JEVS Human Services opens new practical nursing program in Orleans Technical College
The new program is part of an expansion of JEVS and Orleans into health-care training.
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Orleans Technical College will offer a new practical nursing program this fall in response to a growing demand for trained workers in the Philadelphia region, according to JEVS Human Services, the nonprofit that runs the school.
The private technical school in Northeast Philadelphia will enroll 25 students in its first cohort. The program’s graduates will be able to work as licensed practical nurses, who are certified to perform basic medical tasks and often work in nursing homes.
“This pathway provides life-sustaining wages for people in our region,” said Janet Eickhoff, JEVS’ senior vice president of career and technical education.
The average pay for a licensed practice nurse in the Philadelphia area is $63,870, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The cost of the one-year program is $28,000. Most students in Orleans qualify for federal Pell grants and other financial assistance programs, Eickhoff said.
JEVS has been offering training programs through Orleans in traditional building trades for decades.
Orleans has created other training programs in phlebotomy and clinical medical assistance over the past two years after hearing of demand for such workers from health-care employers. The licensed practical nursing program is the latest in JEVS expansion in the medical sector.
“Our pivot into medical training is recent and fast growing,” said Cynthia Figueroa, JEVS’ president and CEO.
JEVS is partnering with nursing-home providers and hospitals, including Oakwood Nursing in the Northeast and Jefferson Einstein in North Philadelphia, for the students’ hands-on training.