Jefferson State Community College received approval in November to expand its nursing programs to the Chilton-Clanton and Pell City locations.

Approval came from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE).

“It’s something we’ve been working toward for a while,” said Jefferson State Nursing Director Bonnie Glass. “It went very smoothly. The nursing program in particular is outstanding.”

The two new nursing programs will initially offer three classes: Fundamentals of Nursing, Health Assessment, and Basic Pharmacology.

“That’s everything a student needs for the first semester of nursing,” Glass said. “We’re really excited. It’s probably going to start small, and we will gauge how we offer the program there by community response.”

Glass said the Chilton-Clanton campus worked on its nursing labs for more than two years, and students at both locations will receive the same level of instruction and access to resources as students at the Jefferson and Shelby-Hoover campuses.

“It’s a five-semester program,” Glass said. “Every semester, we will offer what that group needs for the next semester.”

Classes will begin in January, and the deadline to apply for the spring semester is Dec. 20 at 4 p.m.

Nursing applications are available online at www.jeffstateonline.com/rn under “RN Application.”

“We’ve been getting calls for years from both of those communities,” Glass said. “We’re so excited to expand and that they want us there as well.”

For more information, call the Jefferson State nursing office at (205) 856-7940.