PA College Magazine - Fall 2022 - 11

PA COLLEGE / FEATURE
Gayle Watson, Co-Chair, Undergraduate Nursing Faculty
and Chair of the College's LPN Bridge Program, says
planning for the program began in 1998, and the program
is an advanced placement track. One of the pre-requisites
of the LPN Bridge Program is to have a minimum of 1,000
work hours as an LPN.
" [The program] provides an opportunity for students who
are practicing LPNs to advance their education. It gives
them credit for previously acquired learning in their practical
nursing programs. Some of our students have been LPNs for
a year, and some have had 20 years as an LPN, " she explains.
Over the years, the program has become more flexible;
now offering both day and evening classes with clinicals
Monday through Friday or on the weekend. " Not only
does the schedule itself offer more flexibility, but we've also
streamlined the process for shifting between day and evening
classes for each semester. That removes a hurdle; previously,
a student would have had to fill out paperwork and receive
approval to shift from day to evening, " Gayle says. She says
students who enter the LPN Bridge Program are usually
very committed individuals who do well in completing
their ASN degree, passing the NCLEX (National Council
Licensure Examination) and transitioning into practice as
an RN.
Julie plans to graduate from the program with her ASN in
2024. " I like the fact the PA College's LPN Bridge Program
has more hands-on opportunities than other programs I
considered. I'm a visual learner, so hands-on learning is
better for me, " she says. " The ability to 'test out' of some
of the required courses is also very helpful. It shortens the
time needed to complete the program. Also, some of the
classrooms are set up like an actual ICU or OR; it's nice to
get a feel for what you may be experiencing in real life. "
After completing the LPN Bridge Program, Julie's goal is to
continue assisting residents at Bethany Village who live at
The Oaks Skilled Nursing.
Joyce Kieffer -
From
Nursing
to Author
Joyce Kieffer '61's 55-year career in nursing inspired
her to explore a career as an author. Her first foray
into writing, " To Have . . . To Hold, a Parent's Guide to
Childbirth and Early Parenting, " was published during her
career as a nurse. It sold nearly a million copies in seven
editions between 1979 and 2001.
After retiring from nursing, she picked up her pen again;
this time as a historical novelist. Her own experiences
walking the forests and trails near the family cabin in the
Shade Mountains of Juniata County provided the setting
for her trilogy. She says the books are set in the forests
she and her family grew to love. Joyce's nursing career
helped shape the main character, a young woman, who
in 1897 aspires to be more than a farm girl and graduates
from the Johns Hopkins Training School for Nurses.
The first two books in the trilogy, " The Trees Inspire "
and " The Trees Endure, " have already been published.
The third book of the trilogy,
" The Trees Remember, " will
be published later this year.
Kieffer says all three books
address key issues such
as early nursing practice,
environmental, racial,
Native American wisdom,
socio-economic issues and
misogyny.
Joyce and her husband, Ken,
will celebrate their 60th anniversary in November. They
have two daughters and four grandchildren who live
close to their home at Bethany Village.
PA College Magazine / Fall 2022
11
PA College Magazine - Fall 2022

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