Staff Report
A $650,000 grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration may prove to be a shot in the arm for the UNM College of Nursing - and for New Mexico's health care system.
The funds were granted to the college and will be used to recruit and retain nursing students throughout the state using Web-based courses, according to a Health Sciences Center news release.
UNM's Web program offers bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing for students who already have earned an associate's degree.
"We need the pipeline of basic nurses, but without the pipeline of BSN degree nurses who then go on for MSN degrees, we won't be able to educate future New Mexico nurses," said Gloria Birkholz, a nursing professor in the UNM College of Nursing, in the news release.
According to the Health Resources Services Administration, the number of qualified nurses is down about 11 percent nationally this year, but could reach 57 percent in a couple of decades.
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Furthermore, colleges and universities throughout the nation have not been able to meet sufficient enrollment needs, according to the American Association of Colleges and Nursing.
"Having to travel to Albuquerque for more education is bad for nurses throughout the state and the facilities they work in," said Geoff Shuster, an associate professor of nursing, in the news release. "It is important for New Mexico and the University of New Mexico to be able to offer programs that 'educate in place.'"
Shuster said commuting to main campus causes nurses in rural areas to lose work time at their respective facilities. And they are also forced to spend time away from their families. Those who relocate to Albuquerque may choose to stay in an urban environment, reluctant to return to rural medicine.
The Web program not only helps keep nurses in New Mexico but, more importantly, in their communities, Shuster said.
"We want to identify the barriers that rural students have and try to address them," he said.
