Photos : Top-Left : CCC Graduation Class of 2022 . Top-Right : Nursing Graduating Class of 1972 . Bottom-Right : Clinton Community College in Clinton , IA . Submitted photos
would learn everything they needed to in order to correctly perform their jobs .
Students no longer were required to wear caps , but not yet required to wear gloves . Major advances in technology began taking place , which meant records once written completely by hand transitioned to being kept by electronic methods . Nurses began receiving greater pay , and the 10- day requirement of patients to remain in bed in most cases decreased . Then , the 1980s brought AIDS patients for the first time and the beginning of infectious control .
Doubts as to whether the Hepatitis B vaccine was safe foreshadowed the same conversation that would eventually take place in regard to COVID vaccines .
During the COVID pandemic , CCC ’ s Nursing Program numbers were not greatly affected . The program continued to hold the place of the college ’ s largest career program , with 300 students between the three Eastern Iowa Community College campuses .
Brian Kelly , CCC ' s president , credits the number of opportunities that the community offers nursing program graduates for its resiliency , noting ideas for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges may even further expand the footprint of health care professions .
“ Nursing ’ s altogether different nowadays ,” Fuller says , and it does continue to constantly evolve . That national shortage of nurses , however , still lingers .
According to a 2020 workforce demand survey conducted by Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Board of Nursing , 58 % of health care facilities in the U . S . reported a shortage of qualified applicants for nursing positions .
Wynn-Calvin says entering the field solely by the motivation of money will cause burnout , but going into it because of the genuine want to help people is needed . That spark is needed .
“ We need more nurses ,” Wynn-Calvin says . “ We need more good nurses . We need nurses that are committed to being that compassionate ear for their patients .”
According to a 2020 workforce demand survey conducted by Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Board of Nursing , 58 % of health care facilities in the U . S . reported a shortage of qualified applicants for nursing positions .