Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges

PROJECT PURPOSE

This project addresses the need for nursing professionals and nursing education infrastructure in rural healthcare. Nursing workforce in rural Oklahoma faces severe shortages, and rural residents in Oklahoma receive less healthcare than do urban dwellers. As a result of preventative and healthcare disparities, rural residents are more likely to have higher morbidity and mortality rates than urban residents. Health disparities are especially prevalent among members of ethnic minority groups. These challenges highlight the need for nursing professionals (RN) in rural practice who have specific knowledge of rural people and places. Community colleges are the primary producer of professional nursing providers in rural Oklahoma. We need to take policy action now to ensure that we derive value from publicly financed workforce investments that produce the workforce to meet rural health needs. This project would be a transformative investment in rural healthcare by providing a 25% increase in qualified nursing professionals and a dramatic increase in nursing education infrastructure for Oklahoma?s rural community colleges.

EVIDENCE

Rural populations face increasing disparities in many health outcomes and a significant gap in life expectancy, compared to urban populations. Council on Graduate Medical Education. Nurses are essential to positive health outcomes in rural areas. Given the lack of access to specialists, the rural nurse is essential, treating patients with diverse and sometimes complicated conditions. University of North Carolina Wilmington. Oklahoma?s rural community colleges have professional nursing education programs in 19 communities; Altus, Ardmore, Elk City, El Reno, Enid, Idabel, Lawton, McAlester, Miami, Muskogee, Poteau, Seminole, Stillwater, Tahlequah, Tishomingo, Tonkawa, Stillwater, Seminole and Wilburton.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Rural populations face increasing disparities in many health outcomes and a significant gap in life expectancy compared to urban populations. At the heart of these disparities is a lack of access to healthcare, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many rural areas have a shortage of healthcare providers and lack a hospital or similar facility. Many rural hospitals have closed or at financial risk of closure, which further impairs the local healthcare workforce. Nursing care is instrumental in achieving quality outcomes for patients, families, and communities and is the largest sector of the healthcare workforce. This situation is especially true in rural areas. Given the lack of access to specialists, the rural nurse is essential, treating patients with diverse and sometimes complicated conditions. Rural nurses are generalists, providing any care needed, such as dispensing medicine and treating patients with acute health problems or injuries for transfer to larger facilities. Many rural nurses have spent their entire lives in the same community and possess a deep understanding of the community. This proposal will address the shortage of healthcare providers by creating a 25% increase in professional nurses in those rural areas that are most at risk.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The three most common performance outcome measures used by Boards of Nursing (BON) and other health profession accreditors are employment rates, graduation rates, and NCLEX pass rates. In addition to these performance indicators, we will report the total number of nursing graduates in the nine colleges participating in the grant. These four performance indicators will be recorded by the participating colleges and presented to the Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges, who will compile a report for the House and Senate fiscal offices. This report will be presented on an annual basis once the grant is awarded.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma