why you should become a nurse - 2012
DESCRIPTION
Arkansas Times' 2012 guide to becoming a nurse in central Arkansas, including information about education, funding, employment opportunities, and information about the nursing industry in 2012.TRANSCRIPT
2 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
Join our team as a nurse in the following departments:
• Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Are you an experienced RN who would enjoy:
• New challenges every day?
• A chance to expand your professional
knowledge in a state-of-the-art ICU?
• Caring for critically ill children of all ages?
Apply online at archildrens.org/dreamjobs today.
Call 501-364-1398 for more details.
Now hiriNg experieNced Nursesa t A r k a n s a s C h i l d r e n ’ s H o s p i t a l
EOE
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 3
I chose to work at Baptist Health because... what I do daily changes
lives and truly has an impact on those I care for. I know my salary will
be competitive within the market and the system provides
me with great benefits. There are so many
opportunities to work in diverse
areas of care — from critical to
surgical.
I choose to study at Baptist Health because... the
unmatched level of clinical experiences, the focus on
faith and the reputation of Baptist Health graduates.
A Career in Nursing canbe a Career for Life
nursing histotechnology medical technology nuclear medicine technology
occupational therapy assistant radiography sleep technology surgical technology
bhslr.eduFor Gainful Employment and Consumer Information visit bhslr.edu/outcomes
High demand Great Benefits Competitive Salaries
Life Changing Care Diverse Work Areas
Fore more information or to apply visit:
baptist-health.com
4 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
Andrea Muffuletto, Ashley Daniels, Megan Wyllia, Courtney PrattRecruiters, Arkansas Tech University, Russellville
At Arkansas Tech, we believe nursing is a caring relationship that facilitates health and healing.
Ann Mattison (BSA program)Rose Schlosser (MSN & RN program)Education Counselors, Department of Nursing, University of Central Arkansas, Conway
We are here to guide you as you seek admission to the nursing program and throughout your educational experience at UCA. We are committed to each of our students and to their success. Your UCA nursing instructors walk beside you during your education, serving as role models and facilitating your learning. We seek students who are motivated, intelligent, caring, energetic, and able to work well with others. More information on our programs can be found at www.uca.edu/nursing or contact us at [email protected] or [email protected].
Kelly Vowell Johnson, MSN Undergraduate Coordinator Dr. Kathleen Barta Graduate Coordinator
Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas prepares people for meaningful and challenging careers in nursing where they can make a difference every day. We help you give patient-centered care; lead at the bedside and on interdisciplinary teams; search for the best way to give care to keep patients safe and improve their quality of life; and find satisfaction as a professional nurse. Graduates of the baccalaureate program are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam for licensure as registered nurses. The online RN-BSN program provides career advancement for currently licensed registered nurses. Our expanded graduate program offers
BSN prepared nurses an opportunity to pursue advanced practice specialization as clinical nurse specialists and nurse educators.
Osmonetta McRae-BeardDirector of Recruitment, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College recruitment starts early. My mission as the recruiter is to serve as the primary point of contact and to provide educational presentations at various events around Arkansas and the surrounding areas. My purpose is to assist prospective students with the admissions process and make them better prepared and more competitive when it is time to apply to UAMS CON. Anyone interested
in a career in nursing is encouraged to contact me at 501-296-1040 or by email at [email protected].
Becky Parnell, PhD(c), MNSc, RN Baccalaureate Degree Program Coordinator Laura Shirey, MSN, RN, CNE Associate Degree Program Coordinator
Southern Arkansas University Department of Nursing
The university offers four tracks of nursing: associate of applied Science degree, LPN to RN AAS degree, bachelor of science degree, and the online RN-BSN completion degree. All programs are fully accredited by the NLNAC and are ASBN approved. We are committed to providing quality nursing education and invite you to visit us online at www.saumag.edu/nursing or come tour our beautiful campus in Magnolia, Arkansas. We are here to assist you from the application process to graduation and the NCLEX. You may contact us at (870) 235-4331 to set up an appointment.
Ana HuntEnrollment Coordinator, Baptist Health Schools Little Rock
Since 1921, BHSLR has served the needs of Arkansans and the surrounding region by providing quality clinical-focused healthcare education in nursing and allied health fields. We are a private, technical institution with the following degrees offered: Diplomas awarded for each program; BSN offered through completer programs with ATU and UALR. Contact 501-202-7951, [email protected] or visit bhslr.edu.
Ever wish you could hear first-hand from the people who are recruiting you? Meet the ones who make the world of nursing go round! College and hospital nurse recruiters tell what they’re looking for in a candidate, what they offer and more.
Jon VickersAcademic Counselor, UALR Department of Nursing
Nursing is one of those rare career fields that is as much ART, as it is SCIENCE. For more than 40 years the UALR Department of Nursing has educated and guided aspiring nurses towards this noble profession. We offer an ASN, BSN, LPN to RN fast-track, and BSN completion program. My advice for students is to take ownership and get as much information as possible about the nursing profession
and each nursing school before making your decision. Do this early and often! For more information about the UALR Department of Nursing or to schedule an advising appointment, visit ualr.edu/nursing or email [email protected].
Meet theRecruiters Schools
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 5
hospitals
Anna-Kate BogaardsNurse Recruitment SpecialistMitch HighfillNurse Recruiter Michelle S. OdomDirector of Nurse Recruitment & RetentionDenise CookNurse RecruiterYvonne PendergraftNurse Recruiter
Nurse Recruitment and Retention Team, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
As Arkansas’s only pediatric health care center and one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country, we offer a wide range of opportunities for nurses from direct patient care to staff education, research, and evidence based practice, administration, nursing informatics, and much more. When you walk through the main entrance, you see a statement, “Fear not illness… this place of Care, Love and Hope is for you.” This statement reflects our culture and guides our practice each and every day that we enter the hall. When considering potential employees, we look for individuals who have a true passion for the profession of pediatric nursing.
Susan EricksonNurse Recruiter, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
There is a circle of excellence that surrounds everyone who works at UAMS. It starts with respect and ends with excellence and it’s what we expect from those who chose a career at Arkansas’s only academic medical center. We offer unique opportunities combined with salary and benefits plus the personal satisfaction you receive working at UAMS – it’s hard to beat. That’s why more than 10,000 employees enjoy a career for life. To join our team, log on to: uams.edu/jobs.
Debbie Robinson Nurse Recruiter, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff
None of the successes of JRMC would have been possible without a strong nursing staff, and we’re excited to see the talented people joining the field today. Nursing has changed substantially, but some things remain the same. As JRMC pediatrician Tom Ed Townsend says, “Good nurses are a gift from God.”
April Robinson Human Resources Generalist, Baptist Health
Our belief at Baptist Health is that we are a healing ministry. We provide quality patient care services to all Arkansans with a caring and comforting heart. That is why we are Arkansans’ choice for their health care needs. We have a variety of nursing opportunities; from a Level III NICU to 90 bed critical care area. We offer top quality benefits for employees. We look for nurses who not only critically think but are compassionate and service-oriented. We want to offer a “world class” environment for everyone.
Melanie CrnicProfessional Recruiter, Conway Regional Medical Center
At Conway Regional we strive to create a culture centered on our values daily.
If our core values of integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence align with your own, we want you to be a part of our team. Join the iCare team of nurses at Conway Regional as we work together to provide high-quality, compassionate health care services to North Central Arkansas. Find our openings online at conwayregional.org or call 501.513.5410 to arrange a tour.
Learn Why They Became NursesIn our 2011 issue, we started asking
what made nurses decide to enter the
field. Because of its popularity, we
brought the feature back again this
year. We talked to several nurses to find
out what made them decide to spend
their lives caring for others. Look for
their stories throughout the issue in
the specially marked “Why I Became a
Nurse” boxes.
Initially I was a pre-med biology major who decided
I didn’t want to be in school for the length of time
it took to become a doctor, but I wanted to stay in
the medical field. At the end of my freshman year
in college I changed my major to nursing. I have
always had a love for people, especially the elderly.
My grandparents were very dear to me and my
grandmother, Julius, was diagnosed with congestive
heart failure while I was in nursing school. After
watching my grandmother suffer until her death,
I decided that I wanted to know everything about
the heart and care for those patients with heart
problems like my grandmother. That’s why I became a
cardiovascular intensive care nurse.
Ruby Ben, RN, BSN, cardiovascular intensive care unit, Baptist Health Medical Center Little Rock
6 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
From starched white caps to high-tech healers
Nursing
That time, fortunately for nurses and patients alike, is long gone. Today’s nurses are trained and empowered to take on a much larger role in patient care. Nursing school graduates include men, single mothers, and minorities — many of whom are coming to nursing as a second career. As two major Arkansas institutions — Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Arkansas Nurses Association — celebrate their 100-year anniversaries in 2012, it’s a good time to look back, but also forward. In this year’s Nursing Guide, we’ll follow the evolution of the nursing profession from the early 20th Century to the early 21st Century, and take a look at the forces driving the changes of tomorrow.
THE PASTWatching the hustle and bustle at any
hospital today, it’s hard to imagine how different everything used to be.
When what is now called Baptist Health Schools Little Rock graduated its first class of five students in 1921, nursing students could not be married, and they were required to live in the school’s dormitory. Nursing education itself consisted solely of on-the job training.
“At that time, there was no curriculum for student nurses,” said Rose Willshire, historian and retired faculty member for Baptist Health Schools. “You moved in one day, and the next day you were sent to work.”
There were also no disposable supplies, Willshire said. One former
nurse wrote about her memories of attending the school around 1930 and getting one glass syringe, one needle, and a piece of sandpaper to use for sharpening the needle. Between patients, the nurses would pour one tablespoon of boiling water in the syringe and push it out through the needle to sterilize both.
Antibiotics hadn’t been developed then, or immunizations, said Dr. Angela Green, director of nursing research for Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Nurses’ relationship with doctors was much different as well. Nurses followed orders unquestioningly, and treated doctors with extreme deference.
“If the doctor came in to see a patient, you certainly didn’t keep sitting there,” said veteran nurse Rebecca Rills, RN, the service manager for ophthalmology and surgical services at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Jones Eye
Institute. “You hopped up, gave them the chart, and gave them your chair. It was a very respectful thing to do. Now it’s like every man for himself.”
Skirt hemlines were higher by the 1960s — just below the knee instead of mid-calf or ankle — but nurses’ uniforms were still very formal. Skirts finally gave way to more practical pantsuits beginning in the mid-1970s, and it was a welcome change, said Baptist Health Schools Little Rock faculty member Georgia Seward.
“I worked in intensive care, and let me tell you that you have never seen a sight such as a nurse wearing a uniform that was a little bit too short and performing CPR,” she said.
When Dr. Ralph Vogel got his bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1976, information was much more difficult to come by. Lab reports were handwritten, with no computer reports to explain what they meant — nurses had to rely on physicians to explain.
“Back then if you had a topic you were interested in, you had to go to the library,” he said. “If the book was checked out, you were out of luck.”
Dr. Vogel remembered getting his first computer when he finished his master’s degree in nursing in 1987. It cost $2,700 for 30MB of memory, and came with a 5.25-inch floppy disc drive.
Nursing was also simply less complicated before computers, Dr. Vogel said. “When I started as a staff nurse, it took a physician order to get a pump for
an IV. Now with computer-controlled machines in nursing care, you can do a lot more. It’s become more complicated with medications, blood — there are many more things going on than there used to be.”
Vogel, who was a medic in the Vietnam War, was part of the first wave of men to enter nursing in the civilian world. When he became a pediatric nurse practitioner in 1979, he said, he was only the 22nd male certified in that area in the country.
“I got a lot of flak at the time — people saying ‘You just want to be a doctor,’” he said.
THE PRESENTThe nurses of yesteryear would
probably not recognize today’s nurses — because of their uniforms, because of how they interact with doctors and other health care professionals, and — especially in the last decade — because of how much time they spend on computers. Nursing is still very much a hands-on career, but hospitals and doctors’ offices continue to move toward electronic medical records. Because EMRs can theoretically be accessed from anywhere, they can bring together all the care a patient receives, regardless of location — outpatient or inpatient hospital visits, doctor’s office visits, etc.
“It certainly puts together a global picture of the patient that we haven’t had in the past,” said Amy Hester, RN, director of clinical informatics and innovation at UAMS. “Now we have created a record that really is a living document, a living story of that patient’s journey through their health care. That’s a big advantage, I think.”
Nurses spend less time flipping through paper charts or making handwritten notations. And younger nurses grew up taking access to the Internet for granted — they’re comfortable with and reliant on technology that lets
Past, Present, & Future
Above: Nurses’ uniforms—and their role in health care—has changed tremendously in the last 100 years. Photos courtesy Baptist Health
Once upon a time, the ranks of new nurses graduating
from training programs in Arkansas were made up of
white, unmarried young ladies, prim in their long skirts
and starched white pinafores and caps, prepared to
go out into the world and follow male doctors’ orders
unquestioningly.
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 7
them immediately look up the answer to any question they might have.
Today’s nursing graduates absolutely must have computer skills, said Leah Wright, RN, director of clinical informatics for Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff. The use of electronic medical records and other informatics tools has completely changed the practice of nursing, she said: Nurses now have all of a patient’s information, updated in real time, at their fingertips — no more chasing down lab reports on a printer in another department or tracking down a patient care tech who has a patient’s latest vitals jotted down on a piece of paper on her clipboard.
“The computer has really become a tool just like the stethoscope,” Wright said.
It’s made nursing safer, Wright said, because information doesn’t get lost in the shuffle or forgotten. One system Jefferson Regional has implemented is having nurses scan all medications they give patients at the bedside, Wright said, so the medication, dose, and time given are all recorded instantly. It slows nurses down a little, she said, but that inconvenience is nothing compared to the improvement in safety.
Still, technology can only do so much, say nurses who have watched their profession evolve over the last 20 to 30 years. It can’t teach a nurse how to
comfort a patient or family member, or how to make a decision in a crisis.
“In nursing programs, we have to make sure in the curriculums that we preserve the skill of interpersonal relationships between nurses and patients, and the skill of critical thinking and decision making,” Hester said. “We can’t assume the right decision is going to be made just from getting the electronic medical record.”
Critical thinking skills are also at the top of the list for Dr. Ann Schlumberger, chair of the Department of Nursing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock — but only if they’re paired with an inborn desire to help others.
“I don’t know that you can teach caring,” she said. “People have to come to the table caring about others and wanting to provide nursing care to that individual as if they were the person you loved the most in your life.”
Cindy Hiegel, a clinical nurse analyst working with nursing informatics at
Conway Regional Medical Center, said the expansion of technology has definite advantages, and has changed the culture of nursing. Conway Regional has computers in each hospital room so nurses can document the care they provide in real time.
“It’s nice to be able to be at the patient bedside documenting,” she said. “The patient can have input into their care and you document what is being done at that time. As a nurse, your focus is to be your patient, not the computer, so getting the patient involved in their care and real time documentation can help produce that. You don’t want to be nursing the
computer but engaging with your patient.” Today’s hospitals are also a lot quieter
than they were in the past as texting and other silent methods of communication have become the norm, said Tammy Gillham, a charge nurse in the intensive care unit at UAMS with 31 years of experience.
“When I started, you paged everybody overhead,” she said. “Now if we get an overhead page, everybody stops in their tracks and says, ‘What was that?’ When I think about it now, that operator must have been making announcements all day
long. That’s how we communicated.”Nurses from a century ago would
also be surprised at how few nurses look like them. In the early days of Baptist Health Schools Little Rock, students couldn’t be married and they had to live in a dormitory on campus. They were, of course, all women. These days, nursing is much more diverse — in gender, race, age, and family circumstance. Many have had previous careers in unrelated fields. It’s not unusual at all to come across someone like Ted Clowers, a 2007 graduate of Conway High School who’s in the final year of studying for a bachelor’s degree in nursing at UAMS. His ultimate goal is
Vogel, who was a medic in the Vietnam War, was part of the first wave of men to enter nursing in the civilian world. When he became a pediatric nurse practitioner in 1979, he said, he was only the 22nd male certified in that area in the country.
“I got a lot of flak at the time — people saying ‘You just want to be a doctor,’” he said.
Do your values match your employer’s?
At Conway Regional we strive to create a culture centered on our values daily. If our core values of Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence align with your own we want you to be a part of our team. Join the iCare team of nurses at Conway Regional as we work together to provide high-quality, compassionate health care services to North Central Arkansas.
At Conway Regional we offer our team members competitive benefits:
Tuition Reimbursement Continuing EducationAdvancement Opportunities Low Nurse/Patient RatioFlexible Scheduling Family Friendly Atmosphere
We are currently recruiting for Orthopedics, Cardiology, Oncology and CCU nurses. Call (501) 513-5410 or visit us online at www.ConwayRegional.org/JobOpenings to submit an application and review current openings.
Making better healthcare a reality.
8 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
to be an advanced practice nurse, which would require a master’s degree.
Clowers said he chose nursing because he liked the idea of providing 24/7 hands-on care, and also because of the job security it offers in an uncertain economy.
“I went into it for all the same reasons female students went into it,” he said. Clowers said he’s been well accepted by patients, although a few patients have assumed that he’s a doctor or pharmacist because he’s male.
From a big-picture standpoint, the profession of nursing has really come into its own in recent years. Nurses are no longer viewed as doctors’ handmaidens, Vogel said, and are more politically active now, especially with the ranks of advanced practice nurses expanding.
“It’s considered now to be a profession, not something that’s just a job, that’s there to just supplement the physician and do whatever they say,” Vogel said. “There’s much more of an idea that we have our own niche and that it should be expanding.”
Health care today is putting an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork — bringing together caregivers from different fields to work together to provide complete, well-rounded care for each patient.
“We’re looking at it more holistically,” Schlumberger said. “We’re looking at all the people providing care for that person knowing what’s going on, so there’s no oversight or duplication of service. … There is a lot more interacting
and problem-solving between the nurse, doctor, pharmacist, social worker, and others.”
FORCES DRIVING CHANGENursing will continue to change in
response to both small and large changes in society and health care as a whole. One of the biggest of these is the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and its requirement that almost all Americans have health insurance by 2014.
“We hope those people will seek primary care they’ve denied themselves before,” said Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, assistant director of the University of Arkansas’s Eleanor Mann School of Nursing.
In addition, the Baby Boom generation continues to age, and medical advances make it possible for people to live longer with illnesses that would have been fatal in the past.
“When you look at the country as a whole, we are living longer, we have more chronic illnesses, and diseases are more complex to manage,” said Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the University of Arkansas’s Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. “There will be a need for more nurses to provide the care individuals need.”
Financial inf luences are also pushing hospitals to change how they provide care. For instance, Medicare will no longer reimburse hospitals for the cost of caring for patients who get an infection or a bedsore while they’re in the hospital for treatment
of another condition. “That’s created a more conscious
awareness of sterile technique when inserting catheters, IVs, and it’s also made it to where a lot of nursing homes and hospitals have a routine turning schedule,” Rills said.
On a larger front, there’s a general push to focus more on keeping people healthy rather than simply treating them once they get sick, Schlumberger said.
“Our current model of health care tends to be heavily acute and chronic care — people get very ill and then they go seek treatment,” she said. “If you think of it as a triangle, the base is dealing with problems that have already developed, vs. putting a lot of money and energy into health promotion and risk prevention.”
THE FUTUREThe coming years will be ones of
tremendous change for the nursing profession. The Institute of Medicine issued a landmark report in 2010 called “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” that looks at how the profession of nursing needs to evolve in order to best meet the needs of a growing population of patients. That report is driving significant changes in the profession nationwide.
One of its recommendations is that nurses participate more in the process of strategic planning and decision making that will determine the future of health care.
Increasing nurses’ presence “at the table” is a major aspect of the report, said
Dr. Cheryl Schmidt, interim associate dean for academic programs at UAMS’ College of Nursing. She and Dr. Claudia Beverly, director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at UAMS, are two of three nursing co-leaders of the Arkansas Action Coalition, a group that is spearheading efforts to implement the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s report.
“Nurses have tried to do that for years, but it’s a turf issue,” Schmidt said.
Green, of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, is co-leading the coalition’s leadership workgroup, which is focusing on increasing leadership development opportunities and participation for Arkansas nurses. Bachelor’s degree programs already include a course in leadership, she said, but it’s going to become an even more important part of
every nurse’s career in the future. “Increasingly, the job description
of staff nurse has leadership as a job expectation,” she said. “It’s a bit of a paradigm shift in terms of helping everyone see themselves as a leader, and helping develop that capacity.”
One issue facing Arkansas, Schmidt said, is that state law requires nurse practitioners to have a collaborative agreement with a physician — but in some underserved or rural areas like the Delta, there may not be any physicians to collaborate with.
“We’re going to have the worst shortage of all health care professionals
Scenes from yesteryear: Nurses bathe a patient in the burn unit at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Scenes from yesteryear: From 1955, the startched white hats of ....
Arka
nsas
Chi
ldre
n’s
Hosp
ital
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 9
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we’ve ever seen” with the Affordable Care Act, Schmidt said.
“We need everybody that’s available and interested, and not limited to certain professions,” she said. “There’s a huge shortage of primary care physicians, and we’ve got to fill that gap.”
Another major thrust of the “Future of Nursing” report is increasing the educational preparation of nurses.
“The Institute of Medicine’s recommendation is that by 2020, 80 percent of registered nurses be educated at the baccalaureate level, so nurses with a diploma or associate’s degree will be thinking about going back to finish their bachelor’s degree,” said Dr. Debra Jeffs, director of academic nursing education at ACH and a co-leader of the Arkansas Action Coalition’s education workgroup.
Currently, about half of RNs
nationwide have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to the IOM. In Arkansas, however, only about 28 percent do. The report also recommends doubling the number of nurses with doctoral degrees.
Nursing is also shifting toward what’s called evidence-based care, ACH’s Green said. That means basing decisions about how to care for patients on what has been scientifically shown to be effective, rather than on how things have always been done.
“Even though most of us think it’s obvious, people are really bound to tradition,” she said. “It’s hard to change.”
As hospitals and doctors’ offices continue to make the move to electronic
health records, the field of informatics is growing in influence within the nursing profession. Informatics deals with how you take the information from systems and databases and transform it into useful knowledge that can drive improvement in health care.
“As our technology evolves, our care evolves with that,” UAMS’ Hester said. The challenge, she said, is to build and implement information systems in a way that the system supports the work of the nurse, rather than the work of the nurse changing to meet the demands of the system. “We’ve had that backwards in the past.”
Nurses in the future will have to be comfortable navigating a computer system, Hester said, and beyond that, be able to manipulate the system to get the most out of it. “They can’t just look at it and take information from it,” she said. “They really have to be interactive participants in that record to be able to get the full advantage out of it.”
And more importantly, she said, nurses are going to need to assert themselves and be involved as their employers make future decisions about informatics and health care. “Even though we have moved into an electronic age and information systems and computers sort of rule the day, the basic foundations of nursing — we’re the only care provider who’s there 24/7, the eyes and ears of other health care providers when they go home — that hasn’t changed,” Hester said. “That is never going to change for nursing. Developing systems that support that level of dedication and involvement in patient care makes it even more imperative that nurses have a spot at the table.”
Gillham said she’s also seeing the nursing profession evolve into one that provides nurses with more opportunities for advancement, independence, and financial gains. When she graduated from nursing school in 1986, the ICU was the place to be — the top job nurses could shoot for.
“Nursing has broadened and has so many fingers now and so many directions for nurses to go,” Gillham said. “You can be an advanced practice nurse, a nurse anesthetist, a physician’s assistant. Nurses like me that have been there 30 years, we’re a rarity. What you’ll see is that nurses in hospitals will have five to 10 years of experience, and then they’re going to branch out and go in other directions. There are too many other opportunities.”
Scenes from yesteryear: From 1955, the startched white hats of ....
Bapt
ist H
ealth
Why I became a nurse...
I became a nurse to help make sure patients are
treated with the same care that I would expect
my family to be treated. I think it’s amazing to see
miracles happen every day when babies are born.
Misty Anderson, RN, women’s center nurse educator, Conway Regional Medical Center
10 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
The profession of nursing encompasses a range of education and credential levels. Depending on your age, financial situation, family obligations or other factors, you could take the quickest route to a nursing job, or choose to spend more time in school up front and eventually start working at a higher level. For most nurses today, education is a career-long endeavor — something that has been made easier with the growth of online degree programs.
And while you might think of nursing as more a caregiving profession than an academic one, you’d be wrong. Nursing students need to have good grades and strong backgrounds in math and science, along with critical thinking skills that allow them to apply what they’ve learned to make complicated decisions in the real world. In addition, entry into traditional bachelor’s degree nursing programs has become very competitive.
“What we’re looking for is people who’ve been strong in the sciences,” said Dr. Donna Middaugh, interim associate dean for academic programs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ College of Nursing. “We’re looking for good grades — you need a very high grade point average and critical thinking ability.”
The nursing profession as a whole is moving toward requiring higher levels of education than in the past. That’s driving growth in programs designed for RNs with diplomas or associate’s degrees to complete their bachelor’s degrees, and it’s also a factor in the decision of several of the state’s university nursing schools to propose adding more graduate programs to their degree offerings.
“The patients are more complicated than they used to be, and the technology, the diagnostic techniques and the treatment modalities are way more complex,” said Dr. Rebecca Burris, chair of Arkansas Tech University’s nursing department. “It just takes more education to be able to take care of the patient.”
Burris said she doesn’t see that trend changing the preparation nurses need to enter the profession — instead, the change will come in how nursing education makes it possible for nurses to continue up the education ladder after
they’ve started their careers.
LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE
The type of nursing that requires the least education is practical nursing. It typically takes one calendar year to complete a practical nursing program, said Laura Hamilton, dean of nursing at Baptist Health Schools Little Rock.
When you finish, you can take an exam to become a licensed practical nurse, or LPN, and look for work in hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, and other settings. LPNs take care of more hands-on tasks such as giving medications and changing bandages. In hospitals, they typically work under an RN, Hamilton said.
“It’s one of our most popular programs because of the length of time it takes,” Hamilton said.
The timeframe is what attracted Nicole Clute to an LPN program. Clute, who works at the Clinton Medical Clinic, originally planned to get an associate’s degree and start her career as a registered nurse. But then she had a baby, and needed to be able to work while she finished her schooling. She completed an LPN at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton in three semesters and then went to work in a nursing home.
REGISTERED NURSEThe next level up is registered nurses,
or RNs. RNs have more responsibilities and earn higher salaries than LPNs. RNs can come through diploma programs, associate’s degree programs, or bachelor’s degree programs, depending on what their goals and situations are. Diploma programs are typically the shortest, followed by associate’s degree programs, which can take two to three years. Bachelor’s degree programs usually take four to five years.
Baptist offers an RN diploma program with two tracks — an accelerated two-year program and a regular three-year program. Typically, students in the two-year program either are LPNs returning to school to become RNs or students who have some other previous college experience and have taken science or general education courses. Arkansas State
University offers an associate’s degree in nursing, among its other nursing degree programs.
Although the general trend in nursing is toward hospitals wanting nurses to have a bachelor’s degree, diploma programs allow people to get their nursing licenses — and therefore jobs — faster. That’s a necessity for many people, especially non-traditional students who may already have families to support. There are many LPN-to-BSN and RN-to-BSN completion programs in schools around Arkansas that are specifically designed for working nurses who want to finish their bachelor’s degrees. Many of them are available as online-only programs,
so they are much easier to fit into the working nurse’s schedule.
“They all work, and they work shifts that are different one week to the next,” Arkansas Tech’s Burris said. “It’s almost impossible for nurses to further their educations in traditional classrooms.”
Clute, who now has four children, said she’s planning to go back to school for her RN diploma, which should take about a year, and from there will work on her bachelor’s through an RN-to-BSN program. It’s been harder than she thought to find work as an LPN, she said, and the higher salaries that RNs earn are appealing as well.
Dr. Preston Molsbee, a member of the nursing faculty who coordinates the
Which path is right for you?Nursing EDUCATION
Education is a career-long endeavor for most nurses.
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Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 11
associate nursing degree program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, took the stepping-stone approach to his nursing education. He earned an LPN at Baptist in one year, and then went to work in the cardiac unit of a hospital. Over the next 14 years he earned a BSN, a master’s degree, and finally a doctorate.
“After I did a stint in management — as a manager, you see things you’d like to be different, and you see the way sometimes how practice goes and you want to have a role in shaping practice,” Dr. Molsbee said.
Still, while the stepping-stone track worked for him, Molsbee said he wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to someone who’s starting out now, because some LPNs are having trouble finding jobs. Instead, he’d steer them toward an associate’s degree program, where they could be out working in about two years, and then finish their bachelor’s while they work.
A BSN is necessary for nurses to advance to higher levels in their careers and opens doors for nurses to think about graduate programs and long-term career opportunities.
“I think if you’re going to get into nursing at the basic level, get your BSN,” said Dr. Ralph Vogel, a member of the faculty in UAMS’ College of Nursing. “You’re not going to want to be a staff nurse for 40 years. It’s hard physical work. And if you don’t have a degree, you’re going to see everyone promoted around you.”
Dr. Debra Jeffs, director of academic nursing education at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, advises nurses at ACH who are thinking about going back to school. She bases her advice on what goal they have for their careers.
“For several of our leadership positions we do have a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s, and others would require a master’s degree,” she said.
The University of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas State University, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences all offer traditional BSN programs as well as online RN-to-BSN completion programs. Typically, students will take one to two years of prerequisite courses before beginning their nursing classes. At some schools, there are more prenursing students than there are slots in the upper-level nursing program, meaning students have to compete for the ability to finish their nursing studies at that school.
“It’s very competitive,” said Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas. The U of A currently has about 900 prenursing students, but can take only 100 new students into the upper-level nursing program each semester. That’s twice as many as it used to admit. And the U of A’s online RN-to BSN program, which just started this fall, is already at capacity.
Barbara Williams, director of UCA’s nursing program, said traditional, on-
campus BSN programs give students the advantage of a more well-rounded college experience.
“You can be involved in student life,” she said. “You can be in the band. We have students that play sports, having starring roles in theatre, or sing in choral groups.”
Because nursing is a stable profession with consistently excellent job prospects, more and more people are entering nursing as a second career. To meet their needs, ASU offers an accelerated BSN program for people who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field. The program takes one calendar year to finish, said Sue McClarry, chair of ASU’s nursing department.
MASTER’S DEGREE/ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING
The trend toward more educational preparation in nursing is driving the expansion of graduate nursing programs around the state. While the BSN is a generalized degree that encompasses all aspects of nursing, master’s degree programs are specialized. Some prepare nurses to provide direct care to patients as nurse practitioners, while others prepare nurses to go into administration or teaching. Because they’re more specialized, each of the universities in the state that offer master’s degrees has different concentration offerings. ASU, for instance, is the only school in the state that offers a nurse anesthetist degree, and Arkansas Tech offers a hybrid master’s in nurse administration and emergency management.
Many master’s programs today are offered at least partly online. Leah Wright, director of clinical informatics at Jefferson Regional Medical Center, earned her master’s degree in nursing administration through an entirely online program at a school in Mississippi.
Typically, nurses will work for a while first before going back for an advanced degree, said Heather Alverson, an acute care nurse practitioner at UAMS. Alverson earned her BSN in 2004, then returned to school in 2008 to get a master’s degree in nursing science, which she finished in 2011.
Nurses don’t, however, have to have a BSN to get into a master’s program in nursing, said Jon Vickers, an academic counselor in the department of nursing at UALR. People who have a bachelor’s degree in any field can go back to school and get an RN license and then go straight into a master’s nursing program, he said.
UCA’s offerings include an RN-to-BSN-to-MSN program, where nurses can combine some courses and earn both degrees in less time than it would take to earn them separately, Williams said.
Nurses who want to earn master’s degrees in the next few years will have more options than in the past. The U of A and UCA are in the process of adding new master’s degree tracks at their schools.
DOCTORAL DEGREESNurses today can choose from
two types of doctoral degrees. A traditional PhD program typically will emphasize research and prepare nurses to be researchers or nursing faculty members. The doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) is a newer degree that emphasizes clinical care.
Dr. Melanie J. Ware, a women’s health advanced practice nurse at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), earned her DNP from a university in New York state.
“I’m a clinician at heart,” she said. “The phenomenal work the PhD practitioners have done, the research they do, doesn’t always make it in to clinical practice. My duty is to take that fantastic research that’s out there and take that to the patient’s bedside. I felt that piece was missing.”
There aren’t currently any DNP programs in Arkansas, but that’s likely to change in the near future. The U of A, UCA, ASU, and UAMS are all working
to add DNP programs.Dr. Bell said she’s excited about the
possibility of starting a DNP program at the U of A.
“DNP students across the country are doing some remarkable work that I think will change the way health care is delivered,” she said.
While continuing your education for years past what you need to get a job might seem intimidating, it’s worth the extra work both in terms of the increased responsibilities nurses with graduate degrees can take on, and in terms of money, Bell said. Nurses with advanced degrees have an average salary of about $85,000, she said, and that can get up over six figures for nurse practitioners, depending on where they practice.
“Advanced degrees will definitely pay off,” she said.
I became a nurse because my mother always wanted
to be a nurse and highly valued the profession. She
always encouraged me to become a nurse. My first
job as a candy striper sealed the deal for me. I loved
helping those who were sick and making their lives
a little better. My love for helping people has been
truly fulfilled in nursing. Nursing has not only been
emotionally rewarding but also has been intellectually stimulating. This has
been the most satisfying career choice.
Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, RN, MS, assistant director, University of Arkansas Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
From a very early age, I had a sense for those that were sick or in need.
This sense developed into an empathy that I felt around anyone who was
suffering, either mentally or physically. However, I can honestly say that, in the
beginning, I had little to do with me becoming a nurse. I believe that the Lord
led me to this wonderful profession and knew that I would truly feel at home
here. It wasn’t long after I started nursing school at Baptist that I began to see
that the fulfillment and happiness that I received from caring for others could
never be replaced by anything other than serving in this awesome profession.
Mary Kathryn DiGiacomo, RN, Baptist Health Medical Center Little Rock
Later in life, I realized I wanted to be a nurse. I have always been a
compassionate person. I enjoy seeing the positive change in patients and
families. It’s great to be a part of such a very big milestone in their care.
Kelli Strack, RN, coronary care unit, Conway Regional Health System
Why I became a nurse...
12 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
Degrees of NURSING
ASSOCIATE DEGREE (TWO-YEAR DEGREE)Associate degree programs, offered by two-year and four-year colleges and universities, must meet the requirements of a regional accreditation association and be approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. At the completion of a program, the student is awarded an associate of science (AS) or associate of science in nursing (ASN) diploma. Only then is the graduate eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and, upon successful completion, become a registered nurse (RN)
BACCALAUREATE DEGREE (FOUR-YEAR DEGREE)Baccalaureate programs must be approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and are usually offered by four-year colleges or universities. At the completion of a program, the student is awarded the bachelor of science (BS) or bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree and given a diploma. After graduation, he or she is eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and, upon successful completion, become a registered nurse (RN).
PRACTICAL NURSINGBoth private and public two-year and four-year institutions offer practical nurse programs, which generally take
12 months to complete. The Arkansas State Board of Nursing approves the practical nurse (PN) programs and upon completion of the program, the student receives a certificate. Then the individual is eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and, upon successful completion, become an LPN (licensed practical nurse).
REGISTERED NURSINGBoth private and public two-year and four-year colleges and universities offer registered nurse programs that are divided into two categories: a two-year associate degree and a four-year baccalaureate degree. Before going to work, the graduate is required to pass the NCLEX examination. In addition to the traditional route, there are two-year diploma certificate programs.
CONTINUING EDUCATIONAfter completing the basic nursing programs, you might want to consider an advanced degree such as an RNP (registered nurse practitioner), APN (advanced practice nurse) or LPTN (licensed psychiatric technician nurse). Also, for nurses with a BSN, there are a number of advanced degrees, including master’s degrees and Ph.D.s in various fields of study. These advanced programs require additional education and can include the passage of specific licensure examinations.
Arkansas College/University Years/Public Private
Calendar Degree Offered Length Of Program Living Arrangements
Aid Deadline Scholarship Deadline
Required Exams Application Deadline Comments/Home Page Address
BACCALAUREATEArkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-972-3074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)
4 yr public Semester AASN, BSN, MSN varies on campus housing July 1st February 15th ACT or SAT or COMPASS or ASSET varies Nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. www.astate.edu
Arkansas Tech University, Russellville • 479-968-0383 4 yr public Semester BSN, LPN to BSN, RN to BSN, MSN, RN to MSN BSN-4yrs, RN to BSN-1yr, MSN-2yrs
on campus housing varies varies BSN-ACT or COMPASS, RN to BSN-None, MSN-GRE
March 1st and October 1st, other programs vary
RN to BSN can be completed in as little as 1 year. Excellent Faculty. www.atu.edu/nursing
Harding University, Searcy • 1-800-477-4407, 501-279-4682 4 yr private Semester BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN BSN 4 yrs on campus housing June 1st Rolling ACT or SAT Rolling/$40 Quality nursing education with a focus on Christian service and professionalism. www.harding.edu
Henderson State University, Arkadelphia • 870-230-5015 4 yr public Semester BSN 4 yrs on campus housing June varies ACT, SAT, COMPASS Feb 15th The school with a heart. Small classes. CCNE Accredited. www.hsu.edu/nursing
University of Arkanasas, Fayetteville • 479-575-3904 4 yr public Semester BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN, MSN (online program) 4 yrs*** on campus housing March 15th November 15th SAT, ACT (none for MSN) Jan 15th for Fall admission; June 15th for Spring (none for MSN)
Nursing is a dynamic career, meeting the health care needs of society. http://nurs.uark.edu/ The online Master of Science degree in nursing offers a choice of two concentrations: Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health and Nurse Educator.
UALR, Department of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-569-8081 4 yr public Semester ASN, BSN, RN-BSN 4 semesters/ASN, 3 semesters/BSN
on/off campus housing
April 1st February 1st ASN/SAT for students with less than 12 credits.
Oct 1st for Spring/ June 1st for Fall BSN completion for current RNs or recent graduates of an accredited nursing program. UALR students can Ladder into the online BSN and graduate within 4 years. www.ualr.edu/nursing
University of Central Arkansas, Conway • 501-450-3119 4 yr public Semester BSN, MSN*** 4 yrs/BSN, MSN varies, PMC varies on campus housing July 1st January 8th SAT or ACT varies by program, see website for dates www.uca.edu/nursing
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith • 479-788-7861, 1-888-512-LION 4 yr public Semester BSN 4 yrs for BSN/Varies for RN-BSN on campus housing Priority March 15th February 1st ACT/COMPASS Oct 1st for Spring/ March 1st for Fall RN-BSN is an Online Completion Program. www.uafs.edu/health/bachelor-science-nursing-bsn www.uafs.edu/health/rn-bsn-online-completion-track
University of Arkansas at Monticello • 870-460-1069 4 yr public Semester AASN (LPN-RN), BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN 1 to 4 yrs on campus housing contact financial aid (870) 460-1050
March 1st none March 1st Achieve your nursing goals with us. www.uamont.edu/Nursing/academicprograms.htm
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-686-5374
4 yr public Semester BSN, MNSc, Ph.D, Post Masters options available BSN generic: 2 yrs+1 summer/ RN to BSN: 1 yr full time/ MNSC& Ph.D:students have up to 6 yrs to complete degree requirements
on campus housing varies, visit nursing.uams.edu. Click on scholarships
varies, visit nursing.uams.edu click on scholarships
TOEFL for int'l students, MNSc-MAT or GRE, PhD-GRE, ATI TEAS V for BSN applicants.
BSN generic: February 1st/ RN to BSN: March 1st & Sept. 1st/ MNSC: Sept. 1st & April 1st/ PhD: March 2
www.nursing.uams.edu
ASSOCIATE DEGREEArkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville • 870-824-6253 • Paragould • 870-239-3200 2 yr public Semester AAS 2 year commuter campus Priority April 15 Priority March 15 COMPASS or ACT and PAXRN RN- March 31, PN- March 31 ANC offers the RN, LPN, and LPN to RN programs of study www.anc.edu
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-972-3074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)
4 yr public Semester Traditional LPN-AASN (Traditional AASN offered at ASU Mountain Home, ASU Beebe, West Memphis)
varies on campus housing Jonesboro
July 1st February 15th ACT, SAT, COMPASS, or ASSET varies The mission of the School of Nursing is to educate and enrich students for evolving professoinal nursing practice. www.astate.edu
East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City • 870-633-4480 2 yr public Semester AASN 2 yrs commuter campus April 15th varies ACT, ASSET / Nursing Pre-entrance exams
varies Allied health program offering RN-Nursing degree (basic students, LPN completion). www.eacc.edu
National Park Community College, Hot Springs • 501-760-4290 2 yr public Semester AS in Nursing 2 yrs commuter campus open open ACT, SAT or COMPASS, TEAS March 1st Options for LPN and new High School graduates. www.npcc.edu
Mississippi County Community College, Blytheville • 870-762-1020 2 yr public Semester AAS in Nursing 2 yrs commuter campus Priority April 15 - Rolling
Priority April 15 PAX-RN March 31st www.mccc.cc.ar.us
North Arkansas College, Harrison • 870-743-3000 2 yr public Semester AAS in nursing-traditional. LPN, LPN-RN RN-1yr; LPN-RN-1yr; PN-1yr commuter campus Pell Grant June 30, 2010
June 15th ACT, ASSET, COMPASS varies with program Northark’s students receive excellent healthcare education leading to rewarding careers in nursing.www.northark.edu/academics/nursing
Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville • 479-636-9222, 800-995-6922
2 yr public Semester AAS, RN 4 semesters commuter campus May 1st April 1st ACT or COMPASS March 1st The college of the NWA community, member of Northwest Arkansas Nursing Education Consortium nwacc.edu/academics/nursing
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, Helena, Dewitt, Stuttgart • Helena 870-338-6474 x1254; DeWitt 870-946-3506 x1611; Stuttgart 870-673-4201 x1809
2 yr public Semester AAS, technical certificate/PN AAS 72 credit hrs, PN 54 credit hrs commuter campus none none none for admission RN June 1st, PN June 1st or Oct 1st RN Program, NLNAC accredited. www.pccua.edu
Southeast Arkansas College, Pine Bluff • 870-543-5917 2 yr public Semester AAS: RN, Generic RN & LPN/Paramedic to RN. Technical Certificate: PN PN-1 yr, Generic RN-5 Semesters commuter campus open none ACT, COMPASS, PAX for PN, HESI Fundamentals of Nursing for RN
Second Friday in March Changing lives…one student at a time! www.seark.edu
Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia • 870-235-4040 4 yr public Semester ADN, Online RN-BSN Completion 4 yrs BSN 2yrs/ADN, 2-4 yrs online RN-BSN Completion program
on campus housing July 1st Priority March 15, Final August
ACT, ADN HESI Admission September 30 for LPN to RN Transition or February 28 for BSN and ADN applications
SAUM has an LPN to RN track for current LPNs or Vocational Nurses. www.saumag.edu/nursing
University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville • 870-612-2000, 800-508-7878
2 yr public Semester AAS-Generic RN and LPN to RN-traditional and online tracks, PN Program (Technical Certificate) Generic RN Program
11 mos, Generic RN program is 16 mos.
commuter campus varies March 1- High school Academic; July 15- Others; Nursing Scholarship- Dec. 1
ASSET, ACT, SAT or COMPASS**, KAPLAN Nurse Entrance Test
PN May 1 - LPN to RN July15 - Generic RN entry deadline is May 1st
UACCB's nursing programs are among the top programs in the state. www.uaccb.edu
UALR, Department of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-569-8081 4 yr public Semester ASN/LPN to RN/BSN 4 semesters on/off campus housing
April 1st February 1st ACT, SAT, Evolve A2 nursing entrance exam.
Priority Application Deadline Feb 28/ Applications accepted until class full
LPN/Paramedic to RN (1 year). Traditional ASN (2 years). Accelerated ASN (18 months). See above for BSN information. www.ualr.edu/nursing
DIPLOMABaptist Health Schools Little Rock • 501-202-6200, 800-345-3046 private, faith-
basedSemester diploma/LPN, diploma/RN RN traditonal track 3yrs. RN
express track 2yrs. LPN 1yr. RN Accelerated 1yr (LPNs or Paramedics).
commuter campus March 1st priority varies ACT 3yr-July1, 2yr-June 1, PN-Dec 1 or June 1, RNA- Dec 1
bhslr.edu
Jefferson Reg. Med. Center School of Nursing, Pine Bluff • 870-541-7850 private 24 months diploma/RN 1 year pre-requisites + 2 years core courses
commuter campus none none ACT Applications accepted until classes filled. $35 fee
Length of program recently changed. See webpage for details. www.jrmc.org/schoolofnursing
PRACTICAL NURSINGArkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus, Ozark • 479-667-2117 public Semester Certificate 3 semesters commuter campus Priority April 15 varies COMPASS, NET June 1, October 1 Clinical experience in hospitals of varying size, physicians' offices and
geriatric facilities. http://atuoc.atu.edu
Baptist Health Schools Little Rock • 501-202-6200, 800-345-3046 private Semester diploma/LPN, diploma/RN 2 semester LPN commuter campus Priority March 1st varies ACT Dec 1st & June 1st bhslr.edu
Black River Technical College, Pocahontas • 870-248-4000 2 yr public Semester AAS/RN, Certificate/PN, Certificate of Proficiency/Nursing Assistant AAS/RN 3 semesters, Certificate/PN 3semesters, Certificate of Proficiency/Nursing Assistant 4 weeks.
commuter campus contact financial aid office
April 15th ACT or ASSET 1st day of class BRTC: A college of vision. BRTC has a 95% plus boards pass rate. www.blackrivertech.org
Cossatot Community College of the UA, De Queen, Nashville • 870-584-4471, 800-844-4471
2 yr public Semester LPN De Queen 11 mos Day Program, Nashville 18 mos evening program
commuter campus varies June 15th COMPASS, NET Day Program-De Queen March 1st, Evening Program-Nashville August 31st
Prerequisites required prior to admission. www.cccua.edu
Arkansas Northeastern College Blytheville • 870-824-6253 • Paragould • 870-239-3200
public Semester Certificate of Practical Nursing 13 months commuter campus Priority April 15th Priority April 15th COMPASS or ACT and PAX-PN March 31st Variety of clinical experiences. www.anc.edu
ASU Technical Center, Jonesboro • 870-932-2176 public Semester LPN 11 mos commuter campus none none ASSET, NET June 1 & November 1 Combines classroom instruction with clinical experience. Graduates eligible to take NCLEX.
Arkansas State University - Beebe • ASU Searcy Campus 501-207-6214 public Semester Certificate LPN 11 mos commuter campus varies June 1st ACT/COMPASS and Questionnaire Call for further information Application packet and program requirements are online. www.asub.edu
Northwest Technical Institute, Springdale • 479-751-8824 public Semester diploma/PN 3 sem. & 1 Summer session (includes Pre-Reqs)
commuter campus July 1/Fall, December 1/Spring
June 1/Fall, December 1/Spring
NET, COMPASS November 1st Bilingual scholarships available- www.nwansged.org
College of the Ouachitas, Malvern • 800-337-0266 ext 1200 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing, Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medication Administration Program
1-3 semesters commuter campus open Fall-May1, Spring-Dec 1 COMPASS First Friday in September / Spring, First Friday in March / Fall
www.coto.edu
Ozarka College, Melbourne • 870-368-7371 2 yr public Semester LPN, LPN-RN 11-18 mos commuter campus none March 1st Wonderlic, TEAS, LPN STEP April 1/Fall, November 1/Spring August 31 - RN Providing life-changing experiences through education. www.ozarka.edu
University of Arkansas Comm. College at Morrilton • 501-354-2465 2 public Semester LPN-certificates AAS-LPN, RN 3 semesters - 2yr commuter campus prior to semester April 1st COMPASS, NET Gap LPN-June 1st, AASLPN-Oct 1st, RN-Aug 31st Enrollment limited to 20 each admission for LPN. www.uaccm.edu
Pulaski Technical College, North Little Rock • 501-812-2200 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing/PN 11-month traditional track/22-month non-traditional track
commuter campus Oct. 15 for Spring, March 15 for Summer, May 15 for Fall
varies ACT or COMPASS and Kaplan Admission Test
April 15th Call an advisor to discuss pre-requisites and eligibility. 501-812-2834 or 501-812-2339 www.pulaskitech.edu/programs_of_study/nursing/practical_nursing.asp
National Park Community College, Hot Springs • 501-760-4160 public Semester certificates in Practical Nursing 13 mos FT; 2yr PT commuter campus none none COMPASS, TEAS March 1st Do you want to make a difference? Then nursing is for you! Evening option available. www.npcc.edu
Rich Mountain Community College, Mena • 479-394-7622 2 yr public Semester certificate/PN, LPN, CAN, RN 11-12 mos commuter campus varies, contact financial aid office
April PSB and ACT, COMPASS LPN-March, RN-Sept www.rmcc.edu
SAU Tech, Camden • 870-574-4500 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate 11 mos commuter campus and on-campus
N/A March 1st ASSET. TEAS. Practical Nursing June 1st Two Applications required: admissions and nursing. www.sautech.edu
South Arkansas Community College, El Dorado • 870-864-7142, 870-864-7137 2 yr public Semester ADN,LPN 11 mos commuter campus none Priority April 1st ACT, ASSET, or COMPASS open SouthArk: Where students come first. www.southark.edu
University of Arkansas Community College at Hope • 870-777-5722 2 yr public Semester certificate/PN 2 sem. (excludes prerequisites) commuter campus none none ASSET, ACT or COMPASS June 30th [email protected]
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith • 479-788-7861, 1-888-512-LION 4 yr public Semester Technical Certificate 12 mos on campus housing Priority March 15th Feb. 1st ACT/COMPASS/NLN PAX-PN June 1st for Fall www.uafs.edu/health/licensed-practical-nursing-pn
University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology, Crossett • 870-364-6414 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing 12 mos commuter campus varies varies entrance exam March Accredited by the Commission on Schools of the North Central Association, and the council of Occupational Education.
*** for Basic nursing education; Varies with previous coursework or nursing license; MSN program = 2 yrs TO COMPILE THIS, FORMS WERE SENT TO EVERY QUALIFIED COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO RETURN BY A SPECIFIED DEADLINE. THOSE SCHOOLS NOT MEETING THE DEADLINE WERE REPEATED FROM LAST YEAR. EVERY ATTEMPT IS MADE TO GATHER AND VERIFY THE INFORMATION.
Whether you’re looking to attend school for two
years or four, part-time or full, Arkansas’s colleges
and universities have a number of programs that will
get you on the path to a nursing career. Read about
the different nursing degrees below and then check
out the chart for schools that best meet your needs.
Bapt
ist H
ealth
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 13
Arkansas College/University Years/Public Private
Calendar Degree Offered Length Of Program Living Arrangements
Aid Deadline Scholarship Deadline
Required Exams Application Deadline Comments/Home Page Address
BACCALAUREATEArkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-972-3074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)
4 yr public Semester AASN, BSN, MSN varies on campus housing July 1st February 15th ACT or SAT or COMPASS or ASSET varies Nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. www.astate.edu
Arkansas Tech University, Russellville • 479-968-0383 4 yr public Semester BSN, LPN to BSN, RN to BSN, MSN, RN to MSN BSN-4yrs, RN to BSN-1yr, MSN-2yrs
on campus housing varies varies BSN-ACT or COMPASS, RN to BSN-None, MSN-GRE
March 1st and October 1st, other programs vary
RN to BSN can be completed in as little as 1 year. Excellent Faculty. www.atu.edu/nursing
Harding University, Searcy • 1-800-477-4407, 501-279-4682 4 yr private Semester BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN BSN 4 yrs on campus housing June 1st Rolling ACT or SAT Rolling/$40 Quality nursing education with a focus on Christian service and professionalism. www.harding.edu
Henderson State University, Arkadelphia • 870-230-5015 4 yr public Semester BSN 4 yrs on campus housing June varies ACT, SAT, COMPASS Feb 15th The school with a heart. Small classes. CCNE Accredited. www.hsu.edu/nursing
University of Arkanasas, Fayetteville • 479-575-3904 4 yr public Semester BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN, MSN (online program) 4 yrs*** on campus housing March 15th November 15th SAT, ACT (none for MSN) Jan 15th for Fall admission; June 15th for Spring (none for MSN)
Nursing is a dynamic career, meeting the health care needs of society. http://nurs.uark.edu/ The online Master of Science degree in nursing offers a choice of two concentrations: Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health and Nurse Educator.
UALR, Department of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-569-8081 4 yr public Semester ASN, BSN, RN-BSN 4 semesters/ASN, 3 semesters/BSN
on/off campus housing
April 1st February 1st ASN/SAT for students with less than 12 credits.
Oct 1st for Spring/ June 1st for Fall BSN completion for current RNs or recent graduates of an accredited nursing program. UALR students can Ladder into the online BSN and graduate within 4 years. www.ualr.edu/nursing
University of Central Arkansas, Conway • 501-450-3119 4 yr public Semester BSN, MSN*** 4 yrs/BSN, MSN varies, PMC varies on campus housing July 1st January 8th SAT or ACT varies by program, see website for dates www.uca.edu/nursing
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith • 479-788-7861, 1-888-512-LION 4 yr public Semester BSN 4 yrs for BSN/Varies for RN-BSN on campus housing Priority March 15th February 1st ACT/COMPASS Oct 1st for Spring/ March 1st for Fall RN-BSN is an Online Completion Program. www.uafs.edu/health/bachelor-science-nursing-bsn www.uafs.edu/health/rn-bsn-online-completion-track
University of Arkansas at Monticello • 870-460-1069 4 yr public Semester AASN (LPN-RN), BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN 1 to 4 yrs on campus housing contact financial aid (870) 460-1050
March 1st none March 1st Achieve your nursing goals with us. www.uamont.edu/Nursing/academicprograms.htm
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-686-5374
4 yr public Semester BSN, MNSc, Ph.D, Post Masters options available BSN generic: 2 yrs+1 summer/ RN to BSN: 1 yr full time/ MNSC& Ph.D:students have up to 6 yrs to complete degree requirements
on campus housing varies, visit nursing.uams.edu. Click on scholarships
varies, visit nursing.uams.edu click on scholarships
TOEFL for int'l students, MNSc-MAT or GRE, PhD-GRE, ATI TEAS V for BSN applicants.
BSN generic: February 1st/ RN to BSN: March 1st & Sept. 1st/ MNSC: Sept. 1st & April 1st/ PhD: March 2
www.nursing.uams.edu
ASSOCIATE DEGREEArkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville • 870-824-6253 • Paragould • 870-239-3200 2 yr public Semester AAS 2 year commuter campus Priority April 15 Priority March 15 COMPASS or ACT and PAXRN RN- March 31, PN- March 31 ANC offers the RN, LPN, and LPN to RN programs of study www.anc.edu
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-972-3074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)
4 yr public Semester Traditional LPN-AASN (Traditional AASN offered at ASU Mountain Home, ASU Beebe, West Memphis)
varies on campus housing Jonesboro
July 1st February 15th ACT, SAT, COMPASS, or ASSET varies The mission of the School of Nursing is to educate and enrich students for evolving professoinal nursing practice. www.astate.edu
East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City • 870-633-4480 2 yr public Semester AASN 2 yrs commuter campus April 15th varies ACT, ASSET / Nursing Pre-entrance exams
varies Allied health program offering RN-Nursing degree (basic students, LPN completion). www.eacc.edu
National Park Community College, Hot Springs • 501-760-4290 2 yr public Semester AS in Nursing 2 yrs commuter campus open open ACT, SAT or COMPASS, TEAS March 1st Options for LPN and new High School graduates. www.npcc.edu
Mississippi County Community College, Blytheville • 870-762-1020 2 yr public Semester AAS in Nursing 2 yrs commuter campus Priority April 15 - Rolling
Priority April 15 PAX-RN March 31st www.mccc.cc.ar.us
North Arkansas College, Harrison • 870-743-3000 2 yr public Semester AAS in nursing-traditional. LPN, LPN-RN RN-1yr; LPN-RN-1yr; PN-1yr commuter campus Pell Grant June 30, 2010
June 15th ACT, ASSET, COMPASS varies with program Northark’s students receive excellent healthcare education leading to rewarding careers in nursing.www.northark.edu/academics/nursing
Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville • 479-636-9222, 800-995-6922
2 yr public Semester AAS, RN 4 semesters commuter campus May 1st April 1st ACT or COMPASS March 1st The college of the NWA community, member of Northwest Arkansas Nursing Education Consortium nwacc.edu/academics/nursing
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, Helena, Dewitt, Stuttgart • Helena 870-338-6474 x1254; DeWitt 870-946-3506 x1611; Stuttgart 870-673-4201 x1809
2 yr public Semester AAS, technical certificate/PN AAS 72 credit hrs, PN 54 credit hrs commuter campus none none none for admission RN June 1st, PN June 1st or Oct 1st RN Program, NLNAC accredited. www.pccua.edu
Southeast Arkansas College, Pine Bluff • 870-543-5917 2 yr public Semester AAS: RN, Generic RN & LPN/Paramedic to RN. Technical Certificate: PN PN-1 yr, Generic RN-5 Semesters commuter campus open none ACT, COMPASS, PAX for PN, HESI Fundamentals of Nursing for RN
Second Friday in March Changing lives…one student at a time! www.seark.edu
Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia • 870-235-4040 4 yr public Semester ADN, Online RN-BSN Completion 4 yrs BSN 2yrs/ADN, 2-4 yrs online RN-BSN Completion program
on campus housing July 1st Priority March 15, Final August
ACT, ADN HESI Admission September 30 for LPN to RN Transition or February 28 for BSN and ADN applications
SAUM has an LPN to RN track for current LPNs or Vocational Nurses. www.saumag.edu/nursing
University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville • 870-612-2000, 800-508-7878
2 yr public Semester AAS-Generic RN and LPN to RN-traditional and online tracks, PN Program (Technical Certificate) Generic RN Program
11 mos, Generic RN program is 16 mos.
commuter campus varies March 1- High school Academic; July 15- Others; Nursing Scholarship- Dec. 1
ASSET, ACT, SAT or COMPASS**, KAPLAN Nurse Entrance Test
PN May 1 - LPN to RN July15 - Generic RN entry deadline is May 1st
UACCB's nursing programs are among the top programs in the state. www.uaccb.edu
UALR, Department of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-569-8081 4 yr public Semester ASN/LPN to RN/BSN 4 semesters on/off campus housing
April 1st February 1st ACT, SAT, Evolve A2 nursing entrance exam.
Priority Application Deadline Feb 28/ Applications accepted until class full
LPN/Paramedic to RN (1 year). Traditional ASN (2 years). Accelerated ASN (18 months). See above for BSN information. www.ualr.edu/nursing
DIPLOMABaptist Health Schools Little Rock • 501-202-6200, 800-345-3046 private, faith-
basedSemester diploma/LPN, diploma/RN RN traditonal track 3yrs. RN
express track 2yrs. LPN 1yr. RN Accelerated 1yr (LPNs or Paramedics).
commuter campus March 1st priority varies ACT 3yr-July1, 2yr-June 1, PN-Dec 1 or June 1, RNA- Dec 1
bhslr.edu
Jefferson Reg. Med. Center School of Nursing, Pine Bluff • 870-541-7850 private 24 months diploma/RN 1 year pre-requisites + 2 years core courses
commuter campus none none ACT Applications accepted until classes filled. $35 fee
Length of program recently changed. See webpage for details. www.jrmc.org/schoolofnursing
PRACTICAL NURSINGArkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus, Ozark • 479-667-2117 public Semester Certificate 3 semesters commuter campus Priority April 15 varies COMPASS, NET June 1, October 1 Clinical experience in hospitals of varying size, physicians' offices and
geriatric facilities. http://atuoc.atu.edu
Baptist Health Schools Little Rock • 501-202-6200, 800-345-3046 private Semester diploma/LPN, diploma/RN 2 semester LPN commuter campus Priority March 1st varies ACT Dec 1st & June 1st bhslr.edu
Black River Technical College, Pocahontas • 870-248-4000 2 yr public Semester AAS/RN, Certificate/PN, Certificate of Proficiency/Nursing Assistant AAS/RN 3 semesters, Certificate/PN 3semesters, Certificate of Proficiency/Nursing Assistant 4 weeks.
commuter campus contact financial aid office
April 15th ACT or ASSET 1st day of class BRTC: A college of vision. BRTC has a 95% plus boards pass rate. www.blackrivertech.org
Cossatot Community College of the UA, De Queen, Nashville • 870-584-4471, 800-844-4471
2 yr public Semester LPN De Queen 11 mos Day Program, Nashville 18 mos evening program
commuter campus varies June 15th COMPASS, NET Day Program-De Queen March 1st, Evening Program-Nashville August 31st
Prerequisites required prior to admission. www.cccua.edu
Arkansas Northeastern College Blytheville • 870-824-6253 • Paragould • 870-239-3200
public Semester Certificate of Practical Nursing 13 months commuter campus Priority April 15th Priority April 15th COMPASS or ACT and PAX-PN March 31st Variety of clinical experiences. www.anc.edu
ASU Technical Center, Jonesboro • 870-932-2176 public Semester LPN 11 mos commuter campus none none ASSET, NET June 1 & November 1 Combines classroom instruction with clinical experience. Graduates eligible to take NCLEX.
Arkansas State University - Beebe • ASU Searcy Campus 501-207-6214 public Semester Certificate LPN 11 mos commuter campus varies June 1st ACT/COMPASS and Questionnaire Call for further information Application packet and program requirements are online. www.asub.edu
Northwest Technical Institute, Springdale • 479-751-8824 public Semester diploma/PN 3 sem. & 1 Summer session (includes Pre-Reqs)
commuter campus July 1/Fall, December 1/Spring
June 1/Fall, December 1/Spring
NET, COMPASS November 1st Bilingual scholarships available- www.nwansged.org
College of the Ouachitas, Malvern • 800-337-0266 ext 1200 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing, Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medication Administration Program
1-3 semesters commuter campus open Fall-May1, Spring-Dec 1 COMPASS First Friday in September / Spring, First Friday in March / Fall
www.coto.edu
Ozarka College, Melbourne • 870-368-7371 2 yr public Semester LPN, LPN-RN 11-18 mos commuter campus none March 1st Wonderlic, TEAS, LPN STEP April 1/Fall, November 1/Spring August 31 - RN Providing life-changing experiences through education. www.ozarka.edu
University of Arkansas Comm. College at Morrilton • 501-354-2465 2 public Semester LPN-certificates AAS-LPN, RN 3 semesters - 2yr commuter campus prior to semester April 1st COMPASS, NET Gap LPN-June 1st, AASLPN-Oct 1st, RN-Aug 31st Enrollment limited to 20 each admission for LPN. www.uaccm.edu
Pulaski Technical College, North Little Rock • 501-812-2200 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing/PN 11-month traditional track/22-month non-traditional track
commuter campus Oct. 15 for Spring, March 15 for Summer, May 15 for Fall
varies ACT or COMPASS and Kaplan Admission Test
April 15th Call an advisor to discuss pre-requisites and eligibility. 501-812-2834 or 501-812-2339 www.pulaskitech.edu/programs_of_study/nursing/practical_nursing.asp
National Park Community College, Hot Springs • 501-760-4160 public Semester certificates in Practical Nursing 13 mos FT; 2yr PT commuter campus none none COMPASS, TEAS March 1st Do you want to make a difference? Then nursing is for you! Evening option available. www.npcc.edu
Rich Mountain Community College, Mena • 479-394-7622 2 yr public Semester certificate/PN, LPN, CAN, RN 11-12 mos commuter campus varies, contact financial aid office
April PSB and ACT, COMPASS LPN-March, RN-Sept www.rmcc.edu
SAU Tech, Camden • 870-574-4500 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate 11 mos commuter campus and on-campus
N/A March 1st ASSET. TEAS. Practical Nursing June 1st Two Applications required: admissions and nursing. www.sautech.edu
South Arkansas Community College, El Dorado • 870-864-7142, 870-864-7137 2 yr public Semester ADN,LPN 11 mos commuter campus none Priority April 1st ACT, ASSET, or COMPASS open SouthArk: Where students come first. www.southark.edu
University of Arkansas Community College at Hope • 870-777-5722 2 yr public Semester certificate/PN 2 sem. (excludes prerequisites) commuter campus none none ASSET, ACT or COMPASS June 30th [email protected]
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith • 479-788-7861, 1-888-512-LION 4 yr public Semester Technical Certificate 12 mos on campus housing Priority March 15th Feb. 1st ACT/COMPASS/NLN PAX-PN June 1st for Fall www.uafs.edu/health/licensed-practical-nursing-pn
University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology, Crossett • 870-364-6414 2 yr public Semester Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing 12 mos commuter campus varies varies entrance exam March Accredited by the Commission on Schools of the North Central Association, and the council of Occupational Education.
*** for Basic nursing education; Varies with previous coursework or nursing license; MSN program = 2 yrs TO COMPILE THIS, FORMS WERE SENT TO EVERY QUALIFIED COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO RETURN BY A SPECIFIED DEADLINE. THOSE SCHOOLS NOT MEETING THE DEADLINE WERE REPEATED FROM LAST YEAR. EVERY ATTEMPT IS MADE TO GATHER AND VERIFY THE INFORMATION.
INFORMATION CURRENT AS OF SEPT. 2012. 2011 INFORMATION WAS REPEATED IF 2012 INFORMATION WAS NOT PROVIDED BY PRESS TIME.
14 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
Get the funds needed for school
Showing you the money
Arkansas’s colleges and universities are welcoming students in large numbers with a variety of degrees, such as two- and four-year, on-campus, online or a hybrid, fitted to your needs. Whether you’re a recent high school graduate or even if you’ve been out of school for a while, don’t let money woes keep you from completing a nursing degree. There’s plenty of financial help available if you just know where to look, and a little help can go a long way.
Experts recommend making an appointment with your high school counselor early in your high school career so you can design an academic path to follow. Once you’ve selected a college or university, check with the financial aid office for available scholarships or grants.
Southern Arkansas University department of nursing chair Dr. Bernadette Fincher, RN, says there are many opportunities in the world of nursing, and for those who don’t have
STATE FINANCIAL AIDArkansas offers a number of financial aid programs, including the new Arkansas Challenge Scholarship (also known as the Arkansas Lottery scholarship). It awards Arkansas students with $4,500 scholarships if attending a four-year institution in state or $2,250 if attending a two-year institution. The scholarship isn’t based on income and everyone is eligible to apply. Program information with eligibility guidelines, deadlines and applications can be found at www.ADHE.EDU.
SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHESThe Arkansas Student Loan Authority offers free scholarship searches at Fund My Future (www.fundmyfuture.info). Also, www.FinAid.org, sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, offers information on scholarships, fellowships and grants.
NURSING STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMAct 85 of 2003 established the Nursing Student Loan Program to provide financial assistance to Arkansas’s full-time students enrolled in or accepted to an
$approved Arkansas nurse education program. The loans may be changed to scholarship grants if the student works full time as an RN (registered nurse) or LPN (licensed practical nurse) in qualified employment in Arkansas and up to 100 percent of the loan may be forgiven. For more information, visit http://www.adhe.edu/divisions/financialaid/Pages/fa_nursing.aspx.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONWhile local banks no longer offer federally funded student loans, the DOE offers Pell and Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, as well as Perkins loans, PLUS loans, Stafford loans and Direct loans. For more information, go to the DOE’s Direct Loan Program website at http://www2.ed.gov.
ARKANSAS HEALTH EDUCATION GRANTThis grant provides assistance to Arkansas residents attending out-of-state accredited health institutions that offer graduate or professional programs unavailable in the state. Information and applications are available at http://www.adhe.edu.
These nurses at UAMS found the funding to make their dreams come true.
UAM
S
the money, there are plenty of programs designed to help serious students. Before giving up on your dreams, she suggests talking to your campus counselor to find out about the large number of scholarships, grants, federal loans and loan forgiveness programs that might be available to you.
EXCELLENT SOURCES TO GET THE MONEY YOU NEED
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 15
UALR NursingN
R S E
UALR
Department of nursing
university of arkansas at LittLe rock
Climb the ladder of success with the UALR Department of Nursing Ladder Program. Whether you are a practicing professional or a freshman with few credits, UALR has a program to fit your needs and prepares you for the challenging profession of nursing.
Find out which education track is best for you at ualr.edu/nursing.
501-569-8070
a Difference of Degree
Department of
W e are committed to represent a positive image of nursing, to
educate those who desire to pursue a career in nursing and to offer current job opportunities to nurses within our state.
JobSecurity
FOR MORE INFORMA PLEASE VISIT:
W e are committed to represent a positive image of nursing, to
educate those who desire to pursue a career in nursing and to offer current job opportunities to nurses within our state.
JobSecurity
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
Job Security
We are committed to represent a positive image of
nursing, to educate those who desire to pursue a
career in nursing and to offer current job opportunities to
nurses within our state.
www.arkansasnursing.net
I went to UCA and planned to major in
biology/premed. I was doing well but not
getting the straight A’s I needed to go to
medical school. I knew I wanted to do
something in the health care field – I knew I wanted to make difference in people’s
lives. I had an aunt who worked in the hospital and my grandparents were in and out
of the hospital for various reasons. I was the only nursing major on the football team.
I got called Nurse Murry every day. I would just laugh it off — there were people
who got called much worse. I finished my BSN in 1999 and went to work at Baptist
in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. I like meeting people at their lowest point
and finding an opportunity to be a ray of sunshine and hope in their lives, and I like
that we get to use and apply everything we learned in school.
Michael Murry, unit supervisor, cardiovascular intensive care unit, Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock
I wanted the hands-on interaction with patients at the bedside, and I like
how the three-day-a-week schedule makes it easier to raise children.
Kelsey Johnson, RN, orthopedics, Conway Regional Medical Center
My daughter Kaitlynn, now almost 16, was flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital on
Angel One in October 1996 a few hours after birth. She was diagnosed with hyaline
membrane disease and persistent pulmonary hypertension. At the time I was told
she might never be “normal.” Approximately three weeks later we were discharged
on full breastfeeds! I was so moved by the care my daughter received from her many
nurses and Dr. Bonnie Taylor. I remember feeling so impressed with the work they did.
I wanted to be one of those nurses I had admired (and still do) so much. I started my
college career just a short 10 months after my daughter was admitted to ACH, and four
years later I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in nursing. A month after graduation I
had taken my licensing exam and was starting orientation here at ACH in the NICU.
Caroline Woodson, RN, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Arkansas Children’s Hospital
I am the only girl in a Filipino family of seven brothers, and I was the first in our
family to graduate with a degree. My parents were making little over minimum
wage and raising eight kids. As a student nurse, I watched patients by night to
support my career and went to school during the daytime. I struggled to pass
nursing due to English as my second language but I loved the direct patient care.
I started in nursing at 18 years of age. I’ve had lots of adventures and amazing
memories. After 27 years in nursing I still love the challenge and the job of caring.
Maria Evans, RN, UAMS
Why I became a nurse...
16 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
One of the best things about becoming a nurse is the wide range of choices nurses have about exactly what they want to do. Nurses of every stripe are in short supply nationwide, but as the health care system itself undergoes major changes and the U.S. population continues to age, the nursing profession is seeing major shifts in what kind of nursing skills will be most in demand for today’s nursing school graduates.
NURSE PRACTITIONERSThere will be a much higher demand
for basic primary health care in the coming years as more people get health insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act. There is already a shortage of primary care doctors, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. One way to address the need is with nurse practitioners. These are nurses who have master’s degrees and may have specialized in a certain kind of care, such as geriatrics or pediatrics. They care directly for patients and have the authority to write prescriptions, order tests, and take care of other aspects of primary care.
“When you go out into other areas, you see there’s just one doctor for the population, you can bridge that gap to where other people have access to you as a health care provider,” said Susan Smithwick, an advanced practice nurse at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who specializes in geriatrics — caring for older adults.
Nurse practitioners can earn a significantly higher salary than registered nurses — even into six figures for nurse anesthetists — and have a greater scope of responsibility. There’s a growing demand for nurse practitioners, especially in underserved areas, and schools are seeing growing numbers of applicants to their advanced practice nursing degree programs, said Dr. Sue McClarry, chair of the nursing department at Arkansas State University, which offers the only nurse anesthetist degree program in the state.
“We’re seeing a lot of students coming into our family nurse practitioner program and our [nurse anesthetist] program,” she
said. “There’s going to be a great need for all of these roles, particularly with the Affordable Care Act.”
Heather Alverson earned her master’s degree in nursing science from UAMS in 2011, specializing in adult acute care. APNs are “the next best thing” when a physician isn’t available, she said. “They have a lot of decision-making capacity and knowledge base and can care for the patient. … The demand is more than we have doctors for in a lot of areas. This kind of role will be used to take up that slack.”
Arkansas hasn’t made as much progress as some other states in making full use of nurse practitioners, said Dr. Melanie J. Ware, a women’s health advanced practice nurse at UAMS, but she thinks that as health care providers and patients are more exposed to what nurse practitioners can do and how they can provide quality direct patient care, that will change. It will have to, she said.
“I don’t see how we’re going to be able to serve all the people of Arkansas without using nurse practitioners,” she said. “There are just not enough physicians to go around.”
NURSE EDUCATIONThe chronic, nationwide shortage of
nurses isn’t because too few people are interested in becoming nurses. Instead, it’s because there aren’t enough nurse educators to teach everyone who’d like to study nursing. The University of Arkansas’ Eleanor Mann School of Nursing recently doubled the number of pre-nursing students it accepts into the nursing program from 100 a year to 100 each semester, and started an online RN-to-BSN program to serve even more students.
“We’re going to have an increased demand for more nurse educators,” said Dr. Ann Schlumberger, chair of the Department of Nursing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “So many that we have now are going to be retiring in the next five or six years, and it’s going to be critical to bring more qualified, master’s and doctorate-educated nurses in so we’ll
have the educators we need.”Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the Eleanor
Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas, said even having a nursing education program in her school hasn’t made it easier for her to find faculty.
“We have a huge need for nursing faculty,” she said. “I think many [nurses] just don’t think about being a teacher.”
With the average age of nurses now over 50, the nursing profession is facing not just a major loss of nurses as that age group begins to retire, but also a major loss of nursing leaders.
“They are in the positions where some of the new graduates want to be,” said Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, assistant director of the U of A’s school of nursing.
“We will not be producing the number of nurses needed to fill their jobs, even they everybody’s doubling their enrollment.”
GERIATRICSSmithwick’s specialty, geriatrics, is
going to be one of the most in-demand areas for all kinds of nurses in the coming years, she said.
“With everybody aging, we need to come to the realization that we’re going to have more people with functional capacity issues, more people on more medications, with memory problems, and what are going to do with these people?” she said.
“Nursing has a major role to play in the care of older adults, regardless of setting,”
Nurse practitioners, geriatric specialists are in demand
Where the JOBS ARE
Nurses skilled in caring for the elderly are in great demand.
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 17
said Dr. Claudia Beverly, director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at UAMS. Many nurses, however, don’t receive any specific education in geriatric care. One of the Hartford Center’s goals is to prepare nursing faculty to teach geriatrics so the student nurses of the future will have that training.
“They will have a job forever working with older adults,” Dr. Beverly said. Estimates are that 60 percent to 80 percent of nurses will work in a hospital, and 70 percent to 80 percent of hospital patients are over the age of 65. “We have to have a workforce prepared to do that,” she said.
Geriatric nurses also will be needed to work in nursing homes and for home health care agencies. Karmel Ancel, director of Parkway Village, which includes assisted living and nursing home facilities, said it’s hard to find nurses with experience in geriatrics.
“It’s very rewarding, but it’s not what people think coming out of nursing school that they want to do,” she said. “We don’t have TV shows about nursing homes.”
In nursing homes, she said, RNs are typically in more supervisory roles, and it’s difficult to find a nurse with both supervisory experience and geriatric experience. “We do a lot of our own training,” she said.
HOSPICE/PALLIATIVE CAREThese related disciplines are both
going to be growing as the U.S. population ages and as other medical advances allow people of all ages to survive with conditions that in previous years would have been fatal. Hospice care focuses on providing comfort care and improving the quality of life specifically for patients with six months or less to live. Palliative care provides the same type of care, but not just for patients who are terminally ill.
There’s been a growing understanding and acceptance of what hospice care really offers, said Kristie Davis, the hospice team leader for Baptist Health Hospice, and doctors are more willing now to provide treatments that will improve a patient’s quality of life, at least temporarily, but that aren’t meant to change the course of the disease.
“When I first started, somebody getting a blood transfusion was unheard of,” she said. “They weren’t going to do it. Now, if it makes [the patient] feel better for two or three weeks, we’ll do it.”
Hospice nursing is a true calling, Davis said. Nurses do more than provide physical care — they care for their patients’ emotional and spiritual health, and often for the patients’ family members too.
“We still have some people who will say, ‘I don’t want to talk about death and dying all day,’” she said. “Neither do we. We want to help you talk about your life and how to live it.”
Becoming a registered nurse at the JRMC School of Nursing can open the door to a world of opportunities…right here in Southeast Arkansas! Technology and education have changed the landscape of nursing careers, and the JRMC School of Nursing uses both to prepare students for healthcare partnerships in a myriad of different settings from hospitals to corporate America.
• Twenty-Four Month Program (after completion of required college courses)
• Enhanced Curriculum • State-0f-The-Art Simulation Lab • Financial Aid Options
For more information, call the JRMC School of Nursing at 870-541-7850 or visit us on the Internet at www.jrmc.org/schoolofnursing
jrmc.org
Nursing is a great profession! You have the opportunity to help people, change lives, save lives,
and even touch souls. As a little girl I watched my mother graduate from nursing school and take
pride in loving, caring, listening to, and helping others. She was always very compassionate
about helping and caring for others and I knew I wanted to be just like her. My mind never
changed on who or what I wanted to be. In 2002, I fulfilled my aspirations and graduated from
the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Since graduating, I have been able to share love,
provide care, soothe hurts, touch souls and save lives.
Tammaria Murray, RN, BSN, oncology, hospice and neurology nurse, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff
Why I became a nurse...
Bapt
ist H
ealth
18 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
It may seem like there’s no safe haven in the uncertain economy of the past few years — but nursing comes very close. With an unemployment rate of just 2.2 percent nationwide and an average salary in Arkansas of about $57,000, it’s hard to imagine a more attractive place to land for someone who’s looking to jump from their current career ship.
“If you look at the classified ads, you can always get a job in nursing,” said Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas. That can be a comfort to a family or individual who’s been through or just feared going through a layoff or stretch of unemployment.
“A lot of people are driven by ‘I need a job,’” Bell said. “We’re seeing a lot that are not the traditional nursing student we saw 20 years ago. People are being very practical.”
While the job security and salary potential make nursing an attractive second career, the way nursing education tends to be structured makes it a real possibility for people who can’t afford to quit their current jobs to attend school full-time. Many nurses start out in shorter educational programs that qualify them to become a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, but a
significant number of them will decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree or higher in the field of nursing. And because that’s next to impossible to do on-site while holding down a nursing job, the vast majority of nursing education programs now offer at least part of their coursework, if not all of it, online. Many community colleges also offer nursing programs, so you don’t have to live near a major university.
Leah Wright, a registered nurse at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, earned her master’s degree in nursing administration through an online program at Delta State in Mississippi. It fit well with the lifestyle and career demands of a working RN, she said.
“You can kind of self-pace to a certain extent,” she said. “If we needed to have a class, the teacher would tell everybody to log in at a certain time. Everybody was at home but we were all online. I liked that.”
Still, if you’re starting at the beginning with your nursing education, expect to spend between two and five years earning a degree or diploma to become a registered nurse. If you don’t have that much time, it’s possible to finish the coursework to become a licensed practical nurse in a calendar
year. Job prospects are more limited for LPNs, but it’s the shortest route to a nursing job, and there are LPN-to-RN and LPN-to-BSN programs around Arkansas designed for working LPNs.
At the University of Arkansas, the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is seeing more and more students come in who already have a bachelor’s or higher degree in another field, said Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, the school’s assistant director.
“Second-career nursing students bring a different energy to the classroom,” she said. “They are generally very focused, goal oriented, and energetic. Much of this is due to their experience, motivation, and understanding of what is needed in the workplace.”
Arkansas State University’s nursing programs have also seen a rise in the number of second-career students, said Dr. Sue McClarry, chair of the university’s department of nursing.
“A lot are coming in because they want to make a difference,” she said.
ASU is one of a growing number of universities around the country that offer an accelerated bachelor of science degree in nursing for students who already have earned a bachelor’s degree in any other field. To be admitted into
Job security, salaries a draw for second-career nurses
The Second TIME AROUND
Nursing is a great choice for non-traditional students considering a career change.
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 19
ASU’s program, students’ previous degrees must have included more than half a dozen science courses, as well as classes in English composition, sociology, and psychology. The intense, full-time program runs for an entire calendar year.
Another advantage for second-career nurses is that you don’t necessarily need a bachelor’s degree in nursing to start work on a master’s. At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, people with a bachelor’s degree in another field can earn their RN license, and then go straight work on their master’s degrees.
If you think you’d wind up being the oldest person in your class, don’t bet on it. The average age of a nursing student at Baptist Health Schools Little Rock is 27, for instance.
“We have a lot of non-traditional students who have had other careers or been in the military and have come back to nursing school because they want to do something meaningful,” said Sandra Kahler, a member of the faculty at Baptist Health Schools. “It’s not unusual to get people who already have degrees. We get some really interesting people who come into nursing. They’re usually very dedicated, and they really have a grasp of what they don’t want — a job
that’s just a paycheck.”Also, employers understand that
second-career nurses bring something extra to the table, Sharp-McHenry said.
“Many employers are attracted to second-degree students because they bring a different skill set that traditional students lack, such as seasoned decision-making skills, professionalism, and maturity,” she said. “I believe we will see more of these types of students in the future. As the demand for nurses continues to rise, nurses who possess this skill set will be highly sought after.”
D e p a r t m e n t o f N u r s i n g
For more information, call 479-968-0383 or visit www.atu.edu/nursing
At Arkansas Tech University, you will gain the knowledge and skills that you need for a rich and fulfilling career in the field of nursing. If you are already in the nursing profession and are looking to take the next step in your career, our Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Emergency Management might be right for you.
• Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in nursing programs available in Russellville.
• RN to BSN online program available for registered nurses.
UCA offers the nursing program you need for the career you want. We have a nursing graduation rate of 85 percent, and our licensure test scores are above the state and national average. UCA also has the only Clinical Nurse Leader program in the state. And we offer an MSN degree for all majors online. If nursing is your calling, UCA is your answer.
Visit uca.edu/nursing to learn more and apply.
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS
uca.edu
™
A HEALTH DEGREE FOR A HEALTHY CAREER.UCA NURSING
Bapt
ist H
ealth
I always had a strong interest in
the biology, chemistry and other
science courses in school. During
my second year of college with an
undeclared major, I was fortunate
enough to have a good guidance
counselor who recognized my
interests and steered me towards
health care as a career option.
I chose to enter the nursing
profession because of my love
of the sciences and the general
desire to want to assist others in
their time of need. I also felt that
nursing offered the upward mobility
that I was looking for in a career.
I am grateful to have worked as a
nursing assistant, registered nurse,
charge nurse, nurse manager
and an advanced practice nurse
throughout my career. Each role has
built upon the last and allowed me
to utilize sound scientific data as
the basis for providing health care.
Joe Cobb, MNSc, RN, operating room manager, Jefferson Regional
Medical Center
Why I became a nurse...
20 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
So you want to be a nurse, and you’ve even got a dream job picked out — all you’ve got to do is finish nursing school, and then you’ll start sending out the resumes. Right?
Wrong. Smart nursing students begin
preparing for the job search and marketing themselves to potential employers long before they have that nursing license in their hands, say area nurses who are involved with hiring at their institutions. But how? There are several ways.
First, look for opportunities to get work experience in the health care arena before you graduate. Student nurses can work as unlicensed nurses and nurse’s assistants, or in other health care-related jobs that don’t require a nursing license.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ office of nurse recruiting offers an eight-week summer
externship program for nursing students that lets them observe working nurses and build experience in the hospital setting. Michael Waldron, 26, a senior in UAMS’ bachelor of science in nursing program, completed an externship in the intensive care unit last summer.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “I’d heard about critical care/ICU nursing but I had never experienced it. To be able to go there and do that was huge.”
Waldron said the hands-on experience also increased his comfort level with the personal side of nursing. “Now I feel very comfortable going in and talking to the family and talking to patients, especially in the ICU setting,” he said.
Ted Clowers, 23, also a senior in the BSN program at UAMS, did a nursing externship last summer as well. It was a great help, he said, just in getting him
familiar with the hospital, with medical terms, and nursing practice.
“I also definitely think it will help me after I graduate, because I’m more confident in my nursing skills and how to relate to doctors and families,” he said.
Clowers also recently started working in a student position in the cardiac and trauma intensive care unit, and is involved in the UAMS chapter of the National Student Nurses Association. “That will help a lot too, as far as after I graduate — it shows I take initiative in nursing education,” he said. “I think it’s very important. Before I really got involved in the externship and ASNA, I felt I didn’t really have the experience to be well rounded. Just gaining as much experience in the medical field and the world in general is just huge.”
Heather Alverson, a nurse practitioner at UAMS, recommended that nursing students get into some kind of shadowing program or volunteer position so they can see what it’s really like to work in the medical field. There are a lot of programs in nursing school where students can work a few hours while they’re attending classes.
“Those are extremely valuable,” she said. “Getting hands-on experience, working in a clinic, that’s the most important part of nursing school.” Alverson said she “absolutely” looks for that kind of experience on a new nurse’s resume.
Because UAMS is a teaching facility, it gets student nurses from a number of nursing education programs around Central Arkansas, Alverson said. Her advice: treat it like a job.
“If you’re just remotely interested in working in that facility again as a professional, you want to really conduct yourself as a professional,” she said. “If you’re that aloof student in the corner who’s not engaging, everybody remembers that.”
Suzanne Harris, nursing director of inpatient and outpatient oncology at Conway Regional Medical Center, said staff members definitely remember the nursing students who make a good impression during their clinical rotations at the hospital. Student nurses need to conduct themselves as professionals, she said — showing up on time, dressed appropriately, and prepared for the work — and take the initiative to ask questions
Don’t Wait ’Til YOU GRADUATE
Lay the groundwork for a great job while you’re still in school
Students Gina Spring, Gerald Dilibe, and John Matthews study at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas.
Univ
ersi
ty o
f Ark
ansa
s
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 21
Associate of Applied ScienceTraditional, LPN-to-RNBachelor of Science in NursingTraditional, Second Degree Accelerated, LPN-to-BSN, Online RN-to-BSN Master of Science in NursingAdult Health - Clinical Nurse
Specialist, Nurse Educator, Nurse Administrator
Family Nurse PractitionerNurse Anesthesia
NURSING AND HEALTH PROFESSIONSCOLLEGE OF
COMMITTED Connected&
A R K A N S A S S T AT E U N I V E R S I T Y - J O N E S B O R O
Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health Sciences
www.astate.eduwww.astate.edu/a/conhp/nursing/
SCHOOL OF NURSING
and be engaged.“Clinicals are a time nursing students
can start building their professional relationships,” she said. “Nurses and leaders are watching, because we know we will be hiring our future from those nursing students.”
She suggests that student nurses look for work as unlicensed nurses or nursing assistants while they’re in school. That way, she said, they become familiar with a hospital’s documentation system, administration and routines, and the learning curve is shorter.
At Baptist Health Schools Little Rock, students study professional development as part of their required coursework, said Sandra Kahler, a member of the faculty who teaches the course. They learn skills like conflict resolution, group communication, dealing with power and politics in the workplace, and informatics. They also learn employment skills, including how to write a cover letter and resume and put together a portfolio that showcases their skills and accomplishments. Students are required to wear uniforms in clinical areas, with appropriate shoes and name badges.
“We acclimate them from the time they come in our school,” she said.
Baptist also gives nursing students plenty of experience and opportunities to improve their job skills while they’re in school. Students in the RN diploma program are required to perform about 200 clinical hours, which provides hands-on experience the hospital environment. In addition, Baptist Health offers part-time job opportunities for junior and senior level nursing students. These patient care tech positions are designed for nursing students who want to work part-time in their field while they attend nursing school.
Kris Moody, a student in Baptist’s nursing school, said he quit a higher-paying job to work as a nursing assistant after struggling with his studies last fall. The extra hands-on experience has been very valuable, he said.
“It’s a lot better way of learning rather than just hearing it in the classroom,” he said.
Kristie Brockette, unit supervisor on floor 4A at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, started even earlier than nursing school, volunteering at Baptist while she was still in high school. After she completed her first year of nursing school, she got a job as a patient care tech in the hospital.
“You can learn from a book and study and take tests, but it’s a lot easier if you have the opportunity to apply that knowledge in a real-life setting,” she said. “I built my rapport with the 4th floor as a nursing assistant so when I got close to graduation, that’s where I chose to interview and fulfill the role of a nurse.”
And while nurses’ uniforms are less stiff and formal than in the past — most wear scrubs now — student nurses still need to be mindful of how they look, Kahler said.
“Your professional appearance is very important to the patient,” she said. “They want to be sure a competent person is taking care of them.”
I was in ROTC in college in Ohio
and they gave us a list of jobs
we could do that we could also
use in the military. I saw nursing
and thought, “Oh, I could do that”
— it seemed like it would be an
interesting field for me. I started
working in the burn unit when I
was still in school, and later did
organ and tissue recovery for
several years before coming back
to the burn unit. It’s constantly
something new, which is exciting.
Georgia Franklin, RN, burn unit, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
My first experience with a nurse was in 1978. My grandfather was in the hospital at North
Metro and children were not allowed in to see patients. My uncle took me and my cousins
outside and held me up to the window. He was on the bottom floor. I saw a lady in a white
skirt, shirt, and a hat talking to my grandfather as she was turning the bed so that he could
see us and we were able to wave at him. It was the last time I saw him. To whomever
that nurse was, I am forever grateful. I may have been 6 years old, but it made a lasting
impression on me. Even if it was one last wave goodbye.
Amy Niemann, RN, emergency room nurse, UAMS Medical Center
My mother was a nurse, and even though she stopped working after she married, I knew
what it involved and I was always interested in being a nurse. I’m from the Caribbean, and
after high school I went to England and attended nursing school there. I graduated in 1976
and I’ve been a nurse ever since. Arkansas Children’s Hospital was recruiting nurses in
England. I saw the ad and applied, and was hired. The best part of nursing for me is seeing
sick people come in and get better, and leave being able to look after themselves. That is
what I really like, knowing that I’m part of helping them get better.
Helen McLennon, RN, burn unit, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
I had a great labor and delivery
nurse who inspired me to go into
the medical field. I got interested
in oncology after a fellow nursing
student was diagnosed with stage
3 lymphoma. A lot of the patients in
oncology are really sick and when
you are going through that stage of
life you need a really caring person.
I want to help people through the
toughest times of their lives.
Crystal Baker, RN, oncology, Conway Regional Health System
When my grandmother was
diagnosed with cancer, I took
care of her. I wanted to help
people. I didn’t know I was going
to love surgery.
Candi Kennedy, RN, ambulatory surgery, Conway Regional Health System
Why I became a nurse...
22 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
If you’re just contemplating a career in nursing, you’ve probably never heard of the Magnet Recognition Program. But you will — especially if you study or work at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences or Arkansas Children’s Hospital, which are in the middle of the multi-year process of applying for Magnet designation.
So what is it? The Magnet Recognition Program was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognize health care organizations that demonstrate quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The ANCC describes it as “the ultimate credential for high quality nursing” and “the leading source of successful nursing practices and strategies worldwide.” The process of securing Magnet designation also benefits other hospital employees as well, according to the website, because it affects the entire culture of the institution.
Magnet recognition marks a hospital as being among the best in the country. Only 6.6 percent of hospitals — a total of 395 — have achieved it nationwide. There are currently none in Arkansas, but UAMS and ACH hope to change that.
“We’re definitely on the journey and plan to submit our application very soon,” said Tammy Jones, associate chief nursing officer and director of the Center for Nursing Excellence at UAMS.
Applying for Magnet recognition is a major undertaking, she said. The criteria set a very high bar for nursing excellence and facility-wide operations, and meeting those can mean a lengthy process of
evaluating and overhauling the status quo.“It’s a cultural change — it’s really
about a culture of excellence,” she said. “Some institutions may work on it five or 10 years before they apply because of the high standards that must be met.”
There are 88 standards, in fact. And they’re not just about making sure individual nurses are highly trained and professionally excellent. The standards also address nursing leadership within the organization — how the organization ensures that its nursing leaders are transformative, that they are risk takers and advocates for their staff and patients.
“Obviously we do a lot of development of our leaders, and just have high standards,” Jones said. “We expect them to be participatory and adaptive, and to have a transformational leadership style.”
Some of the Magnet standards focus on how institutions empower their nurses and leaders to be involved with strategic planning and making decisions that affect how they practice together. That, in turn, leads to qualities like supporting nurses who want to return to school and earn a higher degree or additional certifications.
There are real benefits for patients and consumers as well, Jones said.
“In Magnet institutions, the degree and standards to which they have to function — the quality’s higher,” she said. “That’s supported by data. They expect you to outperform the mean. It’s not about being average, it’s about setting the bar above.” Also, she said, “a more engaged staff is going to provide better care.”
Arkansas Children’s Hospital kicked off its Magnet process by conducting an
internal study with nurses that examined the meaning of nursing excellence, said Tammy Webb, the hospital’s director of professional practice and clinical education. The hospital held a number of focus group discussions that included questions such as, “If you had a family member as a patient at ACH, what would nursing excellence look like to you?”
The nurses’ answers centered on four key concepts, Webb said: High-quality patient care; patient, family, and nurse satisfaction; supportive practice environments; and professional nursing behaviors.
“These results reflect that ACH nurses care deeply about providing the best possible care to patients and families,” Webb said. “These four key concepts are alive in Magnet hospitals and display the true heart of ACH nurses, which is our reason to pursue the Magnet recognition.”
UAMS’ Magnet journey started about eight years ago, Jones said. The institution’s nursing leaders began looking at the program and thinking about what resources they would need. About five years ago, Jones began focusing more strongly on the process, working to fill in the gaps they needed before they applied.
“It’s something that you have to create, and it lives and breathes in your institution — and that doesn’t happen quickly,” she said. “Your journey for excellence is ongoing and never ends.”
The application process has several phases. First, the institution applies. Then, it has to submit a document that speaks to the 88 standards and covers a two-year period. The ANCC scores the document — which can be several thousand pages long — and if the score is high enough, a Magnet team comes to the institution for an on-site evaluation. Jones said UAMS is hoping to apply late this year or in early 2013, and submit a standards document that covers the end of 2012 through the end of 2014.
“It’s a rigorous process,” she said. “About 40 percent of the organizations that start on this journey don’t succeed the first time. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart.”
And, she said, achieving Magnet status isn’t the end. Magnet hospitals go through a redesignation process every four years, and each time, the bar is raised a little more.
“You can’t slide,” she said. “You have to sustain and improve, which is even more challenging.”
Nurses themselves will benefit from the culture created by pursuing Magnet recognition, Jones said.
“We want nurses who are proactive advocates for patients that come to the table ready to share their ideas and work to
improve patient care,” she said.Because of that culture, Magnet
hospitals have lower turnover rates, Jones said — and that translates to stability in the workforce, as well as dollars saved as reimbursement payments are increasingly tied to quality of patient outcomes rather than simply services provided.
Jones also wanted to clear up one of the myths she hears often about Magnet recognition.
“I hear people say that it’s just something the hospital wants,” she said. “The take-home message about Magnet is, it’s a not a nurse or hospital thing, it is a patient thing. Everything about Magnet is about the good of the patient. It just so happens to also have a positive effect on your practice environment and workforce.”
“It’s something that you have to create, and it lives and breathes in your institution — and that doesn’t happen quickly,” Jones said. “Your journey for excellence is ongoing and never ends.”
During my adolescent years,
my first employment was in a
hospital. I worked closely with the
emergency room nursing staff.
No matter how difficult the work
was or the pain and suffering
they witnessed, their compassion,
warmth and determination to help
others left a lasting impact on
me and the work I would do for
the future. As a nurse I have had
the opportunity to work with a
wide variety of individuals, both
peers and patients, and no matter
where I worked, I have been able
to influence individual lives every
day. I made a choice that has
impacted my entire life. I cannot
put into words how humbled I am
to have been given the opportunity
to work in the nursing profession.
Peggy Healy, LPN, LCSW, LADAC, clinical manager of substance abuse
treatment, UAMS Psychiatric Institute
Why I became a nurse...
A nurse at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences cares for a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit.
UAM
S
A “Magnet” FOR QUALITY
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times 23
At the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, we know
YOU wear many hatsYOU have many goalsAnd all can be achieved at
the YOU of A
NursiNg ProgrAmsB.S.N.L.P.N. to B.S.N.R.N. to B.S.N. onlineM.S.N. online
our Nurses doN’tjust give shots,they cAll the shots.
nurs.uark.edu • 479.575.3904
Army rotc
24 Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012