Tusculum College nursing program addressing needs of community and region

With a recent study suggesting the need for more than 1.6 million nursing professionals nationwide by 2020, Tusculum College’s nursing program is gearing up to meet the demand, according to officials at the college.

While Tusculum College’s nursing program is new, its first graduating class this May will help address the growing need for nurses in the East Tennessee region.

The study, “Nursing: Supply and Demand Through 2020,” was published by The Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University. The report analyzes the dynamics affecting demand and supply of active nursing professionals, including changing demographics, impact of the Affordable Care Act and educational obstacles.

“We are about to graduate our first class of 14, so that’s 14 new nurses in our community,” said Dr. Lois Ewen, dean of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Human Services. “Our goal at Tusculum is to meet the needs of our community for baccalaureate educated nurses, which is why Tusculum has invested so much time into starting a new nursing program,” said Dr. Ewen.

New as it may be, Tusculum’s program is growing, and next year’s graduating class will consist of 26 nurses, nearly double the size of the first nursing class. “Our goal is to graduate at least 30 to 40 students each year to meet the needs of our community,” said Dr. Ewen. “We can’t address the entire shortage across the country, but we can certainly work towards addressing the needs of our community.”

The article points out the lack of adequate faculty at colleges and universities and the lack of facilities for clinical experiences. During clinicals, students are trained in local medical facilities through opportunities to work with patients. However, many colleges and universities are attracting a large number of applicants for nursing programs at all levels.

“Along with the nursing shortage is a shortage of nursing faculty. Bedside nurses need an associate’s degree or baccalaureate degree to practice nursing, but nursing instructors have to have a master’s degree if not a doctorate, so there are less instructors than bedside nurses,” said Dr. Ewen.

She added that many of the current educators are over the age of 50 and will to retire as the need for nurses rises. “If we do not fill these positions with a younger faculty then this shortage will continue to be a strain on educational programs,” said Dr. Ewen.

The other issue that impacts the shortage is the reduction in hospital beds due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, said Dr. Ewen. “There is less opportunity to train nurses at the bedside because there is less opportunity to place students in hospitals.”

As one example, Dr. Ewen noted that one Northeast Tennessee hospital has in the past allowed Tusculum to put eight to 10 nursing students in their facility for clinical experience, but now have decreased it to four. The hospitals in Northeast Tennessee and Knoxville have students in their facilities seven days a week, which can be difficult for both the staff and students.

“There are so many schools trying to admit students to meet the need for nurses, but there are only so many facilities to place students for training, and students must complete clinical experience to be eligible for licensure,” said Dr. Ewen.

“All of these issues fit hand in hand with one another. It’s not so much that schools want to turn away students, but they must,” said Dr. Ewen.

She added that currently Tusculum is not turning away students and the program is growing. For more information on the Tusculum College nursing program, contact the Office of Admission at 1-800-729-0256 or the nursing office at 423-636-7430.

 

 

By Ashley Bell, senior journalism and professional writing major from Nashville