Nursing

In the news: CT suspends LPN education program

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, December 8, 2009

Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has cut the state's education program for licensed practical nurses (LPN), reports The Hartford Courant.

The program has been in place since 1950, was offered at 10 state technical high schools, and produced about 350 new LPNs every 16 months. The cut has been attributed to the effort to reduce the state's $470 million deficit. The program covered about 80% of tuition for students, costing the state $1.7 million a year. Rell has the authority to cut the program without legislative approval, according to The Courant.

The state Office of Policy and Management reports that the current supply of new nurses adequately fills Connecticut's needs and that the rate of new nurses has increased significantly since 2000.

Labor Department spokesperson Nancy Steffens said the department forecasts 324 openings for LPNs per year, including new positions and vacancies created by retirements.

Source: The Hartford Courant

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