Pahrump Valley High School, in coordination with the Pahrump Valley Center of Great Basin College, will begin offering pre-nursing courses this fall.

The courses to be offered are biology and anatomy/physiology, which are the prerequisites for the nursing program to be initiated at the Pahrump Valley Center for the 2007-2008 school year.

The two classes will be offered during the day at Pahrump Valley Center and, like all Pahrump Valley Center/GBC class, will carry both college and high school credit.

Additional good news is that the "Dollars for Scholars" program will substantially defray the tuition costs for the classed, as is the case with all dual credit classes.

The classes will be open to all students at Pahrump Valley High School, but preference will be given to those seriously considering a career in nursing or other allied health professions.

Students who have already taken high school biology and who are sophomores or older may take these classes as well as students who have not yet taken high school biology.

The introduction of these courses and the intent of the Pahrump Valley Center, now a branch of Great Basin College, to offer classes and a degree program in nursing and allied health professions gives PVHS its first "career pathway," meaning that high school students can begin preparation for a career in nursing or other health professions while still in high school.

There is a well-documented shortage of nurses and other health professionals in Southern Nevada as well as the rest of the United States; the recent opening of a hospital in Pahrump means that positions will be available locally as well as in Las Vegas. According to a national salary research service, the median salary for registered nurses in Nevada is nearly $48,000, with many hospitals and other health care facilities offering signing bonuses of as much as $14,000.

The new courses will be offered during the next school year at PVHS. Due to the fact that the courses could only be offered through a grant received by the Nye County School District from the State Education Department's career and technical education office, the courses were not listed in the course selection handbook and students were not able to pre-register for them.

Class size is limited; interested students should call PVHS at 727-7737, ext. 230, to be placed on a list to see their guidance counselor during the week prior to the opening of school.