Tulsa Technology Center

PROJECT PURPOSE

This project addresses the nursing shortage in the Tulsa Technology Center (TTC) district that serves Tulsa County. The Journal Record (November 2021 reported, ?...the past two years have been particularly tough on nurses. Before the pandemic began, Oklahoma already faced a nursing shortage. The causes of Oklahoma?s nursing shortage are complex, but one reason stands out: There is a lack of access to nursing education in our state.? The American College of Nursing reports that US nursing schools turned away over 80,000 qualified applicants from nursing programs in 2019 due to insufficient resources. In 2019, TTC did not admit 128 qualified Practical Nursing (PN) applicants due to resources. This project will have a positive impact on our area communities as well as the students entering the field of nursing.

EVIDENCE

The Oklahoma Hospital Association has provided research evidence Oklahoma needs to increase the number of nurses by 40% in all health sectors to meet current needs. Hospitals are seeing a decline in a qualified workforce due to three specific areas: 1) Impact of COVID-19 on the staffing needs, 2) Early retirements from nursing staff, 3) Employees leaving for high paying traveling jobs. This project will prepare additional skilled practical nurses to enter the healthcare workforce and help relieve the shortage of our Tulsa region industry partners.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

The Oklahoma Hospital Association has provided research evidence Oklahoma needs to increase the number of nurses by 40% in all health sectors to meet current needs. Hospitals are seeing a decline in a qualified workforce due to three specific areas: 1) Impact of COVID-19 on the staffing needs, 2) Early retirements from nursing staff, 3) Employees leaving for high paying traveling jobs. This project will prepare additional skilled practical nurses to enter the healthcare workforce and help relieve the shortage of our Tulsa region industry partners.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

TTC?s Program Review process and Oklahoma Board of Nursing Annual Report and accreditation data will be used to determine program impact. The Program Review process is done annually by our Institutional Research department and is based on key performance measures in the following areas: Enrollment, Capacity Enrollment, Capacity Utilization, Completion & Retention, Positive Placement, Related Placement, Direct Economic Benefit Ratio. Oklahoma Board of Nursing program standards are set and reviewed regularly for compliance. Performance is reviewed annually through a systematic program review process. PN student performance is monitored continuously by instructors and program coordinator. Academic Resources department is available for student remediation and identified performance issues.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

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