Manchester Community College adds new one-year nursing program to meet workforce demands

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Manchester Community College nursing students get hands-on experience in the Excellence in Clinical Learning through Simulation Nursing Laboratory. Courtesy photo

Manchester, NH – Manchester Community College (MCC) is offering a new licensed practical nursing (LPN) program to help meet the increased workforce needs for skilled nurses in the state’s largest city. The addition of the LPN program expands pathways for students interested in a nursing career and is an extension of MCC’s four established healthcare programs – registered nurse (RN), licensed nursing assistant (LNA), LPN to registered nurse (LPN to RN) and medical assistant.

MCC becomes the fourth New Hampshire community college to offer the one-year LPN program, which was created by River Valley Community College (RVCC) in 2019. RVCC and the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) designed the program so that it could expand to multiple campuses in a program-sharing model that helps to keep administrative costs of the program down.

“During the pandemic, there was a tremendous shortage of nurses in the state,” said Kimberly Perrotta, Allied Health department chair and director of Nursing at MCC. “Last fall there were over 200 open LPN positions in Manchester. Some acute care facilities have changed their models to bring LPNs back as an integral part of the nursing workforce to help lighten the burden of care. This makes the need for an LPN program very clear, and we wanted to bring a robust academic experience with an accredited curriculum to our students. Now we can help train the next generation of highly skilled LPNs to meet workforce needs while bringing an additional educational pathway to MCC students.”

The 36-credit LPN certificate program incorporates theory with simulated activities in the Excellence in Clinical Learning through Simulation (ExCLS) Nursing Laboratory, a state-of-the-art laboratory with nine hospital beds and several high and medium fidelity mannequins in a realistic hospital room setting. After students learn hands-on patient care in the laboratory, they will begin clinical training at Parkland Medical Center in Derry. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination-Practical Nurse (NCLEX-PN), the nationwide nursing license exam. This program can serve as pathway for LNAs to expand their skills and as a pre-requisite for the one-year hybrid LPN to RN program.

According to NHeconomy.com, healthcare is one of the state’s largest industries and has had a surge in open positions. The workforce demand was prevalent three years ago when the Governor and New Hampshire Legislature appropriated start-up funding for the LPN program at RVCC. Based on healthcare needs in the state, the RVCC LPN program has expanded each year, to Lakes Region Community College in 2021, White Mountains Community College in 2022 and MCC in 2023.

“We are so proud of the interest and success that the LPN program has had throughout New Hampshire and are pleased to offer it at MCC to serve the greater Manchester area,” said Eileen Glover, who started the LPN program at RVCC and serves as River Valley’s Allied Health chair. “Since we launched this program in 2020, we have enrolled nearly 100 students. Of those who have graduated, there has been a 100 percent pass rate for the NCLEX-PN, and those individuals have continued on to healthcare positions. It is our goal to continue to expand this program to other parts of the state.”

The deadline for applications for the January 2023 LPN program cohort at MCC is September 30. Pre-requisites include having a medical background with basic nursing skills or being an LNA. You can find out more at mccnh.edu or by attending an upcoming information session.


Manchester Community College is part of CCSNH and offers more than 65 associate degree and certificate programs for transfer and career training in the areas of: Arts, Humanities and Communication; Business; Education, Social and Behavioral Science; Health Science and Services; Industry and Transportation; and STEM and Advanced Manufacturing. MCC also offers non-credit professional and workforce development, and customized corporate training. For more information, visit www.mccnh.edu. 

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Manchester Community College