SHREVEPORT – LSUS is doing its part to help replenish the local nursing pool as 24 licensed practical nurses walked across the graduation stage Wednesday.
Chancellor Robert Smith said he has tremendous respect for nurses as his daughter is a pediatric oncology nurse.
“Thank you for doing an incredibly important job for us and our community,” Smith said. “Nurses do tremendous things for us all.
“COVID-19 has been very difficult on this country, but it’s been harder on healthcare workers than anybody else. The number of people leaving healthcare during the pandemic means that we need you now more than ever in these careers on which you’re about to embark.”
Graduate Shacara Brown said her class couldn’t have reached the finish line without the support of faculty, family and friends.
“The faculty and staff pushed us to limits that we didn’t even know existed, but it makes this moment so much more special for us,” Brown told the assembled crowd in the LSUS Theater. “To our family and friends, you’ve been our shoulder to cry on and even cried with us. You helped us take on responsibilities, everything from helping with bills to helping with kids.
“We truly couldn’t have been successful without your unwavering support.”
The 12-month LPN program at LSUS is broken down into a classroom section and a clinicals section.
Brown received the highest academic award in the classroom setting while Quabreeshia Willie earned the highest marks in the clinical setting.
“This is an intensive program that requires an immense commitment of time, energy and attention,” said Haley Holbrook, the assistant director of the practical nursing program. “After students completed a theory portion which required five long days of class every week, they went out into area hospitals and nursing homes to gain experience with actual patients.”
Graduates logged a total of 1,540 combined hours during the program.
The LSUS program has maintained a 100 percent pass rate on the NCLEX, the national exam for practical nursing.
Joining Brown and Willie in the graduating class is Adriana Bradley, LaGuainique Clay, Ca’Bria Cotton, Rayshonda Daniels, LaShondra Dewitt, Marasha Gibson, Serenity Hamilton, Kierra Hill, Kiara Jones, Theandrea Law, Alexandra Laydera-Collins, Taylor Lennard, Kierra Mills, Chloe Myles, Sherita Nelson, LaToiya Perry, Crystal Poole, Kimberly Steel, Aziza Wadi, Jasmine Washington, Brayden White, and Tan’Janay Young.
For more information on the LSUS LPN program and application process, visit the program’s website.
