NJC pins 14 new nurses, boosting Logan County health care workforce
Fourteen new nurses entered Logan County’s health care pipeline as NJC pinned its latest associate degree class after National Nurses Week.
Fourteen new nurses stepped into Logan County’s health care workforce Thursday evening as Northeastern Junior College pinned its latest associate degree nursing class, a milestone that carries weight far beyond campus in Sterling.
The ceremony marked the end of years of coursework, lab work and clinical training for students now prepared to move into hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, home care agencies, public health agencies and schools. In a region where those employers depend on a steady stream of entry-level nurses, each graduate matters. NJC’s nursing program has been educating nurses since 1964, and the pinning served as a reminder that local health care capacity begins in classrooms and clinical placements before it reaches a bedside.
NJC says the Associate Degree Nursing Program is a four-semester program once prerequisite courses are complete. Graduates earn an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing and are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam, the licensing step that determines whether they can begin practice as registered nurses. The college also says students receive a variety of clinical experiences while they are in the program, giving them the hands-on preparation needed for safe patient care.
The program’s external accreditation adds another layer to the significance of the ceremony. The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing lists NJC’s associate nursing program as accredited with no stipulations. The listing shows initial accreditation in October 2011, a most recent action date of April 10, 2025, and the next visit scheduled for fall 2032.
The pinning also fit into a busy graduation season at Northeastern. NJC scheduled commencement ceremonies for May 15, 2026, with commencement practice on May 14 at noon in the Bank of Colorado Event Center. A separate event listing from 2017 shows NJC’s Associate Degree Nursing Pinning Ceremony and Reception at 6 p.m. in the Dorothy Corsberg Theatre inside E.S. French, underscoring that the tradition has long been part of the college’s spring calendar.
Coming just after National Nurses Week, the ceremony carried added meaning for the graduates and their families. For Logan County, it also carried a practical message: the next generation of nurses is not arriving by chance, but through a local program that keeps training, licensing and workforce needs connected in Sterling.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
