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Show Program Could Alleviate Nurse Shortage in Area There is a compelling need for baccalaurete degree program opportunities for registered nurses In rural areas of southwestern and nor them Utah, according to a recently completed University of Utah College of Nursing study. This conclusion is based on analyses of population growth, available medical facilities and expressed support of RNs in those areas. Dr. Linda K. Amos, nursing dean, says U of U outreach campuses could meet the need for baccalaureate prepared nurses and provide a partial solution to the retention problem many health care facilities are experiencing. Targeted locations experiencing continued growth in people and health services are the Cedar City - St. Geroge and Logan areas, says Amos. These areas also have the largest group fo RNs outside Salt Lake City. But the study shows That nursing programs leading to the B.S. degree in nursing are in the state's urban areas Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo which are within a 70-mile radius of each other. Nurses in rural counties who want more education must leave the area, and the majority do not return when their programs are complete, the dean notes. "Hospital administrators, nursing directors and others in health care agencies view this as 'a contfriutflg" depletion of registered nurses in their areas," says Amos. "We believe that by taking a program to them, the potential to retain nurses in those communities is greater." She says there is a growing demand for nurses who are knowledgeable and well prepared in the technology of the rapidly expanding health sciences, and that baccalaureate preparation is necessary to work in acute care, long-term and ambulatory settings. "A fairly large pool of RNs who have associate degrees wish to further their education through the baccalaureate level," notes Amos. "While the A.D. registered nurses prepared to provide basic Daccalaureate program prepares them to provide bedside care in specialized units and primary care." U of U outreach campuses would be more cost effective to operate and fund, adds Amos, because basic resources, libraries, laboratories and most faculties would not have to be duplicated. "We're an established, accredited program," she says, "and our faculty are experienced . in outreach programs as well as In non-traditional teaching methods." The outreach campuses would not compete with other state-supported programs, she explains. The first half of the four-year program could be completed at neighboring institutions. These "ore-professional" courses may be taken at state or private Institutions and directly transferred to the U pf U program. The nursing component, comprising the last two years, focuses on those skills needed to care for Individuals and families in groups and in acute, long-term and .ambulatory settings. Faculty traveling to the area and those "on site" would have the same academic credentials and present the same program as that available in Salt Lake City. The RNs who enroll in the outreach campus would have to meet the same academic requirements as those students at the U campus. "Consistency" of goals and standards is important," stresses Dr. Joan Goe, College of Nursing assistant dean for baccalaureate affairs. "While we would gear experiences to the nurses' needs and modify some methods and time schedules, the program's major objectives would be the same. "The program's value is that it will increase the number of health professionals prepared at the baccalaurate level and thus the quality of health care in rural regions," she continues. "More patients will have access to health care." Offering outreach programs in southwestern' and northern Utah hinges on state funding for faculty resources to operate the program, says Amos. |