Plans are underway to pave another path for the education of registered nurses in our region thanks to a federal grant recently awarded to South Arkansas College.
In excess of $1.5 million, the four-year Department of Health and Human Services grant was conferred by the Health Resources and Services Administration under the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention-Workforce Expansion Program.
The NEPQR-WEP is intended to increase the nursing workforce in rural and underserved areas in order to address what is deemed a critical shortage, particularly in acute and long-term care settings.
“Arkansas has been facing a nursing shortage for several years,” SouthArk nursing program director Genevieve White said. “The State of the Nursing Workforce in Arkansas reported that 90 percent of healthcare facilities can't hire enough registered nurses to meet the demand—and south Arkansas is no exception.
“The growing challenge is due to many factors—an aging population that requires more care; a decline in nursing graduates; a consistent flow of experienced nurses’ leaving the profession. As a leader in workforce development, SouthArk is committed to working to close this gap and ensure our community has the skilled healthcare professionals it depends on."
SouthArk already educates future registered nurses through its bridge program for licensed practical nurses, as well as educating students to become licensed practical nurses. Together, these two pathways produce close to 100 nursing graduates each year. The college also provides multiple options for students to train to become nursing assistants.
Through this grant, the college aims to develop a new program that will provide the education required to become a registered nurse without first being licensed as a practical nurse.
Additional information will be released as further details are solidified.