Anderson Oconee Pickens

‘LPN To Professor’ Partnership To Address Nursing Needs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/1/05
(By Dan Corrigan)
Senior Director of Communications, AnMed Health

Four Upstate hospitals are convinced that expanding and replenishing the ranks of teachers in the nation’s nursing schools today and in the future is one sure-fire way to avoid a potentially crippling shortage of nurses.

Supported by a grant from The Duke Endowment, the four healthcare providers – AnMed Health, Cannon Memorial Hospital, Oconee Memorial Hospital and Palmetto Health Baptist-Easley – are joining hands with Clemson University and Tri-County Technical College to prove the point.

The six institutions have agreed to participate in a joint venture project, known as “LPN to Professor.” The project will focus on hiring additional nursing school instructors immediately while preparing more nurses to become teachers in the future. One of the goals of such a strategy is to increase the enrollment capacity of the nursing programs at both schools. One of the pay-offs will be an increase in the number of nursing students – and eventually more nurse graduates to meet the staffing needs of the four hospitals.

With this approach, both Tri-County Technical College and Clemson University will be well positioned to achieve and sustain increases in their enrollment and graduation figures. New nurse graduates, as well as nurses who want to return to school to advance their education, will be able to progress beyond the baccalaureate level, to earn a master’s degree or doctoral degree. As a result, more nurses will be qualified to teach, meaning the schools will have an easier time finding faculty members they need in order to maintain or grow their programs to meet the hospitals’ demand for nurses.

“This appears to be a well-coordinated and thoughtful program with strong potential,” said Mary L. Piepenbring, director of the Health Care Division of The Duke Endowment. “We are particularly intrigued by the emphasis on preparing students for master’s and doctoral degrees, which has more long-term promise for addressing the shortage or nurses than simply increasing the numbers of RN/BSNs.”

The “LPN to Professor” program will cost about $2 million over three years. The Duke Endowment has awarded a grant of $400,000 for the first year and has indicated its intent of awarding an additional $400,000 in the second year. The remainder of the costs will be divided proportionately among the four participating hospitals. The program is expected to be self-sufficient by the beginning of the fourth year.

In order to expand enrollment capacity, Tri-County Technical College and Clemson University will each hire three new faculty members. Clemson will also renovate one of its existing facilities to create a state-of-the-art clinical training center. The newly expanded programs are scheduled to be in place for the fall 2005 semester.

According to estimates provided in the grant application approved by The Duke Endowment, super-sizing the faculties at the two schools could more than double the total number of students currently enrolled. Over three years, Tri-County Technical College predicts it will graduate 90 “new” or additional registered nurses or associate-degree nurses. In that same period, Clemson University expects to graduate 72 additional RNs or bachelors-level nurses, 48 masters-prepared nurse educators and 24 masters-prepared nurse administrators. Nurse researchers and faculty will also be enrolled in doctoral programs.

Members of the new collaborative partnership say the benefits will far outweigh the costs. In fact, they said they wouldn’t be surprised if the program becomes a model for addressing the nursing shortage in other parts of the country.

In addition to increasing the number of nurses and nurse educators, the program will provide other benefits, especially for the nurses and patients of the four hospitals. For example, nurses who are already on the job will be offered an opportunity to advance their education while continuing to work. Through flexible scheduling arrangements, they will be given time off to attend class. Eligible nurses will also receive tuition assistance.

Nurses who continue their formal education will be more up to date with the latest technologies and treatments and well prepared to meet the increasingly complex needs of their patients.

By helping their nurses achieve their personal goals, the hospitals are likely to see higher satisfaction levels among the nursing staff, said Peggy Deane, senior vice president of Patient Care Services. As a result, they can expect to have higher nurse retention rates and fewer vacancies to fill, she added.

Although the participating hospitals all reported having nursing positions that were unfilled, current vacancy rates are relatively low. For example, AnMed, which employs more than 800 registered nurses, maintains a vacancy rate of less than six percent, Mrs. Deane said. This compares to a 20 percent vacancy rate reported by some hospitals around the country.

At the same time, administrators at each of the hospitals expressed concerns about the shortage of nurses escalating over time and reaching crisis levels within five years – especially without a program like “LPN to Professor” in place. “The current workforce is aging,” Mrs. Deane explained. “Large numbers of nurses will be reaching retirement age in the next five to 10 years. Nursing schools don’t have the capacity needed to turn out an equal number of graduate nurses to replace them. They need to take steps to make sure they have adequate numbers of qualified faculty now and in the years ahead.”

When representatives from the six partnering organizations began meeting 18 months ago,
Mrs. Deane said, the goal was to “address nursing needs for the future – to find ways to increase the number of qualified nurse educators, to increase the number nurses being graduated, to increase retention levels, and to assure nurses were prepared to provide increasingly advanced levels of care.

“The ‘LPN to Professor’ program has the potential to do all this, and more,” she said.

AnMed Health is the largest healthcare provider participating in the tri-county area partnership. It actually operates three hospitals, including the 533-bed Anderson Area Medical Center, and is preparing to open a fourth in April 2005. Cannon Memorial Hospital, located in Pickens, is the smallest, with 55 beds. Oconee Memorial Hospital is a 160-bed facility located in Seneca. Palmetto Health Baptist-Easley is licensed for 96 beds.

Tri-County Technical College is the No. 1 supplier of associate-degree nurses to hospitals in the three-county area. Many of its students who earn associate nursing degrees transfer to Clemson University and other schools to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Clemson University is the area’s primary supplier of nurses who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

The Duke Endowment is one of the nation’s largest private foundations. Its mission is to serve the people of North Carolina and South Carolina by supporting selected programs of higher education, health care, children’s welfare, and spiritual life. Since its founding in 1924, the Endowment has awarded more than $2 billion to support organizations and programs in the Carolinas.