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Programs Overview
The Mission of the Nursing program is to prepare competent practitioners to meet the health-related needs of the diverse citizenry. Graduates are able to practice in a variety of settings and attend to the health needs of all age groups. The mission is to promote nursing as a life-long learning process requiring critical thinking, skill mastery, and continuing education. Upward mobility is inherent in the process of encouraging certificate program graduates to enroll in the practical nursing program and practical nursing graduates to enroll in undergraduate and ultimately graduate degree nursing programs. These program offerings enable graduates to expand their practice of nursing and their sphere of nursing influence.
Historical Perspective
The Practical Nursing (PN) Program at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) was established in November of 1996 under the guidance and directorship of Carrol E. Daniels, BS, M.Ed. Ms. Daniels has successfully implemented and directed education programs at various District and federal government agencies.
The first practical nursing class began in the fall of 1996 with 26 students enrolled. This class was structured as a full-time day program lasting 12-months. In the spring of 1997, an evening class was added to accommodate students who work during the day. This class was structured to last 15-months, with shorter periods during the first session.
Responding to the critical shortage of nurses and the need to retain nurses already in the profession, the District of Columbia Consortium for Nursing Education and Practice (DCCNEP) finalized an institutional DC Education Certification Plan in July 2001. The plan allowed for an accelerated tract program from LPN to an Associate Degree in Nursing.
In Fall 2002, the LPN to RN tract within the Department of Nursing and Allied Health was implemented and the first class graduated in May 2003.
The Nursing Assistant (NA) Program was established in 1989 under the directorship of Ms. Carrol E. Daniels, M.Ed. The program was designed because the Long Term Care Management Administration selected the University of the District of Columbia to administer the program based on the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 which established certain requirements that persons working in a nursing facility be credentialed solely on the successful completion of the University’s approved competency evaluation. For individuals hired on or after October 1990, a nurse aide would have to complete an approved nurse aide training program at the University and successfully complete the competency evaluation program.
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