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Clover Park Technical College presents expanded nursing pipeline, cites faculty and clinical-site limits
Summary
College leaders told Pierce County Council their LPN and new LPN-to-RN programs are full, produce high pass and completion rates, and provide graduates who largely work locally; presenters said faculty recruitment and clinical placements limit expansion.
Clover Park Technical College representatives told the Pierce County Council on April 9 that local nursing programs are producing nurses at high completion and exam-pass rates but that the college faces limits on expansion because of faculty availability and clinical capacity.
The college said it serves about 5,200 students annually and that roughly 300 students per year enroll in its healthcare programs. Presenters said simulation-based training and roughly 35–36 clinical partners around the campus support required clinical hours for practical nursing students.
Why it matters: Pierce County officials and education leaders framed the nursing programs as a locally rooted workforce pipeline that helps fill hospital, clinic and long-term care positions across the county; presenters said an expanded program could address shortages but will require more faculty and clinical placements.
Hannah Greer, a nurse educator at Clover Park Technical College, described program structure and partnerships and said the college uses simulation and local clinical sites to meet the 300 clinical-hour requirement for practical nursing students. Siliana Tapua and Samuel Ford joined the presentation with details about cohorts and outcomes.
The Practical Nursing (LPN) program takes nine months and the college said it can enroll about 120 LPN students a year (60 per cohort); Clover Park reported a 2023–24 graduation rate of about 96 percent for admitted LPN students and an NCLEX-PN pass rate around 86 percent for 2024. The recently added LPN-to-RN program had graduated its first cohort and showed a reported NCLEX-RN pass rate in the mid-80s to high-80s for those who have taken the exam to date.
Student demographics presented to the council included a spring 2025 healthcare cohort that was described as about 81 percent students of color, about 61 percent first-generation college students and roughly one-third identifying as single parents. Presenters said a diverse student body helps produce a health workforce that reflects Pierce County.
Council member Robin Denson asked whether the college plans to expand. Tapua and other presenters said they would like to expand — including offering a BSN in the future — but that recruiting qualified faculty (masters-prepared instructors for RN-level teaching) and securing clinical sites are principal constraints. Presenters said the college has taken steps to broaden admissions criteria to consider first-generation status, bilingual skills and veteran status alongside grades.
The council did not take formal action. College leaders requested continued partnership with clinical providers, school districts and the county to increase placements, maintain simulation capacity and recruit faculty.
Quotes in this article come from college presenters who spoke at the April 9 council meeting.
