Nursing program plans expansion
By Maggie Rhynes
IV Leader Staff, Dec. 9, 2004
A recommendation to hire two, new, full time nursing instructors was approved by the IVCC board at the November meeting to aid in the expansion of the nursing program.
The program expansion will bring about 20-25 new student slots to the nursing program, Harriet Custer, vice president of academic affairs , said.
The program will adjust its current admissions system in order to offer nursing students admission twice a year, once for fall semester and once for spring semester. Ten new slots will be added at each semester’s admission in Fall ‘05 and Spring ‘06.
Custer explained the expansion comes in response to the severe nursing shortage that is continuing not only across the country but in our own area. “There are a lot of nurses currently working who will be reaching retirement age very soon; the shortage in expected to increase and we need to be prepared.”
The college is also taking other action in hopes of expanding the nursing program by applying for a Department of Labor grant. Custer said, “The grant is part of President Bush’s High Growth Job Training Initiative, specifically for health care.” There is great competition for the grant; only 10-12 will be awarded throughout the country. If chosen to receive the grant, IVCC has big plans for using the $750,000, which would come over two years.
“We want to create a regional healthcare training institute,” Custer said. “We would use our already existing partnership with area hospitals and hospitals in Sauk Valley. Everyone would work together to develop new certificate and degree programs, to meet the needs of local employers and to provide hospitals with coordinated job training for their staff.”
The proposed healthcare institute would be located at IVCC and would be governed by an advisory board including members from all the hospitals involved in the partnership.
“Right now there are eight partnerships, six hospitals in this area and two in the Sauk Valley area. We will continue to add more partnerships,” Custer said. “We are hoping to work with long term care facilities as well.”
Custer also mentioned that with the new institute would come larger programs for recruitment into health careers, including career fairs, summer camps and programs targeting middle school children and Hispanics.
She explained that the funds from the grant would also make huge improvements in the labs including remodeling, the addition of patient simulators and other technological advances.
Some of the changes will have to take place regardless of IVCC receiving the grant, Custer said.
Those changes include the remodeling and expansion of the nursing labs to accommodate the growing number of students to be admitted.
The grant application was submitted approximately three weeks ago, but there is no expected date of a response.
Currently, admission to the IVCC nursing program is very competitive. The program usually has a waiting list for prospective students who are awaiting admission.