Bell Tower | Health Education and Human Sciences01/01/2021

New Program Boosts Nurse Numbers

With a critical shortage of nurses in the River Valley, UAFS is again offering a two-year associate degree in nursing. 

“Knowing the nursing shortage is growing, we want to address that problem in our community to improve outcomes for our loved ones and support local agencies while improving the health of the total population of this area,” said Brooke Gray, a senior nursing instructor and director of the university’s new associate degree in nursing program. It is a full circle moment, as Gray is a 2004 graduate of UAFS’s previous two-year nursing degree.

Launching the ADN program is part of the immediate and long-term nursing program expansion made possible by the Windgate Foundation, whose 2022 $18.7 million gift to the university included $9.9 million for nursing.

“This gift has created a new beginning for nursing at UAFS by affording us the opportunity to address one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime, access to health care, by educating and training the registered nurses our community and our region so desperately need,” said Dr. Paula Julian, executive director of the UAFS Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing, when the gift was announced. 

Gray explained that in the 2010s, a national initiative emphasized four-year nursing programs, with most nurses graduating with Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. That movement pushed out many two-year programs, including UAFS’s.

However, 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the need for more nurses at every level nationwide. The need is more critical because current nursing staffs are shrinking as Baby Boomer generation nurses retire.

That said, Gray noted that the nursing shortage has been a challenge for as long as she’s been a nurse, at least 20 years. 

“The shortage continues to grow,” she said. The associate degree in nursing “is our answer for our community.” 

The ADN degree has no course prerequisites, but program applicants must take the TEAS Exam (Test of Essential Academic Skills), earning a minimum score of 60%, maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, and pass all math and science classes on the degree plan in 2 or fewer attempts to progress through the program.

The associate degree of nursing and bachelor of science in nursing programs are separate, Gray said. Each program has its own faculty and classes. However, students in the two degrees are preparing for the same licensure program. 

The first cohort of ADN students started classes in August. A new cohort will begin in January. For now, the maximum is 30 new students per semester. However, Gray said, if interest in the program increases and community need grows as expected, that number can be raised. 

The Pendergraft Health Sciences building is big enough for both programs now. Gray and one new faculty member are teaching this fall. At least two additional faculty members will be hired in the future. 

At the Peak Innovation Center, area high school students can take courses taught by UAFS faculty leading to Licensed Practical Nurse certification. Gray said instructors are letting students know how they can enter the ADN program if they want to pursue a registered nursing program after they graduate from high school.

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