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PROGRAM REVIEW FOR PRACTICAL NURSING PROGRAM

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PROGRAM REVIEW

FOR

PRACTICAL NURSING PROGRAM

Prepared by:

Kari Luoma, Director of Allied Health Programs Kit Malloy, Nursing Instructor

Mary Grace Loreti, Nursing Instructor Kim Wanink, Nursing Instructor Patricia Strand, Nursing Instructor Bonnie Woodruff, Nursing Instructor

Cindy Franck, Allied Health Programs Coordinator Karen Tingstad, Allied Health Programs Secretary

Betsy Pekuri, Allied Health Advisory Committee Member

Terttu Anderson, LPN, Community Member and ADN Student Representative Dori Hedman, ADN, Community Member

Ryon List, English Instructor Deb Pletcher, Math Instructor

Nancy Dalpiaz, PN Student Representative

Resources:

Steve Wesselhoft, Dean of Student Services Don Pelkola, Accountant

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Practical Nursing Program at Gogebic Community College prepares its graduates to provide skilled, quality, and safe nursing care under the supervision of a registered nurse. The students provide direct patient care in a variety of settings, including acute, long-term, and community care. The program involves lecture, lab, and clinical experiences. Upon successful completion of the Practical Nursing Program, the students earn a

Certificate of Completion in Practical Nursing and are eligible to write the state licensing examination, a requirement for licensure as a practical nurse.

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of licensed practical nurses is expected to grow at a faster rate than average job growth (fourteen percent between 2006 and 2016). Nursing homes will offer the most new jobs for licensed practical nurses as the number of aged and disabled persons in need of long-term care rises. Employment of licensed practical nurses will grow much faster than average in home-health-care services in response to the growing consumer preference for home care. The Occupational Outlook Handbook describes the median annual salary of licensed practical nurses as $36,550 in May 2006. The middle fifty percent earned between $31,080 and $43,640. The lowest ten percent earned less than $26,380, and the highest ten percent earned more than $50,480. (www.bls.gov)

Occupational Option

The Practical Nursing Program is an occupational program that has a high placement rate in the health-care field.

Transfer Option

For students wishing to continue their education, the Practical Nursing Program provides a strong background for progression toward an associate degree in nursing or to continue to study for baccalaureate (or higher) degrees in nursing. This is an option for students who take appropriate pre-requisite courses, qualify to enter the Associate Degree Nursing Program, or want to transfer to a four-year institution.

Credentials or Certificates

The college awards practical nursing students a Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program.

Program Content

The Practical Nursing Program content provides the students a solid nursing foundation for careers in the health-care field. The curriculum includes specialized instruction in practical nursing including medical, obstetrical, pediatric, and surgical nursing. The nursing faculty regularly reviews curriculum and the Michigan Board of Nursing

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monitors our curriculum to assure quality and relevance. With input from the Quality and Safety in Nursing Education (QSEN) initiative and conferences, faculty have recognized the need for greater emphasis on quality and safety in nursing. In the past few years, they have implemented changes in these areas. The Allied Health Department submitted a self-study report to the Michigan Board of Nursing in October, 2005. The board accepted it in November 2005. The Michigan Board of Nursing now requires annual reports and we submitted the last report in October of 2008. The Board accepted it in November of 2008.

Target Audience

The target audience includes those individuals who are interested in entering the health care field by way of the practical nursing profession. Traditional and non-traditional students may reach the goal of obtaining the skills and knowledge to enter the nursing field as practical nurses or advance to the Associate Degree Nursing Program and/or beyond.

Enrollment Trend

The enrollment picture has improved with the increased shortage of nurses and decreased economy. In 2003, we added thirty part-time practical nursing students for a total of sixty practical nursing students. In 2003-2005, we had students in Ironwood and Iron River in our part-time program. Beginning in 2005, our part-time program included students in Ironwood and Houghton. We added thirty full-time students in Houghton in 2007 as well as thirty students for the full-time program on campus. We currently can accept up to 120 students in our Practical Nursing Program. The nursing office continues to receive an increase in applications.

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PROGRAM PERSONNEL

Assessment of the Quality of Instruction and Credentials (Qualifications)

Master’s-prepared nurses teach most lecture courses. The clinical instructors have degrees at a baccalaureate level and/or master’s level. The instructors have considerable experience in nursing in a variety of specialty areas as well as in teaching.

Our State Board average for the last 4 years was 98.1%. Nursing instructors attend nursing-related conferences to assure that they remain current and that their teaching reflects the trends of health care.

Evaluations of the Practical Nursing Program from past students have provided feedback that has been positive regarding instruction.

Number and Status of Staff, including Instructional Aides

The program utilizes four full-time instructors. Two instructors also teach nursing courses in the Associate Degree Nursing Program. The four full-time faculty members have Master of Science in Nursing. The Practical Nursing Program utilizes eight adjunct faculty on a part-time basis. Three of our eight adjunct instructors have a Master of Science in Nursing and five have Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Experience of Instructional Staff

The instructional staff have considerable work experience in their instructional areas. The full-time faculty have an average of eight years of teaching experience.

Adequacy of Staffing

We are currently advertising for the Off-Campus Allied Health Program Admissions Coordinator. Our instructional staffing meets our needs at this time, based on the current student census. Currently, our third semester practical nursing and associate degree nursing students tutor our practical nursing students in the content areas and courses in which the tutors have demonstrated proficiency. The nursing tutors are available in Ironwood and at the Houghton Health Careers Center. They are available to assist in the nursing lab and in the Academic Choices Enrichment & Success Center (ACES).

Professional Growth and Development

The Michigan Board of Nursing requires that all nurses have twenty-five continuing-education units every two years to maintain licensure. The faculty continually seeks additional opportunities for professional growth and development beyond requirements.

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PROGRAM PURPOSE/FUNCTION IN SUPPORT OF COLLEGE MISSION

Consistency with Mission, Philosophy, and Purpose of the College as Stated in Catalog The College philosophy and its goals guide the faculty of the nursing programs at Gogebic Community College. We also believe that learning is lifelong. Learning

provides the means for individuals to achieve their maximum potential. Education’s goal is to provide students with greater knowledge and awareness not only of themselves but also of others whose values and beliefs affect our world. The program is consistent with the mission, philosophy, and purpose of the College.

PROGRAM COSTS OF OPERATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS

Cost Analysis

The cost effectiveness of the Practical Nursing Program is related to practical nursing and general education courses. The 10:1 clinical student/instructor ratio the Michigan Board of Nursing mandates decreases the ability to increase our revenue. We have increased our clinical fees to offset the cost of the clinical to faculty ratio. Pre-requisite and co-requisite general education courses offset that increased cost, but the attached cost figures do not reflect that difference. Nursing students also purchase approximately $1000 in books and additional items in our bookstore.

The increase in revenue from 2006-07 to 2007-08 was due to the additional thirty full-time practical nursing seats in Houghton and thirty full-full-time seats on-campus in 2007-08. The additional thirty on-campus students’ begins their program in August and graduates in December of the following year. This schedule has worked well for our clinical agencies as the practical nursing students attend the hospital clinical rotation in the final semester and we can accommodates the students in the agencies.

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PROGRAM SWOT ANALYSIS

Program Strengths

- We have a strong record of success for first-time testers of National Council of State Boards of National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN). Graduation Month NCLEX % National Results First Time Testers Passed Failed May 2005 96.6% 89.1 30 29 1 May 2006 88.8% 87.9 25 24 1 May 2007 95.0% 87.3 45 40 5 December 2007 100.0% 87.3 22 22 0 May 2008 93.8% 85.6 16 15 1 December 2008 96.4% 85.6 28 27 1 157 9

*Average passing rate for the last four years is 98.1% which is higher than the national average.

- The department is currently working on National League for Nursing Accreditation (NLNAC) to remain competitive.

- The nursing department has tutors available during the fall and spring semester in Ironwood and Houghton.

- The community and clinical agencies highly respect our program.

- We have an ongoing and active Allied Health Advisory Committee that assists us in making relevant changes so the curriculum meets the ever-changing needs of health-care. The Advisory Committee meets twice a year.

- Faculty updates syllabi for all courses to assure relevance.

- We have increased our use of instructional aides such as PowerPoint, computer aided instruction, embedded animations, relevant case studies, classroom response systems (clickers) and computer interactive learning. We also use Blackboard to supplement student learning.

- Nursing instructors work closely with adjunct instructors to insure consistent learning experiences.

- Use of Assessment Technology Institute, LLC (ATI) testing has assisted students to identify areas of strength and weakness in specific content areas.

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- We have developed a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program for the high school level involving the Gogebic Ontonagon Intermediate School District (GOISD) in Ironwood and Ontonagon. We also offer an adult CNA program in Ironwood, Houghton, Baraga, and Iron River. The CNA program is a great opportunity to introduce students to a career in nursing. Many CNA students decide to apply for the practical nursing program once they have started the CNA program.

- Part-time evening program offers the opportunity for students to continue to work while attending the evening and weekend practical nursing program.

- We offer a successful off-campus Practical Nursing Program in Houghton. - Practical Nursing Program operates at a net gain.

- The program director is currently the President of Michigan Council of Nursing Education Administrators (MCNEA) and on a Task Force for Nursing Education. Program Weakness

- The rural nature of the area requires use of distant clinical sites resulting in a greater expense to students in travel time and costs.

- We need to update our multimedia collection to keep it current, especially pediatrics and maternal newborn.

- We need to update simulation technology to enable students to access experience in simulation to expand clinical experiences which may not be available in our rural clinical settings. (One of our instructors will visit Waukesha Tech in Wisconsin to observe their model simulation lab.)

Program Opportunities

While we recognize our weaknesses, there are a number of opportunities for us to continually improve the program. Some opportunities include:

- Increase utilization of clinical simulation scenarios as part of the clinical experience to assure that students are able to observe and practice.

- Possibly utilize federal technology grant funding to assist in developing nursing simulation stations that would offer opportunities for student nurses to experience simulated nursing clinical settings.

- Use Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC (ATI) testing to closely monitor the strengths and areas of focus in our lectures.

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- Seek approval to offer Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing completion in Community Colleges to benefit the graduates of GCC.

- Use Blackboard as a communication tool for full-time and adjunct faculty. Program Threats

- The current economic situation has put a hold on nurses retiring; therefore,

facilities are not hiring nurses as fast as they once were. We expect there will be a massive exit of retiring nurses and an increase in hiring when the economic crisis subsides. (Letter from “Michigan Center of Nursing” attached).

- Economic crisis has slowed the retirement of nurses.

SUMMARY OF SWOT ANALYSIS

Graduates of the Gogebic Community College Practical Nursing Program are well prepared for licensed practical nursing positions. The department constantly evaluates and reviews the quality of instruction and curriculum to adapt to the changes in the health-care field. We continually review our program and revise the courses to meet the ever-changing needs of the students. Our program has been in existence long enough for the local community to be well aware of our existence. Many of the licensed practical nurses currently practicing are our graduates. Enrollment continues to increase due to the nursing shortage and anticipated job growth in the future. Anticipation regarding the need for nurses in all health-care areas continues. The program stands strong.

Recommendations are to continue to review the curriculum and make sure we focus on quality and safety and make other program changes to keep pace with the ongoing changes in the health-care field. We also need to continue to seek National League for Nursing Accreditation. The committee recommends continuing the Practical Nursing Program with review again in the regular cycle.

References

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