New funds allow more to join nursing program

       GCSU just became part of a new nursing program called the Nursing Education Initiative. The Bachelor of Science nursing program has been provided with $167,124, which will allow 95 students to be admitted into the program every year instead of 80.
       Dr. Cheryl Kish, the associate dean of the Department of Nursing is responsible for getting GCSU the much needed money to support the GCSU nursing program.
    “I wrote a proposal for funding that was judged to be competitive among the many submitted,” said Kish. “My work was based on my knowledge that the nursing faculty are committed to increasing enrollment in our program and in helping those who are enrolled to be successful. We were being forced to turn away too many qualified applicants because we needed extra faculty and staff. Funding was a win-win situation.”
     Lauren Cruz, a senior nursing major had difficulties being accepted into the program.
      “(The nursing program) is a very competitive field to just be accepted into,” said Cruz, who learned two weeks ago that she was accepted into the program.  “People have been on the waiting list since June.  There was a lack of teachers to teach, but this program can only make things better.”
      The program is designed to immediately allow a greater number of nursing students into the program but also to provide better healthcare for our nation, which continues to be a pressing issue. 
      “The ultimate goal of the University System is to increase the number of pre-licensure nursing graduates by 50 percent by 2013 since the state, indeed the entire nation, is in the midst of a critical nursing shortage,” said Kish.  
     If the grant is successful GCSU will be contributing a great deal to help solve the problem.  However, if the GCSU nursing program fails to meet the quota set in the grant, the funding will stop.
     “The funding enabled us to affect admission and retention positively by adding another full-time faculty member, a full-time pre-nursing advisor, and a part-time director of our clinical simulation lab,” said Kish.  “These positions are funded for 3 years and if we are able to meet the benchmarks we set for ourselves in the grant, the funding will continue indefinitely.  Moreover, we will have graduated an extra 60 individuals ready to take the state licensing exam to become registered nurses that would not have been possible without this funding.”
     The Nursing Education Initiative was put into effect this fall semester, and the additional 15 students will be accepted starting spring 2008.  This will increase the number of GCSU nursing major graduates by 31 percent.
     “(The Nursing Education Initiative) says a lot for the school,” said Cruz.  “The more numbers (GCSU) can produce the better the program will become. GCSU already produces some of the best nurses that come out of the state.  Our nurses are better qualified, more prepared, and for the most part score better on the licensing tests than a lot of the highly qualified universities such as Emory and Mercer.  This is a big step up.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 30 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry