IHL hears update on efforts being made by Mississippi colleges to address nursing shortage

In Mississippi, 5 public universities have a college of nursing, together with 4 personal universities and all 15 neighborhood faculties.

A nursing scarcity is affecting the nation, and the state of Mississippi is among the many states exploring methods to encourage college students to enter and stay within the area.

Universities and faculties throughout the Magnolia State are working to not solely graduate extra skilled healthcare employees, but additionally increase applications to simply accept extra college students. That was the message shared at this month’s Mississippi Establishments of Increased Studying (IHL) Board of Trustees assembly. 

To start the presentation, Director of Nursing Schooling for Mississippi’s IHL, Melissa Temple gave a short historical past of the state’s nursing program. She mentioned the nursing program in Mississippi started in 1914 with the institution of the Board of Nursing. By 1929, 46 faculties of nursing had been working within the state, most of which had been diploma applications applied in hospital settings. In 1954, the Legislature positioned nursing training beneath the steering of the IHL, and the Board of Nursing retained the duty of licensure and follow. 

At the moment, there are 5 public universities in Mississippi which have a college of nursing, together with 4 personal universities and all 15 neighborhood faculties. 

Inside these campuses, there are 40 diploma applications, of which 17 are for affiliate levels, 9 present baccalaureate levels, six are for grasp’s levels, three deal with doctorate levels, and 5 present a Physician of Medical Physics diploma.

Temple mentioned faculties of nursing are the crucial part that produce the nursing workforce in Mississippi, accounting for roughly 52,000 licensed and registered nurses within the state. Over the previous 5 years the faculties of nursing admitted a median of 4,000 college students yearly and graduate greater than 2,700 per 12 months. 

As well as, her report famous that the variety of nurse practitioners has elevated, from close to 6,500 in 2022 to greater than 7,000 this 12 months.

However these numbers should not maintaining with the necessity. Temple mentioned there’s a scarcity of nurses and nursing college, with about 3,000 vacant nursing positions within the state’s hospitals.  She mentioned this isn’t attributable to an absence of scholars, however quite an absence of coaching sources. 

“In Mississippi, program administrators report that the primary cause for not accepting all candidates is as a result of they don’t have sufficient college, and secondly don’t have sufficient medical house,” Temple mentioned. “Nationally, nursing faculties turned away nearly 92,000 certified candidates from BSN and better applications in 2021.”

In response, East Mississippi Group School elevated enrollment from 45 to 90 this previous spring whereas East Central Group School plans to supply the LPN and ADN applications nearly and Hinds County Group School modified its transition to RN program to permit LPNs, paramedics and respiratory therapists to enroll. Hinds Group School additionally shortened the size of the RN transition program to a few semesters. Itawamba Group School did one thing comparable, Temple mentioned.

There’s additionally concern concerning the restricted quantity of medical house. Temple mentioned deans of faculties say out-of-state applications have been sending their college students to Mississippi medical websites. Moreover, there was a scarcity of preceptors, who’re registered nurses with at the very least one 12 months of expertise that assist prepare nursing college students for a set variety of hours. 

Mississippi is likely one of the few states that doesn’t have a regulatory approval course of for monitoring out-of-state applications and their medical placement of scholars. Temple mentioned efforts at the moment are underway to ascertain that program.

“So, we wish to guarantee these establishments with these faculties are regionally accredited and wish to ensure that the faculties of nursing are accredited by their state board of nursing,” Temple mentioned.

The method will even make sure the out-of-state program is nationally accredited, similar to those in Mississippi. 

A part of the issue is the restrictive nature of Tennessee’s program, which impacts applications within the north finish of the Magnolia State. Temple mentioned Mississippi’s open-door coverage permits Tennessee’s nursing college students to finish their medical necessities right here however doesn’t enable Mississippi college students to finish their clinicals within the Volunteer State. The restriction is because of Tennessee’s requirement that out-of-state applications obtain accreditation by Tennessee’s requirements. At the moment, there are 1,214 out-of-state nursing college students in medical placements inside Mississippi. About 4 weeks in the past, applications started to have out-of-state faculties apply for approval to ship college students to Mississippi to finish their clinicals. The fee related to the applying course of is predicated on pupil enrollment numbers, Temple mentioned. 

There’s additionally the problem of nurses turning into overwhelmed and leaving the profession path in lower than a 12 months. Temple mentioned a brand new nurse residency program will enable second-year nursing college students to work in a medical facility with a preceptor to earn their medical credit score, permitting the brand new nurse extra alternatives to obtain hands-on expertise. The thought is that further expertise will higher put together the brand new nurses for sudden points that come up whereas treating sufferers. Temple mentioned it’s the solely program within the nation that can comply with a pupil from pre-licensure to put up licensure. After commencement that nurse will take part in a 6-month residency program.

“As a result of one factor we all know, too, is that lots of people are leaving the occupation and are leaving in that first 12 months, the younger nurses, as a result of they’re so overwhelmed in that first 12 months. So, hopefully this can assist give them the assist and steering they want,” Temple mentioned.