University starts nursing program

Board chief: Students needed

Steve Beers (from left), vice president for student development at John Brown University, Chip Pollard, president, Ellen Odell, director of nursing, Anna Klein, a junior and first year nursing student, Jeff Terrell, dean of College of Education and Human Services, and Jim Krall, vice president for University Advancement, cut the the ribbon Monday, August 15, 2016, during opening ceremonies for the new Health Education Building on the campus in Siloam Springs. The University is enrolling its first nursing students this fall.
Steve Beers (from left), vice president for student development at John Brown University, Chip Pollard, president, Ellen Odell, director of nursing, Anna Klein, a junior and first year nursing student, Jeff Terrell, dean of College of Education and Human Services, and Jim Krall, vice president for University Advancement, cut the the ribbon Monday, August 15, 2016, during opening ceremonies for the new Health Education Building on the campus in Siloam Springs. The University is enrolling its first nursing students this fall.

SILOAM SPRINGS -- About forty students on track to graduate in 2018 from John Brown University's new nursing program would help with an overall shortage of nurses in the state, said Sue Tedford, executive director of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.

But needs in rural Arkansas and an aging population make it difficult for schools to meet the demand for skilled nursing graduates, Tedford said.

Across the state, "we've seen the number of graduates go up and haven't seen the shortage get a lot better," Tedford said.

John Brown, a private Christian college in Siloam Springs, held an open house showcase on Monday for its new 20,000-square-foot health building.

Ellen Odell, John Brown's nursing director, said the nursing class size will remain at about 40 for now, but expansion to more than 60 in a graduating class could be a "next step."

Alyssa Arnold, a student from Waynesville, Mo., said she has wanted to be a nurse since she was a child. Only when John Brown added nursing did she consider the school, she said, praising Odell for working with her on scheduling as she competes for the university's volleyball team.

"I think it's really top of the line," Arnold said, standing near one of several interactive mannequins in a simulation lab of the school's new Health Education Building.

John Brown in 2013 announced plans for its bachelor's degree nursing program. Students like Arnold, previously enrolled as pre-nursing students, will begin this fall term as nursing students.

Along with the simulation lab, students will learn through on-site visits to local health care providers including Mercy Health System in Rogers.

Odell said health care providers have been supportive of the new John Brown program. The school also has a formal partnership with Community Physicians Group in Siloam Springs, which will independently operate a health clinic out of the John Brown building.

According to the state nursing board's 2014-15 report, a total of 1,873 graduates from Arkansas nursing schools took the entry-level nursing licensure exam, up from 1,725 graduates two years earlier.

The totals include students from various degree programs.

But colleges and universities still turn away qualified applicants, according to the state board. Tedford said schools cannot grow their programs without adding faculty, but qualified instructors often can earn more elsewhere.

Odell said the on-site clinic will not involve undergraduates treating patients, but its presence has helped attract faculty looking to keep up on their skills.

Nursing educational programs like John Brown's must also provide clinical training slots for students, working with community health care partners to do so. Tedford said the state nursing board reviewed John Brown's ability to provide such opportunities before approving the new program.

Arkansas now has 12 baccalaureate nursing programs, according to the board. That includes the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, which recently started a bachelor's degree program after the state nursing board in 2013 shut down an associate degree program because of various problems, including low student-pass rates on licensure exams.

While having a limit on nursing slots can make for a highly competitive educational environment, Odell said no students have been turned down in John Brown's first class.

"We haven't had that problem yet," she said, adding that the program expects to carefully manage enrollment, especially transfers, to ensure that freshmen are able to advance through the program if they wish.

John Brown plans to include an international missionary trip as part of its curriculum and expects to take nursing students to Guatemala in May. The school's Christian outlook will also affect how students are taught, Odell said.

"Here we can profess our faith from the very beginning and we can teach students how to pray with patients, if that's what they want," Odell said. "And if the patient doesn't want somebody to pray, well, perhaps I can just sit quietly and hold your hand."

She said John Brown would like to grow its health professions programs.

"The building is designed to be expanded," Odell said.

Metro on 08/16/2016

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