While the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 14 years the United States will have a shortfall of up to one million nurses, Eastern Oklahoma State College Nursing Division Chair says the Wilburton college is doing all it can to help the shortage producing about 35 registered nurses each year.
“We have a great group of nurses each year and have been able to achieve very respectable board of nursing pass rate each year,” Nursing Division Chairperson Zella Stone said.
“We just recently received the official statement from the Oklahoma Board of Nursing that our program has a 90 percent pass rate this year on the board exam.“ After students complete the course work they still have to pass the National Council Licensure Exam before they can practice as a registered nurse.
“Our students' pass rate was above the national and state rates,” she said. The Oklahoma overall pass rate was 86.59 percent of students taking the exam with a national percentage rate of 87.29 percent. Stone said Oklahoma has about 12,000 nurses working in hospitals but has nearly 1,200 unfilled hospital nursing positions. She said projections indicate that in six years the Oklahoma shortage will increase to more than 3,000 registered nurses.
“This is a state-wide problem,” Stone said. “The only way we can overcome the shortage is to increase the numbers of nurses graduating across the state. And, about the only way we can do that is through increased faculty in the nursing departments.”
“Our faculty and students work very hard to achieve success each year. We are continually trying to improve the quality of our program by responding to changes in healthcare and education.
“We have increased the variety and strength of our clinical experiences by adding a clinical preceptorship during the last semester of the program. This allows students to work in clinical areas with registered nurses helping them make a transition into the real world of nursing.
“Students report that a major factor for the high passage rate and success of the program is a result of encouragement to link with one another through the formation of study groups throughout their courses,” Stone says.
“We are very proud of our graduates who work as registered nurses throughout the state and region. Many of them are continuing their education to obtain advanced degrees and certification in nursing.”