Northwest Technology Center

PROJECT PURPOSE

Through this grant, NWTC would increase our existing PN program student population and graduate outcomes by implementing a ?Boot Camp? program. NWTC consistently receives up to 10 PN program applicants each year who do not possess the necessary pre-requisite coursework and/or certifications to be admitted to the program. Additionally, the applicants often need more preparatory work in medical terminology and anatomy. NWTC will leverage our existing instructional staff, thus conserving ARPA funds for critical equipment, curriculum, and infrastructure. Working with the PN staff at NWTC, in conjunction with Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU) RN program and district high schools, we will recruit students with interest in the PN program who are lacking some of these key preparatory educational concepts into the PN Boot Camp program. Students may elect to move directly from there to the LPN program; or to industry to work in their respective skills and certifications earned through NWTC. Some may elect to proceed towards an RN degree or RN diploma program upon completion of the NWTC PN program. Creating this career pathway will assist in meeting this increasing demand both now and in the future.

EVIDENCE

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away 80,407 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2019 due to insufficient resources such as faculty numbers, clinical sites, classroom space and finances. Two-thirds of nursing schools responding to the AACN survey cited a shortage of faculty and/or clinical preceptors as the reason for not accepting qualified applicants. A 2018 report by The Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development found the state has about seven hundred nurses per one hundred thousand people. Nationally, that number is eleven hundred and fifty. That was before we entered the worst pandemic in a century. Oklahoma began seeing its first COVID-19 cases in March. By April, Oklahoma hospitals were seeing case counts in the hundreds. Daily hospitalizations surpassed 600 several times in July and August. But OU Medicine?s chief nursing executive, Kammie Monarch, says it wasn?t the sheer volume of patients alone that put critical pressure on the system.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Demand ? Early Retirements As of February 2021, registered nursing was the fifth-most in-demand job in the American workforce, according to LinkedIn. It?s important to note that COVID-19 created a wave of artificial early retirements due to the extended period of limited access for both patients and staff to medical facilities. Because hospitals stopped doing elective surgeries and patients stayed away from the hospital, hospitals had less income and needed to reduce staff to stay afloat. In response, many hospitals forced furloughs on their employees, leading some people to opt to retire who wouldn?t have planned to otherwise.3 3 Alia Paavola, ?266 hospitals furloughing workers in response to COVID-19,? Becker?s Hospital Review, Aug. 31, 2020: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ finance/49-hospitals-furloughing-workers-in-response-to-covid-19.html Demand ? Aging Population The country has a larger population over the age of 65 than ever before in its history, composed primarily of baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). This 65+ demographic has grown rapidly, jumping from 41 million people in 2011 to 71 million in 2019?a whopping 73% increase. And the U.S. Census Bureau projected that number to continue to rise, estimating it will reach 73 million by 2030.4 4 David Auerbach et al., ?Will the RN Workforce Weather the Retirement of the Baby Boomers?? Medical Care, Oct. 2015: https://journals.lww.com/lww-medicalcare/ Abstract/2015/10000/Will_the_RN_Workforce_Weather_the_Retirement_of.3.aspx

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The KPIs that will be used to measure and monitor the success of this program are listed below: ? Enrollment within program ? Completion of the program ? Retention of the students to the end of the program/Transition to PN program ? Student satisfaction of the program ? Credential earned (potential ? CNA / AUA / CPR Health Care Provider / LPN/RN) ? Advisory committee satisfaction with the program ? Related placement of students within nursing jobs or continuing education ? Average hourly wage of students after completion ? Graduate satisfaction of students after the program ? Employer satisfaction for employers who hire our students

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

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