 
 
|
|
 
The
Other Nursing Shortage
It's
no secret that hospitals and clinics nationwide are suffering
from a shortage of registered nurses, and SFSU is doing its part to
meet demand by increasing enrollment 30 percent. But the School of Nursing
is also focusing on a piece of the problem that gets little public attention:
The scarcity of nursing leaders and faculty to educate the next generation
of RNs.
New programs at SFSU are helping to educate more advanced-practice nurses,
such as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and master's
level nurses, and move greater numbers of mentors, researchers and educators
up the career ladder.
At the master's level, a two-year program helps meet the needs of working
nurses with bachelor's degrees who want to advance their careers without
putting their jobs or family lives on hold. Designed by Associate Professors
Amy Nichols and Andrea Boyle and offered in conjunction with the College
of Extended Learning, the program offers evening and weekend classes,
often at the workplace.
At the doctoral level, SFSU and the University of California, San Francisco
(UCSF) are using a new grant to help attract more nurses from underrepresented
minority groups into Ph.D.-level nursing. SFSU master's students with
an interest in assisting those with cancer or investigating how race
or socioeconomic status can impact health care will get financial support,
opportunities to participate in summer research, mentoring from nursing
faculty, and assistance in applying for the UCSF nursing doctorate.
"It's a fabulous win-win for everyone," says Professor Daphne
Stannard, who, with Professor Grace Hardie, is a co-investigator on
the project. "We have some really bright students who just need
an extra nudge into doctoral study."
-- Ellen
Griffin
|
