Seminole State College

PROJECT PURPOSE

Seminole State College (SSC) intends to address Oklahoma?s nursing shortage by increasing availability of on-line course work, doubling graduation capacity, and doubling speed to advanced nursing licensure. Oklahoma Works notes that current nursing education capacity does not meet demand in Oklahoma. Funding is requested to support nursing education at SSC to address Oklahoma?s healthcare workforce shortage through a cooperative effort of educational and community partnerships. SSC serves nursing students in the five-county service area of Pottawatomie, Lincoln, Okfuskee, Seminole, and Hughes with an in-person Associate Degree in Nursing program. Additionally, SSC addresses the state?s current nursing shortage with newly approved and accredited online Licensed Practical Nurse-to-Registered Nurse (RN) program. Both programs provide a faster pathway to increasing the number of RNs than a traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. To increase graduation rates SSC created the Online Degree Office, whose staff follows the SSC proven model of dedication to student success from enrollment-to-graduation. Together the SSC nursing paths can potentially graduate 120 students per year with RN licensure eligibility. Project funding will allow SSC to recruit and retain qualified nursing faculty, increase nursing education availability, and increase the statewide RN workforce while doubling graduation capacity.

EVIDENCE

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing cites insufficient nursing school enrollment and lack of qualified nursing faculty as significant factors contributing to the nursing shortage. SSC has the space to provide more classroom experiences for students, but we do not have enough clinical sites. In order to provide adequate clinical experience, SSC plans to build simulation labs that will provide part of the clinical experience for students. We are also asking our site partners to provide clinical instructors for the student nurses we place in their facilities.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Almost 40% of Oklahoma?s population belongs to a racial/ethnic minority group. Five historically black communities are located in the Seminole State College?s service area. According to the U.S. Census, the percent of total Black and Native American minorities in the SSC counties served range from 9% to 29%. The average of the Black and Native Americans in the SSC service area is 19%, well above the Oklahoma percentage of Blacks and Native Americans. Using the US Census data, the poverty rate of the service area ranges from 14% to 22%, and the average poverty level of the service area is 17%. These numbers show that our service area is well above the state poverty average of 14%. While the Oklahoma City area has 86% broadband coverage, according to the US 2020 Census, the five-county area served by SSC has only a rate of coverage of 71%. The SSC service area includes eight federally qualified health center sites in the rural areas along with four critical access hospitals and nine rural health clinics. (https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/states/images/oklahoma-rural-health-facilities.jpg?v=13) Increasing the number of nursing degree program graduates at SSC aligns directly with the state?s efforts to improve health outcomes and health equity for its citizens.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

SSC?s Nursing program actively collects data from the institution to measure the current program outcomes. Currently collected data and other data points will be used to measure project performance success. Evidence of project success includes doubling nursing and allied health student enrollment, doubling nursing and allied health student retention, doubling nursing and allied health degree production, increasing number of qualified nursing faculty at SSC, and improving nursing faculty retention.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding