The shortage of healthcare professionals in the U.S. is nothing new.
Our ability to provide healthcare must expand as increased demands are
placed on hospitals and clinics. The Lewis and Clark Community College
in Illinois has created an accelerated pilot program in which
experienced nursing students can earn an advanced degree in one year.
Funded by a $309,440 workforce grant from the Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Lewis and Clark's Registered
Nurse Bridge Program will help people who already have licensed
practical nurse (LPN) certification to complete associate degrees in
nursing. In only one year, they can graduate as registered nurses (RNs).
Illinois DCEO director Warren Ribley announced the grant award last
week, stating his hopes that it would allow LPNs to support their
families while advancing their careers. "Workers in Illinois deserve
good-paying jobs, and citizens who need treatment deserve the
best-trained medical professionals," Ribley said, "By targeting our
federal workforce dollars into health care -- one of the fastest-growing
jobs sectors -- we are ensuring both in the metro-east."
This grant came from the $5.3 million in funds that the American
Recovery and Reinvestment (ARRA) is using to fund programs in the state.
The purpose of this money is to enable the training of over 4,200
healthcare professionals in various programs including electronic
medical records conversion, online and weekend nurse training, and
training RNs to teach nursing students. The latter was supported by the
Institute of Medicine. "Just yesterday, a report came out from the
Institute of Medicine that said 'nurses should achieve higher levels of
education and training through an improved education system that
promotes seamless academic progression,'" Lewis and Clark Dean of Health
Sciences Donna Meyer said. "We're already doing this here."
The Registered Nurse Bridge Program has 16 LPNs participating. The group
qualified for financial aid, which enabled some of the participants to
pursue the advanced degree: something they could not have done without
such funds. "We weren't able to receive financial support before this
grant, so we had to rely on our savings or take out student loans," said
student Lisa Clark. "Because we have classes for two full days plus
clinical hours, this meant we also lost income from our regular jobs, as
well as trying to balance the needs of our families."
All of them have previous nursing experience in a variety of clinical
settings, so the group is expected to focus on more advanced nursing
skills over the course of the program. Elsewhere, these more experienced
students would simply be lumped into classes teaching for the pupils who
lack clinical experience.
Students have praised this smaller, more intense learning atmosphere.
"The smaller, more cohesive class allowed for a different level of
conversation to occur," said student Jennifer Hoisington from
Litchfield, IL. Clark said that the group think the program is intense
but rewarding. "We eat, breathe and sleep nursing," she said. "And we
would all do it again in a heartbeat."
Lewis and Clark Community College's nursing program has received other
recognitions as well. It was recently given the $50,000 MetLife
Foundation Community College Excellence Award 2010. It was awarded for
service through innovation.