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Join our team as a nurse in the following departments: • Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Are you an experienced RN who would enjoy: • New challenges every day? • A chance to expand your professional knowledge in a state-of-the-art ICU? • Caring for critically ill children of all ages? Apply online at archildrens.org/dreamjobs today.
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Call 501-364-1398 for more details.
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Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
A Career in Nursing can be a Career for Life I choose to study at Baptist Health because... the unmatched level of clinical experiences, the focus on faith and the reputation of Baptist Health graduates. nursing
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I chose to work at Baptist Health because... what I do daily changes lives and truly has an impact on those I care for. I know my salary will be competitive within the market and the system provides me with great benefits. There are so many opportunities to work in diverse areas of care — from critical to surgical. High demand Great Benefits Competitive Salaries Life Changing Care Diverse Work Areas Fore more information or to apply visit:
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Meet the Recruiters Ever wish you could hear first-hand from the people who are recruiting you? Meet the ones who make the world of nursing go round! College and hospital nurse recruiters tell what they’re looking for in a candidate, what they offer and more. Kelly Vowell Johnson, MSN Undergraduate Coordinator
Dr. Kathleen Barta
Graduate Coordinator Eleanor Mann School of Nursing, University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas prepares people for meaningful and challenging careers in nursing where they can make a difference every day. We help you give patient-centered care; lead at the bedside and on interdisciplinary teams; search for the best way to give care to keep patients safe and improve their quality of life; and find satisfaction as a professional nurse. Graduates of the baccalaureate program are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam for licensure as registered nurses. The online RN-BSN program provides career advancement for currently licensed registered nurses. Our expanded graduate program offers BSN prepared nurses an opportunity to pursue advanced practice specialization as clinical nurse specialists and nurse educators.
Schools Osmonetta McRae-Beard Director of Recruitment, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College recruitment starts early. My mission as the recruiter is to serve as the primary point of contact and to provide educational presentations at various events around Arkansas and the surrounding areas. My purpose is to assist prospective students with the admissions process and make them better prepared and more competitive when it is time to apply to UAMS CON. Anyone interested in a career in nursing is encouraged to contact me at 501-296-1040 or by email at obeard@uams.edu.
Ann Mattison (BSA program) Rose Schlosser (MSN & RN program) Education Counselors, Department of Nursing, University of Central Arkansas, Conway We are here to guide you as you seek admission to the nursing program and throughout your educational experience at UCA. We are committed to each of our students and to their success. Your UCA nursing instructors walk beside you during your education, serving as role models and facilitating your learning. We seek students who are motivated, intelligent, caring, energetic, and able to work well with others. More information on our programs can be found at www.uca.edu/nursing or contact us at annm@uca.edu or rschlosser@uca.edu.
Becky Parnell, PhD(c), MNSc, RN
Jon Vickers
Baccalaureate Degree Program Coordinator
Academic Counselor, UALR Department of Nursing Nursing is one of those rare career fields that is as much ART, as it is SCIENCE. For more than 40 years the UALR Department of Nursing has educated and guided aspiring nurses towards this noble profession. We offer an ASN, BSN, LPN to RN fast-track, and BSN completion program. My advice for students is to take ownership and get as much information as possible about the nursing profession and each nursing school before making your decision. Do this early and often! For more information about the UALR Department of Nursing or to schedule an advising appointment, visit ualr.edu/nursing or email jmvickers@ualr.edu.
Ana Hunt
Laura Shirey, MSN, RN, CNE Associate Degree Program Coordinator
Southern Arkansas University Department of Nursing The university offers four tracks of nursing: associate of applied Science degree, LPN to RN AAS degree, bachelor of science degree, and the online RN-BSN completion degree. All programs are fully accredited by the NLNAC and are ASBN approved. We are committed to providing quality nursing education and invite you to visit us online at www.saumag.edu/nursing or come tour our beautiful campus in Magnolia, Arkansas. We are here to assist you from the application process to graduation and the NCLEX. You may contact us at (870) 235-4331 to set up an appointment.
Enrollment Coordinator, Baptist Health Schools Little Rock Since 1921, BHSLR has served the needs of Arkansans and the surrounding region by providing quality clinical-focused healthcare education in nursing and allied health fields. We are a private, technical institution with the following degrees offered: Diplomas awarded for each program; BSN offered through completer programs with ATU and UALR. Contact 501-202-7951, study@bhslr.edu or visit bhslr.edu.
Andrea Muffuletto, Ashley Daniels, Megan Wyllia, Courtney Pratt Recruiters, Arkansas Tech University, Russellville At Arkansas Tech, we believe nursing is a caring relationship that facilitates health and healing.
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Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
hospitals Anna-Kate Bogaards
Nurse Recruitment Specialist
Mitch Highfill Nurse Recruiter
Michelle S. Odom
Director of Nurse Recruitment & Retention
Denise Cook
Nurse Recruiter
Yvonne Pendergraft Nurse Recruiter
Nurse Recruitment and Retention Team, Arkansas Children’s Hospital As Arkansas’s only pediatric health care center and one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country, we offer a wide range of opportunities for nurses from direct patient care to staff education, research, and evidence based practice, administration, nursing informatics, and much more. When you walk through the main entrance, you see a statement, “Fear not illness… this place of Care, Love and Hope is for you.” This statement reflects our culture and guides our practice each and every day that we enter the hall. When considering potential employees, we look for individuals who have a true passion for the profession of pediatric nursing.
Learn Why They Became Nurses In our 2011 issue, we started asking what made nurses decide to enter the field. Because of its popularity, we brought the feature back again this
April Robinson Human Resources Generalist, Baptist Health
year. We talked to several nurses to find
Our belief at Baptist Health is that we are a healing ministry. We provide quality patient care services to all Arkansans with a caring and comforting heart. That is why we are Arkansans’ choice for their health care needs. We have a variety of nursing opportunities; from a Level III NICU to 90 bed critical care area. We offer top quality benefits for employees. We look for nurses who not only critically think but are compassionate and service-oriented. We want to offer a “world class” environment for everyone.
out what made them decide to spend
Melanie Crnic
Nurse” boxes.
their lives caring for others. Look for their stories throughout the issue in the specially marked “Why I Became a
Professional Recruiter, Conway Regional Medical Center At Conway Regional we strive to create a culture centered on our values daily. If our core values of integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence align with your own, we want you to be a part of our team. Join the iCare team of nurses at Conway Regional as we work together to provide high-quality, compassionate health care services to North Central Arkansas. Find our openings online at conwayregional.org or call 501.513.5410 to arrange a tour.
Debbie Robinson
Initially I was a pre-med biology major who decided I didn’t want to be in school for the length of time it took to become a doctor, but I wanted to stay in the medical field. At the end of my freshman year in college I changed my major to nursing. I have
Nurse Recruiter, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff None of the successes of JRMC would have been possible without a strong nursing staff, and we’re excited to see the talented people joining the field today. Nursing has changed substantially, but some things remain the same. As JRMC pediatrician Tom Ed Townsend says, “Good nurses are a gift from God.”
always had a love for people, especially the elderly. My grandparents were very dear to me and my grandmother, Julius, was diagnosed with congestive heart failure while I was in nursing school. After watching my grandmother suffer until her death,
Susan Erickson
I decided that I wanted to know everything about
Nurse Recruiter, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences There is a circle of excellence that surrounds everyone who works at UAMS. It starts with respect and ends with excellence and it’s what we expect from those who chose a career at Arkansas’s only academic medical center. We offer unique opportunities combined with salary and benefits plus the personal satisfaction you receive working at UAMS – it’s hard to beat. That’s why more than 10,000 employees enjoy a career for life. To join our team, log on to: uams.edu/jobs.
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the heart and care for those patients with heart problems like my grandmother. That’s why I became a cardiovascular intensive care nurse. Ruby Ben, RN, BSN, cardiovascular intensive care unit, Baptist Health Medical Center Little Rock
Nursing
Past, Present, & Future From starched white caps to high-tech healers
Once upon a time, the ranks of new nurses graduating from training programs in Arkansas were made up of white, unmarried young ladies, prim in their long skirts and starched white pinafores and caps, prepared to go out into the world and follow male doctors’ orders unquestioningly.
That time, fortunately for nurses and patients alike, is long gone. Today’s nurses are trained and empowered to take on a much larger role in patient care. Nursing school graduates include men, single mothers, and minorities — many of whom are coming to nursing as a second career. As two major Arkansas institutions — Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the Arkansas Nurses Association — celebrate their 100-year anniversaries in 2012, it’s a good time to look back, but also forward. In this year’s Nursing Guide, we’ll follow the evolution of the nursing profession from the early 20th Century to the early 21st Century, and take a look at the forces driving the changes of tomorrow.
THE PAST
Watching the hustle and bustle at any hospital today, it’s hard to imagine how different everything used to be. When what is now called Baptist Health Schools Little Rock graduated its first class of five students in 1921, nursing students could not be married, and they were required to live in the school’s dormitory. Nursing education itself consisted solely of on-the job training. “At that time, there was no curriculum for student nurses,” said Rose Willshire, historian and retired faculty member for Baptist Health Schools. “You moved in one day, and the next day you were sent to work.” There were also no disposable supplies, Willshire said. One former
nurse wrote about her memories of attending the school around 1930 and getting one glass syringe, one needle, and a piece of sandpaper to use for sharpening the needle. Between patients, the nurses would pour one tablespoon of boiling water in the syringe and push it out through the needle to sterilize both. Antibiotics hadn’t been developed then, or immunizations, said Dr. Angela Green, director of nursing research for Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Nurses’ relationship with doctors was much different as well. Nurses followed orders unquestioningly, and treated doctors with extreme deference. “If the doctor came in to see a patient, you certainly didn’t keep sitting there,” said veteran nurse Rebecca Rills, RN, the service manager for ophthalmology and surgical services at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Jones Eye
Institute. “You hopped up, gave them the chart, and gave them your chair. It was a very respectful thing to do. Now it’s like every man for himself.” Skirt hemlines were higher by the 1960s — just below the knee instead of mid-calf or ankle — but nurses’ uniforms were still very formal. Skirts finally gave way to more practical pantsuits beginning in the mid-1970s, and it was a welcome change, said Baptist Health Schools Little Rock faculty member Georgia Seward. “I worked in intensive care, and let me tell you that you have never seen a sight such as a nurse wearing a uniform that was a little bit too short and performing CPR,” she said. When Dr. Ralph Vogel got his bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1976, information was much more difficult to come by. Lab reports were handwritten, with no computer reports to explain what they meant — nurses had to rely on physicians to explain. “Back then if you had a topic you were interested in, you had to go to the library,” he said. “If the book was checked out, you were out of luck.” Dr. Vogel remembered getting his first computer when he finished his master’s degree in nursing in 1987. It cost $2,700 for 30MB of memory, and came with a 5.25-inch floppy disc drive. Nursing was also simply less complicated before computers, Dr. Vogel said. “When I started as a staff nurse, it took a physician order to get a pump for 6
an IV. Now with computer-controlled machines in nursing care, you can do a lot more. It’s become more complicated with medications, blood — there are many more things going on than there used to be.” Vogel, who was a medic in the Vietnam War, was part of the first wave of men to enter nursing in the civilian world. When he became a pediatric nurse practitioner in 1979, he said, he was only the 22nd male certified in that area in the country. “I got a lot of flak at the time — people saying ‘You just want to be a doctor,’” he said.
THE PRESENT
The nurses of yesteryear would probably not recognize today’s nurses — because of their uniforms, because of how they interact with doctors and other health care professionals, and — especially in the last decade — because of how much time they spend on computers. Nursing is still very much a hands-on career, but hospitals and doctors’ offices continue to move toward electronic medical records. Because EMRs can theoretically be accessed from anywhere, they can bring together all the care a patient receives, regardless of location — outpatient or inpatient hospital visits, doctor’s office visits, etc. “It certainly puts together a global picture of the patient that we haven’t had in the past,” said Amy Hester, RN, director of clinical informatics and innovation at UAMS. “Now we have created a record that really is a living document, a living story of that patient’s journey through their health care. That’s a big advantage, I think.” Nurses spend less time flipping through paper charts or making handwritten notations. And younger nurses grew up taking access to the Internet for granted — they’re comfortable with and reliant on technology that lets Above: Nurses’ uniforms—and their role in health care—has changed tremendously in the last 100 years. Photos courtesy Baptist Health
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
them immediately look up the answer to any question they might have. Today’s nursing graduates absolutely must have computer skills, said Leah Wright, RN, director of clinical informatics for Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff. The use of electronic medical records and other informatics tools has completely changed the practice of nursing, she said: Nurses now have all of a patient’s information, updated in real time, at their fingertips — no more chasing down lab reports on a printer in another department or tracking down a patient care tech who has a patient’s latest vitals jotted down on a piece of paper on her clipboard. “The computer has really become a tool just like the stethoscope,” Wright said. It’s made nursing safer, Wright said, because information doesn’t get lost in the shuffle or forgotten. One system Jefferson Regional has implemented is having nurses scan all medications they give patients at the bedside, Wright said, so the medication, dose, and time given are all recorded instantly. It slows nurses down a little, she said, but that inconvenience is nothing compared to the improvement in safety. Still, technology can only do so much, say nurses who have watched their profession evolve over the last 20 to 30 years. It can’t teach a nurse how to
Conway Regional Medical Center, said the expansion of technology has definite advantages, and has changed the culture of nursing. Conway Regional has computers in each hospital room so nurses can document the care they provide in real time. “It’s nice to be able to be at the patient bedside documenting,” she said. “The patient can have input into their care and you document what is being done at that time. As a nurse, your focus is to be your patient, not the computer, so getting the patient involved in their care and real time documentation can help produce that. You don’t want to be nursing the
computer but engaging with your patient.” Today’s hospitals are also a lot quieter than they were in the past as texting and other silent methods of communication have become the norm, said Tammy Gillham, a charge nurse in the intensive care unit at UAMS with 31 years of experience. “When I started, you paged everybody overhead,” she said. “Now if we get an overhead page, everybody stops in their tracks and says, ‘What was that?’ When I think about it now, that operator must have been making announcements all day
long. That’s how we communicated.” Nurses from a century ago would also be surprised at how few nurses look like them. In the early days of Baptist Health Schools Little Rock, students couldn’t be married and they had to live in a dormitory on campus. They were, of course, all women. These days, nursing is much more diverse — in gender, race, age, and family circumstance. Many have had previous careers in unrelated fields. It’s not unusual at all to come across someone like Ted Clowers, a 2007 graduate of Conway High School who’s in the final year of studying for a bachelor’s degree in nursing at UAMS. His ultimate goal is
Do your values match your employer’s?
Vogel, who was a medic in the Vietnam War, was part of the first wave of men to enter nursing in the civilian world. When he became a pediatric nurse practitioner in 1979, he said, he was only the 22nd male certified in that area in the country. “I got a lot of flak at the time — people saying ‘You just want to be a doctor,’” he said. comfort a patient or family member, or how to make a decision in a crisis. “In nursing programs, we have to make sure in the curriculums that we preserve the skill of interpersonal relationships between nurses and patients, and the skill of critical thinking and decision making,” Hester said. “We can’t assume the right decision is going to be made just from getting the electronic medical record.” Critical thinking skills are also at the top of the list for Dr. Ann Schlumberger, chair of the Department of Nursing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock — but only if they’re paired with an inborn desire to help others. “I don’t know that you can teach caring,” she said. “People have to come to the table caring about others and wanting to provide nursing care to that individual as if they were the person you loved the most in your life.” Cindy Hiegel, a clinical nurse analyst working with nursing informatics at
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At Conway Regional we strive to create a culture centered on our values daily. If our core values of Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence align with your own we want you to be a part of our team. Join the iCare team of nurses at Conway Regional as we work together to provide high-quality, compassionate health care services to North Central Arkansas. At Conway Regional we offer our team members competitive benefits: Tuition Reimbursement Continuing Education Advancement Opportunities Low Nurse/Patient Ratio Flexible Scheduling Family Friendly Atmosphere We are currently recruiting for Orthopedics, Cardiology, Oncology and CCU nurses. Call (501) 513-5410 or visit us online at www.ConwayRegional.org/JobOpenings to submit an application and review current openings.
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Making better healthcare a reality.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Dr. Cheryl Schmidt, interim associate dean for academic programs at UAMS’ College of Nursing. She and Dr. Claudia Beverly, director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at UAMS, are two of three nursing coleaders of the Arkansas Action Coalition, a group that is spearheading efforts to implement the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s report. “Nurses have tried to do that for years, but it’s a turf issue,” Schmidt said. Green, of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, is co-leading the coalition’s leadership workgroup, which is focusing on increasing leadership development opportunities and participation for Arkansas nurses. Bachelor’s degree programs already include a course in leadership, she said, but it’s going to become an even more important part of
Scenes from yesteryear: Nurses bathe a patient in the burn unit at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
to be an advanced practice nurse, which would require a master’s degree. Clowers said he chose nursing because he liked the idea of providing 24/7 handson care, and also because of the job security it offers in an uncertain economy. “I went into it for all the same reasons female students went into it,” he said. Clowers said he’s been well accepted by patients, although a few patients have assumed that he’s a doctor or pharmacist because he’s male. From a big-picture standpoint, the profession of nursing has really come into its own in recent years. Nurses are no longer viewed as doctors’ handmaidens, Vogel said, and are more politically active now, especially with the ranks of advanced practice nurses expanding. “It’s considered now to be a profession, not something that’s just a job, that’s there to just supplement the physician and do whatever they say,” Vogel said. “There’s much more of an idea that we have our own niche and that it should be expanding.” Health care today is putting an increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork — bringing together caregivers from different fields to work together to provide complete, well-rounded care for each patient. “We’re looking at it more holistically,” Schlumberger said. “We’re looking at all the people providing care for that person knowing what’s going on, so there’s no oversight or duplication of service. … There is a lot more interacting
and problem-solving between the nurse, doctor, pharmacist, social worker, and others.”
FORCES DRIVING CHANGE
Nursing will continue to change in response to both small and large changes in society and health care as a whole. One of the biggest of these is the passage of the Affordable Care Act, and its requirement that almost all Americans have health insurance by 2014. “We hope those people will seek primary care they’ve denied themselves before,” said Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, assistant director of the University of Arkansas’s Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. In addition, the Baby Boom generation continues to age, and medical advances make it possible for people to live longer with illnesses that would have been fatal in the past. “When you look at the country as a whole, we are living longer, we have more chronic illnesses, and diseases are more complex to manage,” said Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the University of Arkansas’s Eleanor Mann School of Nursing. “There will be a need for more nurses to provide the care individuals need.” Financial inf luences are also pushing hospitals to change how they provide care. For instance, Medicare will no longer reimburse hospitals for the cost of caring for patients who get an infection or a bedsore while they’re in the hospital for treatment
of another condition. “That’s created a more conscious awareness of sterile technique when inserting catheters, IVs, and it’s also made it to where a lot of nursing homes and hospitals have a routine turning schedule,” Rills said. On a larger front, there’s a general push to focus more on keeping people healthy rather than simply treating them once they get sick, Schlumberger said. “Our current model of health care tends to be heavily acute and chronic care — people get very ill and then they go seek treatment,” she said. “If you think of it as a triangle, the base is dealing with problems that have already developed, vs. putting a lot of money and energy into health promotion and risk prevention.”
THE FUTURE
The coming years will be ones of tremendous change for the nursing profession. The Institute of Medicine issued a landmark report in 2010 called “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” that looks at how the profession of nursing needs to evolve in order to best meet the needs of a growing population of patients. That report is driving significant changes in the profession nationwide. One of its recommendations is that nurses participate more in the process of strategic planning and decision making that will determine the future of health care. Increasing nurses’ presence “at the table” is a major aspect of the report, said 8
Scenes from
every nurse’s career in the future. “Increasingly, the job description of staff nurse has leadership as a job expectation,” she said. “It’s a bit of a paradigm shift in terms of helping everyone see themselves as a leader, and helping develop that capacity.” One issue facing Arkansas, Schmidt said, is that state law requires nurse practitioners to have a collaborative agreement with a physician — but in some underserved or rural areas like the Delta, there may not be any physicians to collaborate with. “We’re going to have the worst shortage of all health care professionals
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
I became a nurse to help make sure patients are treated with the same care that I would expect my family to be treated. I think it’s amazing to see miracles happen every day when babies are born.
Why I became a nurse...
Misty Anderson, RN, women’s center nurse educator, Conway Regional Medical Center
Baptist Health
we’ve ever seen” with the Affordable Care Act, Schmidt said. “We need everybody that’s available and interested, and not limited to certain professions,” she said. “There’s a huge shortage of primary care physicians, and we’ve got to fill that gap.” Another major thrust of the “Future of Nursing” report is increasing the educational preparation of nurses. “The Institute of Medicine’s recommendation is that by 2020, 80 percent of registered nurses be educated at the baccalaureate level, so nurses with a diploma or associate’s degree will be thinking about going back to finish their bachelor’s degree,” said Dr. Debra Jeffs, director of academic nursing education at ACH and a co-leader of the Arkansas Action Coalition’s education workgroup. Currently, about half of RNs
m yesteryear: From 1955, the startched white hats of ....
nationwide have at least a bachelor’s degree, according to the IOM. In Arkansas, however, only about 28 percent do. The report also recommends doubling the number of nurses with doctoral degrees. Nursing is also shifting toward what’s called evidence-based care, ACH’s Green said. That means basing decisions about how to care for patients on what has been scientifically shown to be effective, rather than on how things have always been done. “Even though most of us think it’s obvious, people are really bound to tradition,” she said. “It’s hard to change.” As hospitals and doctors’ offices continue to make the move to electronic
health records, the field of informatics is growing in influence within the nursing profession. Informatics deals with how you take the information from systems and databases and transform it into useful knowledge that can drive improvement in health care. “As our technology evolves, our care evolves with that,” UAMS’ Hester said. The challenge, she said, is to build and implement information systems in a way that the system supports the work of the nurse, rather than the work of the nurse changing to meet the demands of the system. “We’ve had that backwards in the past.” Nurses in the future will have to be comfortable navigating a computer system, Hester said, and beyond that, be able to manipulate the system to get the most out of it. “They can’t just look at it and take information from it,” she said. “They really have to be interactive participants in that record to be able to get the full advantage out of it.” And more importantly, she said, nurses are going to need to assert themselves and be involved as their employers make future decisions about informatics and health care. “Even though we have moved into an electronic age and information systems and computers sort of rule the day, the basic foundations of nursing — we’re the only care provider who’s there 24/7, the eyes and ears of other health care providers when they go home — that hasn’t changed,” Hester said. “That is never going to change for nursing. Developing systems that support that level of dedication and involvement in patient care makes it even more imperative that nurses have a spot at the table.” Gillham said she’s also seeing the nursing profession evolve into one that provides nurses with more opportunities for advancement, independence, and financial gains. When she graduated from nursing school in 1986, the ICU was the place to be — the top job nurses could shoot for. “Nursing has broadened and has so many fingers now and so many directions for nurses to go,” Gillham said. “You can be an advanced practice nurse, a nurse anesthetist, a physician’s assistant. Nurses like me that have been there 30 years, we’re a rarity. What you’ll see is that nurses in hospitals will have five to 10 years of experience, and then they’re going to branch out and go in other directions. There are too many other opportunities.”
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Nursing EDUCATION
Which path is right for you? they’ve started their careers.
LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSE
The type of nursing that requires the least education is practical nursing. It typically takes one calendar year to complete a practical nursing program, said Laura Hamilton, dean of nursing at Baptist Health Schools Little Rock. When you finish, you can take an exam to become a licensed practical nurse, or LPN, and look for work in hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, and other settings. LPNs take care of more handson tasks such as giving medications and changing bandages. In hospitals, they typically work under an RN, Hamilton said. “It’s one of our most popular programs because of the length of time it takes,” Hamilton said. The timeframe is what attracted Nicole Clute to an LPN program. Clute, who works at the Clinton Medical Clinic, originally planned to get an associate’s degree and start her career as a registered nurse. But then she had a baby, and needed to be able to work while she finished her schooling. She completed an LPN at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton in three semesters and then went to work in a nursing home.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
The profession of nursing encompasses a range of education and credential levels. Depending on your age, financial situation, family obligations or other factors, you could take the quickest route to a nursing job, or choose to spend more time in school up front and eventually start working at a higher level. For most nurses today, education is a career-long endeavor — something that has been made easier with the growth of online degree programs. And while you might think of nursing as more a caregiving profession than an academic one, you’d be wrong. Nursing students need to have good grades and strong backgrounds in math and science, along with critical thinking skills that allow them to apply what they’ve learned to make complicated decisions in the real world. In addition, entry into traditional bachelor’s degree nursing programs has become very competitive. “What we’re looking for is people who’ve been strong in the sciences,” said Dr. Donna Middaugh, interim associate dean for academic programs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ College of Nursing. “We’re looking for good grades — you need a very high grade point average and critical thinking ability.” The nursing profession as a whole is moving toward requiring higher levels of education than in the past. That’s driving growth in programs designed for RNs with diplomas or associate’s degrees to complete their bachelor’s degrees, and it’s also a factor in the decision of several of the state’s university nursing schools to propose adding more graduate programs to their degree offerings. “The patients are more complicated than they used to be, and the technology, the diagnostic techniques and the treatment modalities are way more complex,” said Dr. Rebecca Burris, chair of Arkansas Tech University’s nursing department. “It just takes more education to be able to take care of the patient.” Burris said she doesn’t see that trend changing the preparation nurses need to enter the profession — instead, the change will come in how nursing education makes it possible for nurses to continue up the education ladder after
REGISTERED NURSE
The next level up is registered nurses, or RNs. RNs have more responsibilities and earn higher salaries than LPNs. RNs can come through diploma programs, associate’s degree programs, or bachelor’s degree programs, depending on what their goals and situations are. Diploma programs are typically the shortest, followed by associate’s degree programs, which can take two to three years. Bachelor’s degree programs usually take four to five years. Baptist offers an RN diploma program with two tracks — an accelerated twoyear program and a regular three-year program. Typically, students in the twoyear program either are LPNs returning to school to become RNs or students who have some other previous college experience and have taken science or general education courses. Arkansas State
Education is a career-long endeavor for most nurses.
University offers an associate’s degree in nursing, among its other nursing degree programs. Although the general trend in nursing is toward hospitals wanting nurses to have a bachelor’s degree, diploma programs allow people to get their nursing licenses — and therefore jobs — faster. That’s a necessity for many people, especially nontraditional students who may already have families to support. There are many LPN-to-BSN and RN-to-BSN completion programs in schools around Arkansas that are specifically designed for working nurses who want to finish their bachelor’s degrees. Many of them are available as online-only programs, 10
so they are much easier to fit into the working nurse’s schedule. “They all work, and they work shifts that are different one week to the next,” Arkansas Tech’s Burris said. “It’s almost impossible for nurses to further their educations in traditional classrooms.” Clute, who now has four children, said she’s planning to go back to school for her RN diploma, which should take about a year, and from there will work on her bachelor’s through an RN-to-BSN program. It’s been harder than she thought to find work as an LPN, she said, and the higher salaries that RNs earn are appealing as well. Dr. Preston Molsbee, a member of the nursing faculty who coordinates the
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
associate nursing degree program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, took the stepping-stone approach to his nursing education. He earned an LPN at Baptist in one year, and then went to work in the cardiac unit of a hospital. Over the next 14 years he earned a BSN, a master’s degree, and finally a doctorate. “After I did a stint in management — as a manager, you see things you’d like to be different, and you see the way sometimes how practice goes and you want to have a role in shaping practice,” Dr. Molsbee said. Still, while the stepping-stone track worked for him, Molsbee said he wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to someone who’s starting out now, because some LPNs are having trouble finding jobs. Instead, he’d steer them toward an associate’s degree program, where they could be out working in about two years, and then finish their bachelor’s while they work. A BSN is necessary for nurses to advance to higher levels in their careers and opens doors for nurses to think about graduate programs and long-term career opportunities. “I think if you’re going to get into nursing at the basic level, get your BSN,” said Dr. Ralph Vogel, a member of the faculty in UAMS’ College of Nursing. “You’re not going to want to be a staff nurse for 40 years. It’s hard physical work. And if you don’t have a degree, you’re going to see everyone promoted around you.” Dr. Debra Jeffs, director of academic nursing education at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, advises nurses at ACH who are thinking about going back to school. She bases her advice on what goal they have for their careers. “For several of our leadership positions we do have a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s, and others would require a master’s degree,” she said. The University of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas State University, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences all offer traditional BSN programs as well as online RN-to-BSN completion programs. Typically, students will take one to two years of prerequisite courses before beginning their nursing classes. At some schools, there are more prenursing students than there are slots in the upperlevel nursing program, meaning students have to compete for the ability to finish their nursing studies at that school. “It’s very competitive,” said Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas. The U of A currently has about 900 prenursing students, but can take only 100 new students into the upper-level nursing program each semester. That’s twice as many as it used to admit. And the U of A’s online RN-to BSN program, which just started this fall, is already at capacity. Barbara Williams, director of UCA’s nursing program, said traditional, on-
campus BSN programs give students the advantage of a more well-rounded college experience. “You can be involved in student life,” she said. “You can be in the band. We have students that play sports, having starring roles in theatre, or sing in choral groups.” Because nursing is a stable profession with consistently excellent job prospects, more and more people are entering nursing as a second career. To meet their needs, ASU offers an accelerated BSN program for people who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field. The program takes one calendar year to finish, said Sue McClarry, chair of ASU’s nursing department.
MASTER’S DEGREE/ ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING
The trend toward more educational preparation in nursing is driving the expansion of graduate nursing programs around the state. While the BSN is a generalized degree that encompasses all aspects of nursing, master’s degree programs are specialized. Some prepare nurses to provide direct care to patients as nurse practitioners, while others prepare nurses to go into administration or teaching. Because they’re more specialized, each of the universities in the state that offer master’s degrees has different concentration offerings. ASU, for instance, is the only school in the state that offers a nurse anesthetist degree, and Arkansas Tech offers a hybrid master’s in nurse administration and emergency management. Many master’s programs today are offered at least partly online. Leah Wright, director of clinical informatics at Jefferson Regional Medical Center, earned her master’s degree in nursing administration through an entirely online program at a school in Mississippi. Typically, nurses will work for a while first before going back for an advanced degree, said Heather Alverson, an acute care nurse practitioner at UAMS. Alverson earned her BSN in 2004, then returned to school in 2008 to get a master’s degree in nursing science, which she finished in 2011. Nurses don’t, however, have to have a BSN to get into a master’s program in nursing, said Jon Vickers, an academic counselor in the department of nursing at UALR. People who have a bachelor’s degree in any field can go back to school and get an RN license and then go straight into a master’s nursing program, he said. UCA’s offerings include an RN-toBSN-to-MSN program, where nurses can combine some courses and earn both degrees in less time than it would take to earn them separately, Williams said. Nurses who want to earn master’s degrees in the next few years will have more options than in the past. The U of A and UCA are in the process of adding new master’s degree tracks at their schools.
DOCTORAL DEGREES
Nurses today can choose from
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times
11
I became a nurse because my mother always wanted to be a nurse and highly valued the profession. She always encouraged me to become a nurse. My first job as a candy striper sealed the deal for me. I loved
Why I became a nurse...
helping those who were sick and making their lives a little better. My love for helping people has been truly fulfilled in nursing. Nursing has not only been
emotionally rewarding but also has been intellectually stimulating. This has been the most satisfying career choice. Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, RN, MS, assistant director, University of Arkansas Eleanor Mann School of Nursing
From a very early age, I had a sense for those that were sick or in need. This sense developed into an empathy that I felt around anyone who was suffering, either mentally or physically. However, I can honestly say that, in the beginning, I had little to do with me becoming a nurse. I believe that the Lord led me to this wonderful profession and knew that I would truly feel at home here. It wasn’t long after I started nursing school at Baptist that I began to see that the fulfillment and happiness that I received from caring for others could never be replaced by anything other than serving in this awesome profession. Mary Kathryn DiGiacomo, RN, Baptist Health Medical Center Little Rock
Later in life, I realized I wanted to be a nurse. I have always been a compassionate person. I enjoy seeing the positive change in patients and families. It’s great to be a part of such a very big milestone in their care. Kelli Strack, RN, coronary care unit, Conway Regional Health System
two types of doctoral degrees. A traditional PhD program typically will emphasize research and prepare nurses to be researchers or nursing faculty members. The doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) is a newer degree that emphasizes clinical care. Dr. Melanie J. Ware, a women’s health advanced practice nurse at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), earned her DNP from a university in New York state. “I’m a clinician at heart,” she said. “The phenomenal work the PhD practitioners have done, the research they do, doesn’t always make it in to clinical practice. My duty is to take that fantastic research that’s out there and take that to the patient’s bedside. I felt that piece was missing.” There aren’t currently any DNP programs in Arkansas, but that’s likely to change in the near future. The U of A, UCA, ASU, and UAMS are all working
to add DNP programs. Dr. Bell said she’s excited about the possibility of starting a DNP program at the U of A. “DNP students across the country are doing some remarkable work that I think will change the way health care is delivered,” she said. While continuing your education for years past what you need to get a job might seem intimidating, it’s worth the extra work both in terms of the increased responsibilities nurses with graduate degrees can take on, and in terms of money, Bell said. Nurses with advanced degrees have an average salary of about $85,000, she said, and that can get up over six figures for nurse practitioners, depending on where they practice. “Advanced degrees will definitely pay off,” she said.
Arkansas College/University
Years/Public Private
Calendar
Degree Offered
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-972-3074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)
4 yr public
Semester
AASN, BSN, MSN
Arkansas Tech University, Russellville • 479-968-0383
4 yr public
Semester
BSN, LPN to BSN, RN to BSN, M
Harding University, Searcy • 1-800-477-4407, 501-279-4682
4 yr private
Semester
BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN
Henderson State University, Arkadelphia • 870-230-5015
4 yr public
Semester
BSN
University of Arkanasas, Fayetteville • 479-575-3904
4 yr public
Semester
BSN, RN-BSN, LPN-BSN, MSN
UALR, Department of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-569-8081
4 yr public
Semester
ASN, BSN, RN-BSN
University of Central Arkansas, Conway • 501-450-3119
4 yr public
Semester
BSN, MSN***
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith • 479-788-7861, 1-888-512-LION
4 yr public
Semester
BSN
University of Arkansas at Monticello • 870-460-1069
4 yr public
Semester
AASN (LPN-RN), BSN, RN-BSN,
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-686-5374
4 yr public
Semester
BSN, MNSc, Ph.D, Post Masters
Arkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville • 870-824-6253 • Paragould • 870-239-3200
2 yr public
Semester
AAS
Whether you’re looking to attend school for two
Arkansas State University - Jonesboro • 870-972-3074 (nursing) • 870-972-3024 (admissions)
4 yr public
Semester
Traditional LPN-AASN (Tradition Home, ASU Beebe, West Memp
years or four, part-time or full, Arkansas’s colleges
East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City • 870-633-4480
2 yr public
Semester
AASN
National Park Community College, Hot Springs • 501-760-4290
2 yr public
Semester
AS in Nursing
Mississippi County Community College, Blytheville • 870-762-1020
2 yr public
Semester
AAS in Nursing
North Arkansas College, Harrison • 870-743-3000
2 yr public
Semester
AAS in nursing-traditional. LPN,
Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville • 479-636-9222, 800-9956922
2 yr public
Semester
AAS, RN
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, Helena, Dewitt, Stuttgart • Helena 870-338-6474 x1254; DeWitt 870-946-3506 x1611; Stuttgart 870-673-4201 x1809
2 yr public
Semester
AAS, technical certificate/PN
Southeast Arkansas College, Pine Bluff • 870-543-5917
2 yr public
Semester
AAS: RN, Generic RN & LPN/Pa
Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia • 870-235-4040
4 yr public
Semester
ADN, Online RN-BSN Completion
University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville • 870-612-2000, 800508-7878
2 yr public
Semester
AAS-Generic RN and LPN to RN Program (Technical Certificate) G
UALR, Department of Nursing, Little Rock • 501-569-8081
4 yr public
Semester
ASN/LPN to RN/BSN
Baptist Health Schools Little Rock • 501-202-6200, 800-345-3046
private, faithbased
Semester
diploma/LPN, diploma/RN
Jefferson Reg. Med. Center School of Nursing, Pine Bluff • 870-541-7850
private
24 months
diploma/RN
Baptist Health
BACCALAUREATE
Degrees of NURSING and universities have a number of programs that will get you on the path to a nursing career. Read about the different nursing degrees below and then check out the chart for schools that best meet your needs. A SSOCIATE DEGREE ( T WO-YEAR DEGREE)
Associate degree programs, offered by two-year and four-year colleges and universities, must meet the requirements of a regional accreditation association and be approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing. At the completion of a program, the student is awarded an associate of science (AS) or associate of science in nursing (ASN) diploma. Only then is the graduate eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and, upon successful completion, become a registered nurse (RN)
BACC AL AUREATE DEGREE (FOUR-YEAR DEGREE) Baccalaureate programs must be approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing and are usually offered by four-year colleges or universities. At the completion of a program, the student is awarded the bachelor of science (BS) or bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree and given a diploma. After graduation, he or she is eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and, upon successful completion, become a registered nurse (RN).
PRAC TIC AL NURSING
Both private and public two-year and four-year institutions offer practical nurse programs, which generally take
12 months to complete. The Arkansas State Board of Nursing approves the practical nurse (PN) programs and upon completion of the program, the student receives a certificate. Then the individual is eligible to take the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and, upon successful completion, become an LPN (licensed practical nurse).
REGISTERED NURSING
ASSOCIATE DEGREE
DIPLOMA
PRACTICAL NURSING
Both private and public two-year and four-year colleges and universities offer registered nurse programs that are divided into two categories: a twoyear associate degree and a four-year baccalaureate degree. Before going to work, the graduate is required to pass the NCLEX examination. In addition to the traditional route, there are twoyear diploma certificate programs.
Arkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus, Ozark • 479-667-2117
public
Semester
Certificate
Baptist Health Schools Little Rock • 501-202-6200, 800-345-3046
private
Semester
diploma/LPN, diploma/RN
Black River Technical College, Pocahontas • 870-248-4000
2 yr public
Semester
AAS/RN, Certificate/PN, Certific
Cossatot Community College of the UA, De Queen, Nashville • 870-584-4471, 800844-4471
2 yr public
Semester
LPN
Arkansas Northeastern College Blytheville • 870-824-6253 • Paragould • 870239-3200
public
Semester
Certificate of Practical Nursing
ASU Technical Center, Jonesboro • 870-932-2176
public
Semester
LPN
Arkansas State University - Beebe • ASU Searcy Campus 501-207-6214
public
Semester
Certificate LPN
CONTINUING EDUC ATION
Northwest Technical Institute, Springdale • 479-751-8824
public
Semester
diploma/PN
College of the Ouachitas, Malvern • 800-337-0266 ext 1200
2 yr public
Semester
Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing, Certified Nursing Assist
Ozarka College, Melbourne • 870-368-7371
2 yr public
Semester
LPN, LPN-RN
University of Arkansas Comm. College at Morrilton • 501-354-2465
2 public
Semester
LPN-certificates AAS-LPN, RN
Pulaski Technical College, North Little Rock • 501-812-2200
2 yr public
Semester
Technical Certificate in Practical
National Park Community College, Hot Springs • 501-760-4160
public
Semester
certificates in Practical Nursing
Rich Mountain Community College, Mena • 479-394-7622
2 yr public
Semester
certificate/PN, LPN, CAN, RN
SAU Tech, Camden • 870-574-4500
2 yr public
Semester
Technical Certificate
South Arkansas Community College, El Dorado • 870-864-7142, 870-864-7137
2 yr public
Semester
ADN,LPN
University of Arkansas Community College at Hope • 870-777-5722
2 yr public
Semester
certificate/PN
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith • 479-788-7861, 1-888-512-LION
4 yr public
Semester
Technical Certificate
University of Arkansas at Monticello College of Technology, Crossett • 870-364-6414
2 yr public
Semester
Technical Certificate in Practical Nu
After completing the basic nursing programs, you might want to consider an advanced degree such as an RNP (registered nurse practitioner), APN (advanced practice nurse) or LPTN (licensed psychiatric technician nurse). Also, for nurses with a BSN, there are a number of advanced degrees, including master’s degrees and Ph.D.s in various fields of study. These advanced programs require additional education and can include the passage of specific licensure examinations.
*** for Basic nursing education; Varies with previous coursework or nursing license; MSN program = 2 yrs
12
TO COMPILE THIS, FORMS WERE S
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
Length Of Program
Living Arrangements
Aid Deadline
Scholarship Deadline
Required Exams
Application Deadline
Comments/Home Page Address
varies
on campus housing
July 1st
February 15th
ACT or SAT or COMPASS or ASSET
varies
Nursing programs are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. www.astate.edu
BSN-4yrs, RN to BSN-1yr, MSN-2yrs
on campus housing
varies
varies
BSN-ACT or COMPASS, RN to BSNNone, MSN-GRE
March 1st and October 1st, other programs vary
RN to BSN can be completed in as little as 1 year. Excellent Faculty. www.atu.edu/nursing
BSN 4 yrs
on campus housing
June 1st
Rolling
ACT or SAT
Rolling/$40
Quality nursing education with a focus on Christian service and professionalism. www.harding.edu
4 yrs
on campus housing
June
varies
ACT, SAT, COMPASS
Feb 15th
The school with a heart. Small classes. CCNE Accredited. www.hsu.edu/nursing
4 yrs***
on campus housing
March 15th
November 15th
SAT, ACT (none for MSN)
Jan 15th for Fall admission; June 15th for Spring (none for MSN)
Nursing is a dynamic career, meeting the health care needs of society. http://nurs.uark.edu/ The online Master of Science degree in nursing offers a choice of two concentrations: Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health and Nurse Educator.
4 semesters/ASN, 3 semesters/ BSN
on/off campus housing
April 1st
February 1st
ASN/SAT for students with less than 12 credits.
Oct 1st for Spring/ June 1st for Fall
BSN completion for current RNs or recent graduates of an accredited nursing program. UALR students can Ladder into the online BSN and graduate within 4 years. www.ualr.edu/nursing
4 yrs/BSN, MSN varies, PMC varies
on campus housing
July 1st
January 8th
SAT or ACT
varies by program, see website for dates
www.uca.edu/nursing
4 yrs for BSN/Varies for RN-BSN
on campus housing
Priority March 15th
February 1st
ACT/COMPASS
Oct 1st for Spring/ March 1st for Fall
RN-BSN is an Online Completion Program. www.uafs.edu/health/ bachelor-science-nursing-bsn www.uafs.edu/health/rn-bsn-onlinecompletion-track
, LPN-BSN
1 to 4 yrs
on campus housing
contact financial aid (870) 460-1050
March 1st
none
March 1st
Achieve your nursing goals with us. www.uamont.edu/Nursing/ academicprograms.htm
s options available
BSN generic: 2 yrs+1 summer/ RN to BSN: 1 yr full time/ MNSC& Ph.D:students have up to 6 yrs to complete degree requirements
on campus housing
varies, visit nursing. uams.edu. Click on scholarships
varies, visit nursing. uams.edu click on scholarships
TOEFL for int'l students, MNScMAT or GRE, PhD-GRE, ATI TEAS V for BSN applicants.
BSN generic: February 1st/ RN to BSN: March 1st & Sept. 1st/ MNSC: Sept. 1st & April 1st/ PhD: March 2
www.nursing.uams.edu
2 year
commuter campus
Priority April 15
Priority March 15
COMPASS or ACT and PAXRN
RN- March 31, PN- March 31
ANC offers the RN, LPN, and LPN to RN programs of study www.anc.edu
varies
on campus housing Jonesboro
July 1st
February 15th
ACT, SAT, COMPASS, or ASSET
varies
The mission of the School of Nursing is to educate and enrich students for evolving professoinal nursing practice. www.astate.edu
2 yrs
commuter campus
April 15th
varies
ACT, ASSET / Nursing Pre-entrance exams
varies
Allied health program offering RN-Nursing degree (basic students, LPN completion). www.eacc.edu
2 yrs
commuter campus
open
open
ACT, SAT or COMPASS, TEAS
March 1st
Options for LPN and new High School graduates. www.npcc.edu
2 yrs
commuter campus
Priority April 15 Rolling
Priority April 15
PAX-RN
March 31st
www.mccc.cc.ar.us
RN-1yr; LPN-RN-1yr; PN-1yr
commuter campus
Pell Grant June 30, 2010
June 15th
ACT, ASSET, COMPASS
varies with program
Northark’s students receive excellent healthcare education leading to rewarding careers in nursing.www.northark.edu/academics/nursing
4 semesters
commuter campus
May 1st
April 1st
ACT or COMPASS
March 1st
The college of the NWA community, member of Northwest Arkansas Nursing Education Consortium nwacc.edu/academics/nursing
AAS 72 credit hrs, PN 54 credit hrs
commuter campus
none
none
none for admission
RN June 1st, PN June 1st or Oct 1st
RN Program, NLNAC accredited. www.pccua.edu
aramedic to RN. Technical Certificate: PN
PN-1 yr, Generic RN-5 Semesters
commuter campus
open
none
ACT, COMPASS, PAX for PN, HESI Fundamentals of Nursing for RN
Second Friday in March
Changing lives…one student at a time! www.seark.edu
n
4 yrs BSN 2yrs/ADN, 2-4 yrs online RN-BSN Completion program
on campus housing
July 1st
Priority March 15, Final August
ACT, ADN HESI Admission
September 30 for LPN to RN Transition or February 28 for BSN and ADN applications
SAUM has an LPN to RN track for current LPNs or Vocational Nurses. www. saumag.edu/nursing
N-traditional and online tracks, PN Generic RN Program
11 mos, Generic RN program is 16 mos.
commuter campus
varies
March 1- High school Academic; July 15- Others; Nursing ScholarshipDec. 1
ASSET, ACT, SAT or COMPASS**, KAPLAN Nurse Entrance Test
PN May 1 - LPN to RN July15 - Generic RN entry deadline is May 1st
UACCB's nursing programs are among the top programs in the state. www.uaccb.edu
4 semesters
on/off campus housing
April 1st
February 1st
ACT, SAT, Evolve A2 nursing entrance exam.
Priority Application Deadline Feb 28/ Applications accepted until class full
LPN/Paramedic to RN (1 year). Traditional ASN (2 years). Accelerated ASN (18 months). See above for BSN information. www.ualr.edu/ nursing
RN traditonal track 3yrs. RN express track 2yrs. LPN 1yr. RN Accelerated 1yr (LPNs or Paramedics).
commuter campus
March 1st priority
varies
ACT
3yr-July1, 2yr-June 1, PN-Dec 1 or June 1, RNA- Dec 1
bhslr.edu
1 year pre-requisites + 2 years core courses
commuter campus
none
none
ACT
Applications accepted until classes filled. $35 fee
Length of program recently changed. See webpage for details. www. jrmc.org/schoolofnursing
3 semesters
commuter campus
Priority April 15
varies
COMPASS, NET
June 1, October 1
Clinical experience in hospitals of varying size, physicians' offices and geriatric facilities. http://atuoc.atu.edu
2 semester LPN
commuter campus
Priority March 1st
varies
ACT
Dec 1st & June 1st
bhslr.edu
AAS/RN 3 semesters, Certificate/PN 3semesters, Certificate of Proficiency/ Nursing Assistant 4 weeks.
commuter campus
contact financial aid office
April 15th
ACT or ASSET
1st day of class
BRTC: A college of vision. BRTC has a 95% plus boards pass rate. www.blackrivertech.org
De Queen 11 mos Day Program, Nashville 18 mos evening program
commuter campus
varies
June 15th
COMPASS, NET
Day Program-De Queen March 1st, Evening Program-Nashville August 31st
Prerequisites required prior to admission. www.cccua.edu
13 months
commuter campus
Priority April 15th
Priority April 15th
COMPASS or ACT and PAX-PN
March 31st
Variety of clinical experiences. www.anc.edu
11 mos
commuter campus
none
none
ASSET, NET
June 1 & November 1
Combines classroom instruction with clinical experience. Graduates eligible to take NCLEX.
11 mos
commuter campus
varies
June 1st
ACT/COMPASS and Questionnaire
Call for further information
Application packet and program requirements are online. www.asub.edu
3 sem. & 1 Summer session (includes Pre-Reqs)
commuter campus
July 1/Fall, December 1/Spring
June 1/Fall, December 1/Spring
NET, COMPASS
November 1st
Bilingual scholarships available- www.nwansged.org
1-3 semesters
commuter campus
open
Fall-May1, Spring-Dec 1
COMPASS
First Friday in September / Spring, First Friday in March / Fall
www.coto.edu
11-18 mos
commuter campus
none
March 1st
Wonderlic, TEAS, LPN STEP
April 1/Fall, November 1/Spring August 31 - RN
Providing life-changing experiences through education. www.ozarka.edu
3 semesters - 2yr
commuter campus
prior to semester
April 1st
COMPASS, NET Gap
LPN-June 1st, AASLPN-Oct 1st, RN-Aug 31st
Enrollment limited to 20 each admission for LPN. www.uaccm.edu
11-month traditional track/22month non-traditional track
commuter campus
Oct. 15 for Spring, March 15 for Summer, May 15 for Fall
varies
ACT or COMPASS and Kaplan Admission Test
April 15th
Call an advisor to discuss pre-requisites and eligibility. 501-812-2834 or 501-812-2339 www.pulaskitech.edu/programs_of_study/nursing/ practical_nursing.asp
13 mos FT; 2yr PT
commuter campus
none
none
COMPASS, TEAS
March 1st
Do you want to make a difference? Then nursing is for you! Evening option available. www.npcc.edu
11-12 mos
commuter campus
varies, contact financial aid office
April
PSB and ACT, COMPASS
LPN-March, RN-Sept
www.rmcc.edu
11 mos
commuter campus and on-campus
N/A
March 1st
ASSET. TEAS. Practical Nursing
June 1st
Two Applications required: admissions and nursing. www.sautech.edu
11 mos
commuter campus
none
Priority April 1st
ACT, ASSET, or COMPASS
open
SouthArk: Where students come first. www.southark.edu
2 sem. (excludes prerequisites)
commuter campus
none
none
ASSET, ACT or COMPASS
June 30th
Lmassey@mail.uacch.edu
12 mos
on campus housing
Priority March 15th
Feb. 1st
ACT/COMPASS/NLN PAX-PN
June 1st for Fall
www.uafs.edu/health/licensed-practical-nursing-pn
12 mos
commuter campus
varies
varies
entrance exam
March
Accredited by the Commission on Schools of the North Central Association, and the council of Occupational Education.
MSN, RN to MSN
(online program)
nal AASN offered at ASU Mountain phis)
, LPN-RN
cate of Proficiency/Nursing Assistant
Nursing, Associate of Applied Science in tant, Medication Administration Program
l Nursing/PN
ursing
SENT TO EVERY QUALIFIED COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO RETURN BY A SPECIFIED DEADLINE. THOSE SCHOOLS NOT MEETING THE DEADLINE WERE REPEATED FROM LAST YEAR. EVERY ATTEMPT IS MADE TO GATHER AND VERIFY THE INFORMATION.
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times
13
INFORMATION CURRENT AS OF SEPT. 2012. 2011 INFORMATION WAS REPEATED IF 2012 INFORMATION WAS NOT PROVIDED BY PRESS TIME.
$
Showing you the money
STATE FINANCIAL AID
Arkansas offers a number of financial aid programs, including the new Arkansas Challenge Scholarship (also known as the Arkansas Lottery scholarship). It awards Arkansas students with $4,500 scholarships if attending a four-year institution in state or $2,250 if attending a two-year institution. The scholarship isn’t based on income and everyone is eligible to apply. Program information with eligibility guidelines, deadlines and applications can be found at www.ADHE.EDU.
Get the funds needed for school
SCHOL ARSHIP SEARCHES UAMS
Arkansas’s colleges and universities are welcoming students in large numbers with a variety of degrees, such as twoand four-year, on-campus, online or a hybrid, fitted to your needs. Whether you’re a recent high school graduate or even if you’ve been out of school for a while, don’t let money woes keep you from completing a nursing degree. There’s plenty of financial help available if you just know where to look, and a little help can go a long way. Experts recommend making an appointment with your high school counselor early in your high school career so you can design an academic path to follow. Once you’ve selected a college or university, check with the financial aid office for available scholarships or grants. Southern Arkansas University department of nursing chair Dr. Bernadette Fincher, RN, says there are many opportunities in the world of nursing, and for those who don’t have
EXCELLENT SOURCES TO GET THE MONEY YOU NEED
These nurses at UAMS found the funding to make their dreams come true.
the money, there are plenty of programs designed to help serious students. Before giving up on your dreams, she suggests talking to your campus counselor to find out about the large number of scholarships, grants, federal loans and loan forgiveness programs that might be available to you.
The Arkansas Student Loan Authority offers free scholarship searches at Fund My Future (www.fundmyfuture.info). Also, www.FinAid.org, sponsored by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, offers information on scholarships, fellowships and grants.
NURSING STUDENT LOAN PROGRA M
Act 85 of 2003 established the Nursing Student Loan Program to provide financial assistance to Arkansas’s full-time students enrolled in or accepted to an
14
approved Arkansas nurse education program. The loans may be changed to scholarship grants if the student works full time as an RN (registered nurse) or LPN (licensed practical nurse) in qualified employment in Arkansas and up to 100 percent of the loan may be forgiven. For more information, visit http://www.adhe.edu/divisions/ financialaid/Pages/fa_nursing.aspx.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUC ATION
While local banks no longer offer federally funded student loans, the DOE offers Pell and Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, as well as Perkins loans, PLUS loans, Stafford loans and Direct loans. For more information, go to the DOE’s Direct Loan Program website at http://www2.ed.gov.
ARKANS A S HEALTH EDUC ATION GRANT
This grant provides assistance to Arkansas residents attending out-ofstate accredited health institutions that offer graduate or professional programs unavailable in the state. Information and applications are available at http://www.adhe.edu.
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
I went to UCA and planned to major in
Why I became a nurse...
biology/premed. I was doing well but not getting the straight A’s I needed to go to medical school. I knew I wanted to do
something in the health care field – I knew I wanted to make difference in people’s lives. I had an aunt who worked in the hospital and my grandparents were in and out of the hospital for various reasons. I was the only nursing major on the football team. I got called Nurse Murry every day. I would just laugh it off — there were people who got called much worse. I finished my BSN in 1999 and went to work at Baptist in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. I like meeting people at their lowest point and finding an opportunity to be a ray of sunshine and hope in their lives, and I like that we get to use and apply everything we learned in school. Michael Murry, unit supervisor, cardiovascular intensive care unit, Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock
I wanted the hands-on interaction with patients at the bedside, and I like how the three-day-a-week schedule makes it easier to raise children. Kelsey Johnson, RN, orthopedics, Conway Regional Medical Center
UALR Nursing
N UALR R S E
Department of
Climb the ladder of success with the UALR Department of Nursing Ladder Program. Whether you are a practicing professional or a freshman with few credits, UALR has a program to fit your needs and prepares you for the challenging profession of nursing. Find out which education track is best for you at ualr.edu/nursing. 501-569-8070
Department of nursing
university of arkansas at LittLe rock
a Difference of Degree
My daughter Kaitlynn, now almost 16, was flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital on Angel One in October 1996 a few hours after birth. She was diagnosed with hyaline membrane disease and persistent pulmonary hypertension. At the time I was told she might never be “normal.” Approximately three weeks later we were discharged on full breastfeeds! I was so moved by the care my daughter received from her many nurses and Dr. Bonnie Taylor. I remember feeling so impressed with the work they did. I wanted to be one of those nurses I had admired (and still do) so much. I started my
Job Security
college career just a short 10 months after my daughter was admitted to ACH, and four years later I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in nursing. A month after graduation I
Job Security Job
had taken my licensing exam and was starting orientation here at ACH in the NICU. Caroline Woodson, RN, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Arkansas Children’s Hospital
I am the only girl in a Filipino family of seven brothers, and I was the first in our family to graduate with a degree. My parents were making little over minimum wage and raising eight kids. As a student nurse, I watched patients by night to support my career and went to school during the daytime. I struggled to pass nursing due to English as my second language but I loved the direct patient care. I started in nursing at 18 years of age. I’ve had lots of adventures and amazing memories. After 27 years in nursing I still love the challenge and the job of caring. Maria Evans, RN, UAMS
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times
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Security
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Where the JOBS ARE
Nurse practitioners, geriatric specialists are in demand
One of the best things about becoming a nurse is the wide range of choices nurses have about exactly what they want to do. Nurses of every stripe are in short supply nationwide, but as the health care system itself undergoes major changes and the U.S. population continues to age, the nursing profession is seeing major shifts in what kind of nursing skills will be most in demand for today’s nursing school graduates.
NURSE PRACTITIONERS
There will be a much higher demand for basic primary health care in the coming years as more people get health insurance as a result of the Affordable Care Act. There is already a shortage of primary care doctors, especially in smaller towns and rural areas. One way to address the need is with nurse practitioners. These are nurses who have master’s degrees and may have specialized in a certain kind of care, such as geriatrics or pediatrics. They care directly for patients and have the authority to write prescriptions, order tests, and take care of other aspects of primary care. “When you go out into other areas, you see there’s just one doctor for the population, you can bridge that gap to where other people have access to you as a health care provider,” said Susan Smithwick, an advanced practice nurse at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who specializes in geriatrics — caring for older adults. Nurse practitioners can earn a significantly higher salary than registered nurses — even into six figures for nurse anesthetists — and have a greater scope of responsibility. There’s a growing demand for nurse practitioners, especially in underserved areas, and schools are seeing growing numbers of applicants to their advanced practice nursing degree programs, said Dr. Sue McClarry, chair of the nursing department at Arkansas State University, which offers the only nurse anesthetist degree program in the state. “We’re seeing a lot of students coming into our family nurse practitioner program and our [nurse anesthetist] program,” she
said. “There’s going to be a great need for all of these roles, particularly with the Affordable Care Act.” Heather Alverson earned her master’s degree in nursing science from UAMS in 2011, specializing in adult acute care. APNs are “the next best thing” when a physician isn’t available, she said. “They have a lot of decision-making capacity and knowledge base and can care for the patient. … The demand is more than we have doctors for in a lot of areas. This kind of role will be used to take up that slack.” Arkansas hasn’t made as much progress as some other states in making full use of nurse practitioners, said Dr. Melanie J. Ware, a women’s health advanced practice nurse at UAMS, but she thinks that as health care providers and patients are more exposed to what nurse practitioners can do and how they can provide quality direct patient care, that will change. It will have to, she said. “I don’t see how we’re going to be able to serve all the people of Arkansas without using nurse practitioners,” she said. “There are just not enough physicians to go around.”
NURSE EDUCATION
The chronic, nationwide shortage of nurses isn’t because too few people are interested in becoming nurses. Instead, it’s because there aren’t enough nurse educators to teach everyone who’d like to study nursing. The University of Arkansas’ Eleanor Mann School of Nursing recently doubled the number of pre-nursing students it accepts into the nursing program from 100 a year to 100 each semester, and started an online RN-to-BSN program to serve even more students. “We’re going to have an increased demand for more nurse educators,” said Dr. Ann Schlumberger, chair of the Department of Nursing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “So many that we have now are going to be retiring in the next five or six years, and it’s going to be critical to bring more qualified, master’s and doctorate-educated nurses in so we’ll
Nurses skilled in caring for the elderly are in great demand.
have the educators we need.” Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas, said even having a nursing education program in her school hasn’t made it easier for her to find faculty. “We have a huge need for nursing faculty,” she said. “I think many [nurses] just don’t think about being a teacher.” With the average age of nurses now over 50, the nursing profession is facing not just a major loss of nurses as that age group begins to retire, but also a major loss of nursing leaders. “They are in the positions where some of the new graduates want to be,” said Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, assistant director of the U of A’s school of nursing. 16
“We will not be producing the number of nurses needed to fill their jobs, even they everybody’s doubling their enrollment.”
GERIATRICS
Smithwick’s specialty, geriatrics, is going to be one of the most in-demand areas for all kinds of nurses in the coming years, she said. “With everybody aging, we need to come to the realization that we’re going to have more people with functional capacity issues, more people on more medications, with memory problems, and what are going to do with these people?” she said. “Nursing has a major role to play in the care of older adults, regardless of setting,”
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
said Dr. Claudia Beverly, director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at UAMS. Many nurses, however, don’t receive any specific education in geriatric care. One of the Hartford Center’s goals is to prepare nursing faculty to teach geriatrics so the student nurses of the future will have that training. “They will have a job forever working with older adults,” Dr. Beverly said. Estimates are that 60 percent to 80 percent of nurses will work in a hospital, and 70 percent to 80 percent of hospital patients are over the age of 65. “We have to have a workforce prepared to do that,” she said. Geriatric nurses also will be needed to work in nursing homes and for home health care agencies. Karmel Ancel, director of Parkway Village, which includes assisted living and nursing home facilities, said it’s hard to find nurses with experience in geriatrics. “It’s very rewarding, but it’s not what people think coming out of nursing school that they want to do,” she said. “We don’t have TV shows about nursing homes.” In nursing homes, she said, RNs are typically in more supervisory roles, and it’s difficult to find a nurse with both supervisory experience and geriatric experience. “We do a lot of our own training,” she said.
Nursing is a great profession! You have the opportunity to help people, change lives, save lives, and even touch souls. As a little girl I watched my mother graduate from nursing school and take pride in loving, caring, listening to, and helping others. She was always very compassionate about helping and caring for others and I knew I wanted to be just like her. My mind never
Why I became a nurse...
changed on who or what I wanted to be. In 2002, I fulfilled my aspirations and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Since graduating, I have been able to share love, provide care, soothe hurts, touch souls and save lives. Tammaria Murray, RN, BSN, oncology, hospice and neurology nurse, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Pine Bluff
jrmc.org
Baptist Health
HOSPICE/PALLIATIVE CARE
These related disciplines are both going to be growing as the U.S. population ages and as other medical advances allow people of all ages to survive with conditions that in previous years would have been fatal. Hospice care focuses on providing comfort care and improving the quality of life specifically for patients with six months or less to live. Palliative care provides the same type of care, but not just for patients who are terminally ill. There’s been a growing understanding and acceptance of what hospice care really offers, said Kristie Davis, the hospice team leader for Baptist Health Hospice, and doctors are more willing now to provide treatments that will improve a patient’s quality of life, at least temporarily, but that aren’t meant to change the course of the disease. “When I first started, somebody getting a blood transfusion was unheard of,” she said. “They weren’t going to do it. Now, if it makes [the patient] feel better for two or three weeks, we’ll do it.” Hospice nursing is a true calling, Davis said. Nurses do more than provide physical care — they care for their patients’ emotional and spiritual health, and often for the patients’ family members too. “We still have some people who will say, ‘I don’t want to talk about death and dying all day,’” she said. “Neither do we. We want to help you talk about your life and how to live it.”
Becoming a registered nurse at the JRMC School of Nursing can open the door to a world of opportunities…right here in Southeast Arkansas! Technology and education have changed the landscape of nursing careers, and the JRMC School of Nursing uses both to prepare students for healthcare partnerships in a myriad of different settings from hospitals to corporate America. •
Twenty-Four Month Program
• • •
Enhanced Curriculum State-0f-The-Art Simulation Lab Financial Aid Options
(after completion of required college courses)
For more information, call the JRMC School of Nursing at 870-541-7850 or visit us on the Internet at www.jrmc.org/schoolofnursing
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times
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The Second
TIME AROUND Job security, salaries a draw for second-career nurses Nursing is a great choice for non-traditional students considering a career change.
It may seem like there’s no safe haven in the uncertain economy of the past few years — but nursing comes very close. With an unemployment rate of just 2.2 percent nationwide and an average salary in Arkansas of about $57,000, it’s hard to imagine a more attractive place to land for someone who’s looking to jump from their current career ship. “If you look at the classified ads, you can always get a job in nursing,” said Dr. Pegge Bell, director of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas. That can be a comfort to a family or individual who’s been through or just feared going through a layoff or stretch of unemployment. “A lot of people are driven by ‘I need a job,’” Bell said. “We’re seeing a lot that are not the traditional nursing student we saw 20 years ago. People are being very practical.” While the job security and salary potential make nursing an attractive second career, the way nursing education tends to be structured makes it a real possibility for people who can’t afford to quit their current jobs to attend school full-time. Many nurses start out in shorter educational programs that qualify them to become a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, but a
significant number of them will decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree or higher in the field of nursing. And because that’s next to impossible to do on-site while holding down a nursing job, the vast majority of nursing education programs now offer at least part of their coursework, if not all of it, online. Many community colleges also offer nursing programs, so you don’t have to live near a major university. Leah Wright, a registered nurse at Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, earned her master’s degree in nursing administration through an online program at Delta State in Mississippi. It fit well with the lifestyle and career demands of a working RN, she said. “You can kind of self-pace to a certain extent,” she said. “If we needed to have a class, the teacher would tell everybody to log in at a certain time. Everybody was at home but we were all online. I liked that.” Still, if you’re starting at the beginning with your nursing education, expect to spend between two and five years earning a degree or diploma to become a registered nurse. If you don’t have that much time, it’s possible to finish the coursework to become a licensed practical nurse in a calendar 18
year. Job prospects are more limited for LPNs, but it’s the shortest route to a nursing job, and there are LPN-to-RN and LPN-to-BSN programs around Arkansas designed for working LPNs. At the University of Arkansas, the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing is seeing more and more students come in who already have a bachelor’s or higher degree in another field, said Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, the school’s assistant director. “Second-career nursing students bring a different energy to the classroom,” she said. “They are generally very focused, goal oriented, and energetic. Much of this is due to their experience, motivation, and understanding of what is needed in the workplace.” Arkansas State University’s nursing programs have also seen a rise in the number of second-career students, said Dr. Sue McClarry, chair of the university’s department of nursing. “A lot are coming in because they want to make a difference,” she said. ASU is one of a growing number of universities around the country that offer an accelerated bachelor of science degree in nursing for students who already have earned a bachelor’s degree in any other field. To be admitted into
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
Why I became a nurse...
Department of Nursing
I always had a strong interest in the biology, chemistry and other science courses in school. During my second year of college with an undeclared major, I was fortunate enough to have a good guidance counselor who recognized my interests and steered me towards health care as a career option. I chose to enter the nursing profession because of my love of the sciences and the general desire to want to assist others in
At Arkansas Tech University, you will gain the knowledge and skills that you need for a rich and fulfilling career in the field of nursing. If you are already in the nursing profession and are looking to take the next step in your career, our Master of Science in Nursing Administration and Emergency Management might be right for you. • Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in nursing programs available in Russellville. • RN to BSN online program available for registered nurses.
their time of need. I also felt that
Baptist Health
nursing offered the upward mobility that I was looking for in a career. I am grateful to have worked as a nursing assistant, registered nurse, charge nurse, nurse manager ASU’s program, students’ previous degrees must have included more than half a dozen science courses, as well as classes in English composition, sociology, and psychology. The intense, full-time program runs for an entire calendar year. Another advantage for second-career nurses is that you don’t necessarily need a bachelor’s degree in nursing to start work on a master’s. At the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, people with a bachelor’s degree in another field can earn their RN license, and then go straight work on their master’s degrees. If you think you’d wind up being the oldest person in your class, don’t bet on it. The average age of a nursing student at Baptist Health Schools Little Rock is 27, for instance. “We have a lot of non-traditional students who have had other careers or been in the military and have come back to nursing school because they want to do something meaningful,” said Sandra Kahler, a member of the faculty at Baptist Health Schools. “It’s not unusual to get people who already have degrees. We get some really interesting people who come into nursing. They’re usually very dedicated, and they really have a grasp of what they don’t want — a job
For more information, call 479-968-0383 or visit www.atu.edu/nursing
and an advanced practice nurse
UCA NURSING
A HEALTH DEGREE FOR A HEALTHY CAREER.
throughout my career. Each role has built upon the last and allowed me to utilize sound scientific data as the basis for providing health care. Joe Cobb, MNSc, RN, operating room manager, Jefferson Regional Medical Center
that’s just a paycheck.” Also, employers understand that second-career nurses bring something extra to the table, Sharp-McHenry said. “Many employers are attracted to second-degree students because they bring a different skill set that traditional students lack, such as seasoned decisionmaking skills, professionalism, and maturity,” she said. “I believe we will see more of these types of students in the future. As the demand for nurses continues to rise, nurses who possess this skill set will be highly sought after.”
Advertising Supplement to Arkansas Times
™
uca.edu
UCA offers the nursing program you need for the career you want. We have a nursing graduation rate of 85 percent, and our licensure test scores are above the state and national average. UCA also has the only Clinical Nurse Leader program in the state. And we offer an MSN degree for all majors online. If nursing is your calling, UCA is your answer. Visit uca.edu/nursing to learn more and apply.
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS 19
Don’t Wait ’Til YOU GRADUATE
University of Arkansas
Lay the groundwork for a great job while you’re still in school
Students Gina Spring, Gerald Dilibe, and John Matthews study at the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas.
So you want to be a nurse, and you’ve even got a dream job picked out — all you’ve got to do is finish nursing school, and then you’ll start sending out the resumes. Right? Wrong. Smart nursing students begin preparing for the job search and marketing themselves to potential employers long before they have that nursing license in their hands, say area nurses who are involved with hiring at their institutions. But how? There are several ways. First, look for opportunities to get work experience in the health care arena before you graduate. Student nurses can work as unlicensed nurses and nurse’s assistants, or in other health care-related jobs that don’t require a nursing license. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ office of nurse recruiting offers an eight-week summer
externship program for nursing students that lets them observe working nurses and build experience in the hospital setting. Michael Waldron, 26, a senior in UAMS’ bachelor of science in nursing program, completed an externship in the intensive care unit last summer. “I learned a lot,” he said. “I’d heard about critical care/ICU nursing but I had never experienced it. To be able to go there and do that was huge.” Waldron said the hands-on experience also increased his comfort level with the personal side of nursing. “Now I feel very comfortable going in and talking to the family and talking to patients, especially in the ICU setting,” he said. Ted Clowers, 23, also a senior in the BSN program at UAMS, did a nursing externship last summer as well. It was a great help, he said, just in getting him 20
familiar with the hospital, with medical terms, and nursing practice. “I also definitely think it will help me after I graduate, because I’m more confident in my nursing skills and how to relate to doctors and families,” he said. Clowers also recently started working in a student position in the cardiac and trauma intensive care unit, and is involved in the UAMS chapter of the National Student Nurses Association. “That will help a lot too, as far as after I graduate — it shows I take initiative in nursing education,” he said. “I think it’s very important. Before I really got involved in the externship and ASNA, I felt I didn’t really have the experience to be well rounded. Just gaining as much experience in the medical field and the world in general is just huge.” Heather Alverson, a nurse practitioner at UAMS, recommended that nursing students get into some kind of shadowing program or volunteer position so they can see what it’s really like to work in the medical field. There are a lot of programs in nursing school where students can work a few hours while they’re attending classes. “Those are extremely valuable,” she said. “Getting hands-on experience, working in a clinic, that’s the most important part of nursing school.” Alverson said she “absolutely” looks for that kind of experience on a new nurse’s resume. Because UAMS is a teaching facility, it gets student nurses from a number of nursing education programs around Central Arkansas, Alverson said. Her advice: treat it like a job. “If you’re just remotely interested in working in that facility again as a professional, you want to really conduct yourself as a professional,” she said. “If you’re that aloof student in the corner who’s not engaging, everybody remembers that.” Suzanne Harris, nursing director of inpatient and outpatient oncology at Conway Regional Medical Center, said staff members definitely remember the nursing students who make a good impression during their clinical rotations at the hospital. Student nurses need to conduct themselves as professionals, she said — showing up on time, dressed appropriately, and prepared for the work — and take the initiative to ask questions
Why You Should Become a Nurse 2012
and be engaged. “Clinicals are a time nursing students can start building their professional relationships,” she said. “Nurses and leaders are watching, because we know we will be hiring our future from those nursing students.” She suggests that student nurses look for work as unlicensed nurses or nursing assistants while they’re in school. That way, she said, they become familiar with a hospital’s documentation system, administration and routines, and the learning curve is shorter. At Baptist Health Schools Little Rock, students study professional development as part of their required coursework, said Sandra Kahler, a member of the faculty who teaches the course. They learn skills like conflict resolution, group communication, dealing with power and politics in the workplace, and informatics. They also learn employment skills, including how to write a cover letter and resume and put together a portfolio that showcases their skills and accomplishments. Students are required to wear uniforms in clinical areas, with appropriate shoes and name badges. “We acclimate them from the time they come in our school,” she said. Baptist also gives nursing students plenty of experience and opportunities to improve their job skills while they’re in school. Students in the RN diploma program are required to perform about 200 clinical hours, which provides handson experience the hospital environment. In addition, Baptist Health offers parttime job opportunities for junior and senior level nursing students. These patient care tech positions are designed for nursing students who want to work part-time in their field while they attend nursing school. Kris Moody, a student in Baptist’s nursing school, said he quit a higherpaying job to work as a nursing assistant after struggling with his studies last fall. The extra hands-on experience has been very valuable, he said. “It’s a lot better way of learning rather than just hearing it in the classroom,” he said. Kristie Brockette, unit supervisor on floor 4A at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, started even earlier than nursing school, volunteering at Baptist while she was still in high school. After she completed her first year of nursing school, she got a job as a patient care tech in the hospital. “You can learn from a book and study and take tests, but it’s a lot easier if you have the opportunity to apply that knowledge in a real-life setting,” she said. “I built my rapport with the 4th floor as a nursing assistant so when I got close to graduation, that’s where I chose to interview and fulfill the role of a nurse.” And while nurses’ uniforms are less stiff and formal than in the past — most wear scrubs now — student nurses still need to be mindful of how they look, Kahler said. “Your professional appearance is very important to the patient,” she said. “They want to be sure a competent person is taking care of them.”
Why I became a nurse...
My first experience with a nurse was in 1978. My grandfather was in the hospital at North Metro and children were not allowed in to see patients. My uncle took me and my cousins outside and held me up to the window. He was on the bottom floor. I saw a lady in a white
I was in ROTC in college in Ohio
skirt, shirt, and a hat talking to my grandfather as she was turning the bed so that he could
and they gave us a list of jobs
see us and we were able to wave at him. It was the last time I saw him. To whomever
we could do that we could also
that nurse was, I am forever grateful. I may have been 6 years old, but it made a lasting
use in the military. I saw nursing
impression on me. Even if it was one last wave goodbye.
and thought, “Oh, I could do that”
Amy Niemann, RN, emergency room nurse, UAMS Medical Center
— it seemed like it would be an interesting field for me. I started
My mother was a nurse, and even though she stopped working after she married, I knew
working in the burn unit when I
what it involved and I was always interested in being a nurse. I’m from the Caribbean, and
was still in school, and later did
after high school I went to England and attended nursing school there. I graduated in 1976
organ and tissue recovery for
and I’ve been a nurse ever since. Arkansas Children’s Hospital was recruiting nurses in
several years before coming back
England. I saw the ad and applied, and was hired. The best part of nursing for me is seeing
to the burn unit. It’s constantly
sick people come in and get better, and leave being able to look after themselves. That is
something new, which is exciting.
what I really like, knowing that I’m part of helping them get better.
Georgia Franklin, RN, burn unit, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Helen McLennon, RN, burn unit, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
I had a great labor and delivery nurse who inspired me to go into
ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY - JONESBORO
the medical field. I got interested
COLLEGE OF NURSING AND HEALTH PROFESSIONS
in oncology after a fellow nursing student was diagnosed with stage
SCHOOL OF NURSING
3 lymphoma. A lot of the patients in
Associate of Applied Science
oncology are really sick and when
Traditional, LPN-to-RN
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
you are going through that stage of
Traditional, Second Degree Accelerated, LPN-to-BSN, Online RN-to-BSN
life you need a really caring person.
Master of Science in Nursing
I want to help people through the
Adult Health - Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Educator, Nurse Administrator Family Nurse Practitioner Nurse Anesthesia
toughest times of their lives. Crystal Baker, RN, oncology, Conway Regional Health System
When my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, I took care of her. I wanted to help people. I didn’t know I was going to love surgery. Candi Kennedy, RN, ambulatory surgery, Conway Regional Health System
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www.astate.edu/a/conhp/nursing/
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&Connected
COMMITTED
Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health Sciences
internal study with nurses that examined the meaning of nursing excellence, said Tammy Webb, the hospital’s director of professional practice and clinical education. The hospital held a number of focus group discussions that included questions such as, “If you had a family member as a patient at ACH, what would nursing excellence look like to you?” The nurses’ answers centered on four key concepts, Webb said: Highquality patient care; patient, family, and nurse satisfaction; supportive practice environments; and professional nursing behaviors.
A “Magnet” FOR QUALITY evaluating and overhauling the status quo. “It’s a cultural change — it’s really about a culture of excellence,” she said. “Some institutions may work on it five or 10 years before they apply because of the high standards that must be met.” There are 88 standards, in fact. And they’re not just about making sure individual nurses are highly trained and professionally excellent. The standards also address nursing leadership within the organization — how the organization ensures that its nursing leaders are transformative, that they are risk takers and advocates for their staff and patients. “Obviously we do a lot of development of our leaders, and just have high standards,” Jones said. “We expect them to be participatory and adaptive, and to have a transformational leadership style.” Some of the Magnet standards focus on how institutions empower their nurses and leaders to be involved with strategic planning and making decisions that affect how they practice together. That, in turn, leads to qualities like supporting nurses who want to return to school and earn a higher degree or additional certifications. There are real benefits for patients and consumers as well, Jones said. “In Magnet institutions, the degree and standards to which they have to function — the quality’s higher,” she said. “That’s supported by data. They expect you to outperform the mean. It’s not about being average, it’s about setting the bar above.” Also, she said, “a more engaged staff is going to provide better care.” Arkansas Children’s Hospital kicked off its Magnet process by conducting an
“It’s something that you have to create, and it lives and breathes in your institution — and that doesn’t happen quickly,” Jones said. “Your journey for excellence is ongoing and never ends.”
UAMS
If you’re just contemplating a career in nursing, you’ve probably never heard of the Magnet Recognition Program. But you will — especially if you study or work at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences or Arkansas Children’s Hospital, which are in the middle of the multi-year process of applying for Magnet designation. So what is it? The Magnet Recognition Program was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognize health care organizations that demonstrate quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. The ANCC describes it as “the ultimate credential for high quality nursing” and “the leading source of successful nursing practices and strategies worldwide.” The process of securing Magnet designation also benefits other hospital employees as well, according to the website, because it affects the entire culture of the institution. Magnet recognition marks a hospital as being among the best in the country. Only 6.6 percent of hospitals — a total of 395 — have achieved it nationwide. There are currently none in Arkansas, but UAMS and ACH hope to change that. “We’re definitely on the journey and plan to submit our application very soon,” said Tammy Jones, associate chief nursing officer and director of the Center for Nursing Excellence at UAMS. Applying for Magnet recognition is a major undertaking, she said. The criteria set a very high bar for nursing excellence and facility-wide operations, and meeting those can mean a lengthy process of
“These results reflect that ACH nurses care deeply about providing the best possible care to patients and families,” Webb said. “These four key concepts are alive in Magnet hospitals and display the true heart of ACH nurses, which is our reason to pursue the Magnet recognition.” UAMS’ Magnet journey started about eight years ago, Jones said. The institution’s nursing leaders began looking at the program and thinking about what resources they would need. About five years ago, Jones began focusing more strongly on the process, working to fill in the gaps they needed before they applied. “It’s something that you have to create, and it lives and breathes in your institution — and that doesn’t happen quickly,” she said. “Your journey for excellence is ongoing and never ends.” The application process has several phases. First, the institution applies. Then, it has to submit a document that speaks to the 88 standards and covers a two-year period. The ANCC scores the document — which can be several thousand pages long — and if the score is high enough, a Magnet team comes to the institution for an on-site evaluation. Jones said UAMS is hoping to apply late this year or in early 2013, and submit a standards document that covers the end of 2012 through the end of 2014. “It’s a rigorous process,” she said. “About 40 percent of the organizations that start on this journey don’t succeed the first time. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart.” And, she said, achieving Magnet status isn’t the end. Magnet hospitals go through a redesignation process every four years, and each time, the bar is raised a little more. “You can’t slide,” she said. “You have to sustain and improve, which is even more challenging.” Nurses themselves will benefit from the culture created by pursuing Magnet recognition, Jones said. “We want nurses who are proactive advocates for patients that come to the table ready to share their ideas and work to
improve patient care,” she said. Because of that culture, Magnet hospitals have lower turnover rates, Jones said — and that translates to stability in the workforce, as well as dollars saved as reimbursement payments are increasingly tied to quality of patient outcomes rather than simply services provided. Jones also wanted to clear up one of the myths she hears often about Magnet recognition. “I hear people say that it’s just something the hospital wants,” she said. “The take-home message about Magnet is, it’s a not a nurse or hospital thing, it is a patient thing. Everything about Magnet is about the good of the patient. It just so happens to also have a positive effect on your practice environment and workforce.”
Why I became a nurse... During my adolescent years, my first employment was in a hospital. I worked closely with the emergency room nursing staff. No matter how difficult the work was or the pain and suffering they witnessed, their compassion, warmth and determination to help others left a lasting impact on me and the work I would do for the future. As a nurse I have had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of individuals, both peers and patients, and no matter where I worked, I have been able to influence individual lives every day. I made a choice that has impacted my entire life. I cannot put into words how humbled I am to have been given the opportunity to work in the nursing profession. Peggy Healy, LPN, LCSW, LADAC, clinical manager of substance abuse treatment, UAMS Psychiatric Institute
A nurse at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences cares for a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit.
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