New statewide nursing program to include Rogers site
by May 19, 2025 12:54 pm 1,345 views
The Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA), which represents the state’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities, has a new initiative that will launch this summer and include a location in Rogers.
It will be known as the AHCA School of Nursing LPN Program. There will be campuses in Rogers, Jonesboro and Little Rock with the first cohort taking 24 enrollees at each location for a total of 72 students. The goal is to provide a training program for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to climb the professional career ladder and obtain advanced degrees and subsequent pay beyond the entry-level role they serve.
CNAs typically provide the most hands-on care to patients in health care settings. The new school of nursing will allow those nurse assistants to earn MA-C (medication assistant-certified), LPN (licensed practical nurse) and eventually RN (registered nurse) certifications.
The industry as a whole is in need of more nurses at every level, but it’s particularly difficult with work schedules for a CNA to earn an advanced certification. The average pay for a CNA in Arkansas is roughly $17.13 per hour. An MA-C makes $20.07 per hour, and an LPN earns $29.60 per hour.
For the AHCA program, a CNA must be recommended by an administrator of their facility to be eligible, so it’s not an open enrollment program, and a student must have CNA experience. The 10-month-long program runs three days a week in person and is considered a full-time program, with 24 hours of class, clinical, lab and/or simulation activities scheduled weekly.
The Rogers campus is located on New Hope Road in a building that was formerly an independent living facility. Students will learn in the classroom and do clinicals at a variety of health care facilities in the region.
The curriculum for the MA-C program has been piloted since 2023 and has resulted in 100% exam passage rates for 320 CNAs who have earned the higher designation. There is no cost for the program once the student is accepted on the recommendation of a facility administrator.
