PN Select program helps high school seniors gain faster entry into nursing field | Moore Norman Technology Center
![PN Select]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1759270276/mntechnologycom/eslmccijqsoddsctgl9c/PNselectwithinstructor.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1759270276/mntechnologycom/eslmccijqsoddsctgl9c/PNselectwithinstructor.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1759270276/mntechnologycom/eslmccijqsoddsctgl9c/PNselectwithinstructor.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1759270276/mntechnologycom/eslmccijqsoddsctgl9c/PNselectwithinstructor.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1759270276/mntechnologycom/eslmccijqsoddsctgl9c/PNselectwithinstructor.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1759270276/mntechnologycom/eslmccijqsoddsctgl9c/PNselectwithinstructor.jpg","width":2200}])
Written by Sharla Bardin for Boyd Street and The Metro South Standard Magazine. Reprint with permission.
As high schools students, Morgan Mills and Megan Grissam knew they wanted to become nurses.
They also wanted to participate in a program that could expedite their entry into that career field.
They enrolled in health careers certification program at Moore Norman Technology Center as high school juniors, and were admitted into the PN Select program later that year. PN Select offers high school seniors the opportunity to learn techniques and specialty areas of nursing, while also getting hands-on skills with simulations and clinical rotations at local medical facilities and offices.
Once the seniors graduate from high school, they return to the technology center to complete their program through full-time course work and clinical rotations from June to December. After they finish, they’re eligible to take the state licensure exam to become a Licensed Practical Nurse.
“This program allows students to enter the workforce as nurses just six months after they graduate high school, earning an average of $30 an hour,” said Lorain McKay, Practical Nursing
coordinator, in an email response.
McKay adds that the program also is an avenue to attract more students into nursing careers. “There is a nursing shortage in our state and nationwide. This career path allows nurses to enter the workforce sooner,” she said, and it “offers students a pathway to advanced degrees in nursing.”
Mills and Grissam, both 2023 graduates, are now licensed practical nurses. The two credit the program with equipping them with skills and support that influence their jobs today.
Mills said she believes Moore Norman “was the primary reason why I have a job right now.” Mills remembers practicing mock interviews at a job fair during her time at the technology center, which eventually led to her job at INTEGRIS Health Southwest Medical Center. Grissam said one of the highlights for her were the clinical rotations, which included visiting the Stephenson Cancer Center. The experience at the center proved pivotal. “I knew that was really where I wanted to be.”
Grissam now works in oncology research at the center.
Both nurses also said they appreciated the affordability and training through the program and were impressed with the knowledge and support they received from instructors. “Even now I can reach out,” Mills said. “It’s great to have that kind of connection.”
Grissam also appreciates how the instructors took the time to help students better understand skills and concepts. “I loved my teachers,” she said. “I felt like they really made the environment a welcoming environment.”
Both women said they knew from a young age that they wanted to become nurses. Mills said the compassion shown by nurses drew her into the field. “I want to help people wherever I am,” she said. Grissam said one of her close friends died at a young age and she remembers the care shown by the nurses to the family.
Both also want to keep advancing in the field. Mills is interested in becoming a registered nurse, while Grissam would like to work in forensic trauma.
The two encourage students to check out the PN Select program as a way to further explore health professions and have a fast track into entering the field, which needs more employees, Mills said.
“There is such a big need for nurses,” Mills said. “There is such an intense need for any health care worker right now.”
#
About Moore Norman Technology Center
Established in 1972, Moore Norman Technology Center is viewed as one of the nation's premiere career and technical educational institutions within Oklahoma's globally recognized Career Tech system. Serving the Cleveland County communities of Moore, Norman, and south Oklahoma City, MNTC provides high school and adult students with an innovative technical career education. MNTC also offers customized workforce training to area companies allowing them to shore up their teams and achieve their business goals. Visit mntc.edu to learn more about classes and programs at Moore Norman
Download Your Course Catalog
