The school has graduated about 3,000 nurses since it opened in 1904 at the former Community Hospital.
The new combined program, called Clark State Community College – Springfield Regional School of Nursing, is expected to enroll the same number of students as if the two programs remained separate, Clark State spokeswoman Jennifer Dietsch said in an email.
Starting this fall, 160 students will be admitted and another 30 students will enter the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Registered Nurse (RN) Transition program.
More than 440 potential students are currently on day, evening and LPN to RN program waiting lists, according to Dietsch.
The lists were combined over the past couple of years.
The wait is not expected to be any longer, and students maintained their spot on the list, she said.
It will close its doors June 30 because Springfield Regional Medical Center moved into its new downtown campus.
The hospital board announced in 2009 it wouldn’t have a school in the new building and voted in early 2010 to pass the program on to Clark State Community College.
“It’s a legacy I’m glad to be a part of. I have been touched the past two years by the best instructors anyone could ask for,” said graduate Rita Gregory, of Urbana.
Gregory, an LPN at Eaglewood Village, plans to find a job as an RN and continue her education at Urbana University for a bachelor of science in nursing.
Twelve of this year’s graduates are currently working for Community Mercy Health Partners as nursing associates and will transition into registered nurse positions with the company, said Dala DeWitt, director of the School of Nursing.
“We are blessed that they continue to grow and develop into RNs at our facility,” she said.
Community Mercy employs more than 450 nurses. While there isn’t a shortage as in some communities, the company is always looking to hire new graduates and experienced nurses, spokesman Dave Lamb said.
DeWitt, a 1973 graduate of the Community Hospital School of Nursing, will transition into her new role as director of the combined nursing program on July 1. She spent 36 years as a School of Nursing educator, serving as director for 14 years.
Six School of Nursing staff and faculty whose jobs were dissolved have found positions at universities and companies within the region, DeWitt said.
Still, there was some sadness.
“It’s a very difficult day for them,” Gregory said of her instructors. “I’ll carry (the tradition) on with me as I become an RN.”
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