Nursing shortage leads to program at Fresno State

By Benjamin Baxter
The Collegian

As the San Joaquin Valley faces a severe shortage of nurses, the Department of Nursing at Fresno State is pioneering an accelerated entry-level master's degree program in nursing for students holding a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing.

This program is expected to relieve some of the pressure on the undergraduate nursing program.

The difficulty in entering the undergraduate nursing program has increased dramatically over the past several years, said Christina VaVerka, a recent nursing graduate from Fresno State.

“When I first started the program four years ago, it was really impacted and competitive,” VaVerka said.

“The required prerequisites have just gotten more and more stringent over the past few years and the program is more impacted than ever. If I hadn’t had taken my prerequisites as early as I did, it would have been much harder to get into the program and graduate.”

Current students agree.

“It’ll take me five to six years to graduate because the undergraduate program is so impacted,” Lindsey Nolen, a freshman pre-nursing student, said. “That’s not including the Nurse Practitioner program I want to enter after I graduate.”

Nursing programs region-wide are becoming increasingly crowded. Factors contributing to the shortage in classes include a large number of nurses retiring and not enough nursing educators to teach extra sections of nursing courses.

Once accepted into the 36-month, 98-unit program, students are expected to be able to provide a full-time commitment to the program, including summer sessions as well as some evening and weekend classes.

Students will also participate in clinical rotations in rural areas as part of the program.

Students of this program will graduate in May 2009, leaving Fresno State with a Master's of Science degree in Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nurse Educator.

Under the program, funded by the California State University Chancellor’s Office, students admitted into it will be able to take the registered nurse examination after eighteen months and will be able to work at hospitals throughout.

The program is designed to allow students with a baccalaureate degree who are interested in a career in nursing an accelerated program for a degree in up to half normal time the amount of time to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.

“We have plans for an off-campus Center for Nursing Excellence,” Michael Russler, chair of the Department of Nursing, said. “These programs reflect the role Fresno State is taking and is trying to take in the field of nursing.”

Both the program and the Center for Nursing Excellence are part of a continued emphasis by Russler on preparation of students for entry into nursing education.

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