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California State University, Fresno Offers Accelerated Nursing Program

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 January 2006, 21:00 CST

By Tracy Correa, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Jan. 25--California State University, Fresno hopes to make a dent in the nursing shortage with an accelerated nursing program that begins in May. The school's new entry-level master's program will be open to non-nursing students who have a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree in any field as long as they have completed the required prerequisite courses.

The three-year program is aimed at creating more nurses and teaching faculty -- two careers suffering from workplace shortages.

Students in the program will be eligible to take the registered nurse licensing exam within 18 months and by May 2009 will graduate with a Master's of Science degree in nursing as a clinical nurse specialist/nurse educator.

Michael Russler, chairman of the department of nursing at Fresno State, said he is excited about the new program and adding to the more than 110 nurses the university graduates each year.

"We will get 60 more nurses out, and they will be working as nurses within 18 months and we will have 60 more teachers that can serve as resources throughout the Valley," he said.

Russler said because the general education requirements will have already been met, students will be able to complete the nursing program more quickly.

Fresno State is able to offer the program as a result of a one-time funding initiative from the state specifically designed to address the nursing shortage. About a half-dozen CSU campus will receive funding to implement entry-level master's program to about a half-dozen CSU campus, Russler said.

The university expects to receive applications from students who may have been edged out of Fresno State or Fresno City Colleges nursing programs, both of which have limited space and turn away students. However, Russler said Fresno State is also hoping to attract students from other career paths who already possess a bachelor's degree.

"By design, we are looking at encouraging nontraditional [nursing] students, students who represent the diversity of the Valley," he said.

A bachelor's degree is required to qualify for the program. Students must also have completed courses consistent with the CSU Core 8 requirements by May 21. For a full description of the courses required for admission and to apply by the April 1 deadline, go to Fresno State's nursing department Web site at www.csufresno.edu/nursing.

Hospital industry representatives said the program will help plug critical gaps in local nursing jobs.

Mary Lopez, director of critical care and dialysis services at Community Medical Centers and president of the Association of California Nurse Leaders, called it a good thing for work force development.

"We will have 60 additional nurses in this community to fill vacancies," Lopez said. "The value-added is they are enrolled in a program that takes them to the next level of professional practice ... they get advanced training."

Lopez said the nursing shortage in California is significant and will only get worse as baby-boomer nurses head into retirement. "Right now, we graduate 6,000 nurses in the state each year, and we need about 9,000."

The San Joaquin Valley has one of the worst patient-to-nurse ratios in the state, with 619 nurses per 100,000 people compared with a statewide ratio of 730 nurses for every 100,000 people, according to a 2004 study.

"The nursing shortage is still a very real issue for our hospitals," said Tim Curleyegional vice president of the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, a hospital trade association.

Curley said one of the biggest roadblocks nursing education is lack of trained faculty to teach the next generation of nurses. "What Fresno State is proposing to do with their new program is going to be a big help toward dealing with that bottleneck relative to faculty."

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

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Source: The Fresno Bee

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