state region with a higher than usual number of out-of-state and out-of-county students compared to other Maryland community colleges.