HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Wallace State Community College will begin offering evening nursing courses this fall to provide a more flexible option for students interested in pursuing a degree in nursing. The evening program will follow the same pathway as traditional daytime classes, with students being eligible to take the practical nurse licensure exam (NCLEX-PN) to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) after three semesters.
Deborah “Pepper” Hoover, chair of the Wallace State Department of Nursing Education, said the new program allows students with obligations during the traditional daytime hours to work toward getting their degree in nursing.
“We are very excited to announce a new program option starting in the fall of 2024, and it is an evening option, at the end of which you would earn a practical nursing certificate. These nighttime classes give options to people who are working during the day or that have family obligations,” said Hoover. “The classes will start at five o’clock – we estimate three nights a week – with the clinicals on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The curriculum for the evening option will mirror the curriculum for our traditional nursing program, so it’s a year-long curriculum.”
Students in the evening program are expected to be on campus three days out of the week, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Hoover said that those opting to take evening classes wouldn’t miss anything that traditional daytime students experience.
“The evening option is designed to be totally offered in the evening, but we anticipate once a semester those students would be invited to join the daytime classes at the School of Nursing, for events such as Let’s Pretend Hospital in the fall,” Hoover said. “We do not want these students to miss out on anything that Wallace has to offer.”
Logan Gibbs is the coordinator of the new evening nursing program and a Wallace State alumna. In 2018, she completed her studies at Wallace State before attaining a bachelor’s degree in nursing education from the University of Alabama in 2021 and a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of North Alabama in 2023. Before taking on the role of evening coordinator, Gibbs worked as a school nurse in Huntsville.
Online applications for the traditional daytime and evening programs at Wallace State Department of Nursing Education open March 15 and will be accepted through May 15.
The Department of Nursing Education holds Exploring Nursing at WSCC Information Sessions each month from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the School of Nursing and Center for Science Room 219. Upcoming sessions are scheduled for Feb. 26, March 18 and April 29.
Attendees to the information session will receive one point toward the overall point total used in the application and selection process. Pre-register at https://forms.office.com/r/rC34CRB5e8.
For more information about the Wallace State Nursing program, visit www.wallacestate.edu/nursing, call 256-352-8199 or email nursingapplicant@wallacestate.edu.
