Meridian Technology Center

PROJECT PURPOSE

Oklahoma has experienced its fair share of the nursing shortage that has plagued the United States for the past few decades. For the past two years, the nursing shortage has been severely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many nurses are choosing to leave the profession, or seek increased compensation in other states as travel nurses, in response to being stretched too thin as demand exceeds the supply of healthcare personnel resources. Despite current efforts, the state has been unable to keep up with the needed supply of nurses, which has led to decreases in access to quality medical care. In response to this dire situation, Meridian Technology Center is seeking funding through an American Rescue Plan Act grant to increase the number of its faculty and acquire the needed equipment and technology to be able to expand enrollment in its Practical Nursing program by 12 students per year. These students should be able to obtain Practical Nursing licensure and enter the workforce within 13 months. They also have the opportunity to transition to an LPN-to-RN program where they can work as an LPN while furthering their education towards becoming a Registered Nurse.

EVIDENCE

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing published a fact sheet in September of 2020 describing factors related to the nursing shortage (aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/News/Factsheets/Nursing-Shortage-Factsheet.pdf). This document highlights that nursing school enrollment is not keeping up with projected nurse demand; a significant segment of the nursing workforce is nearing retirement age, the increasing number of US residents over age 65 is increasing the need for geriatric care, and that insufficient staffing is raising stress levels in nurses, driving many nurses to leave the profession. These facts validate the need for MTC to increase the numbers of students in its nursing program in an effort to combat the nursing shortage.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Oklahoma ranks 46th in the nation with about 700 nurses per capita compared to the national average of 1,100 nurses per capita. In 2018, the Oklahoma State Department of Health designated both Payne and Noble Counties as Medically Underserved Populations, while Logan, Pawnee, and Lincoln Counties were designated at Medically Underserved Areas. The counties represented in Meridian Technology Center's district all rank in the lower half of the state for the number of LPNs per capita. Pawnee county is ranked highest in the district at #47 of 77 counties, while Logan County is ranked #71 of 77 counties. Citizens from each of these counties will benefit from this project as we increase the number of nurses serving these counties. Stillwater Medical Center System and Mercy Hospital - Logan County, located in Guthrie, were greatly impacted by the negative effects of the pandemic as these are the largest hospital systems in the region and are utilized by citizens in all of the surrounding counties. There have been multiple instances where access to care in these hospitals was reduced, not because all of the beds were full, but because too few nurses were available to provide care. Each of our district long-term care facilities, which rely on LPNs to staff their facilities, have also been greatly affected.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Meridian Technology Center will measure performance of this project based on the data that is collected and reported annually as mandated by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education and the Oklahoma Board of Nursing. The data provided within these reports includes enrollment numbers, NCLEX pass rates, and placement rates. We will track how many qualified applicants were not accepted into the program, student satisfaction survey results, employer satisfaction survey results, and the ultimate determinant of success, the increase in the number of students graduating and obtaining licensure as LPNs.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

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