Anyone who has ever been a patient at a hospital or been treated at a private medical practice is aware of the important role nurses play in health care. Providing adequate care would be far more difficult if women and men were not entering the nursing field.
To Terry Allen, vice president of Human Resources for Cardinal Health System, and Linda Siktberg, director of Ball State's School of Nursing, this potential problem has become a stark reality.
Allen and Siktberg say they are trying their best to combat the nations' current nursing shortage. Along with CHS and the School of Nursing, the two have helped to develop a second baccalaureate degree track at Ball State to help aid Indiana in its own shortage.
According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the 38,780 nurses employed in Indiana in 2000 fell 10 percent short of the estimated demand of 42,893.
Allen said such a prolonged need for nurses helped to spur the idea for the second baccalaureate degree track, a 19-month nursing curriculum with a subsequent national licensure examination.
To qualify, those who are interested must have had a 2.75 GPA in college and must have taken the required courses, including nearly 10 science and health classes, totaling more than 126 hours over the course of eight semesters.
Allen explained that when Ball State approached CHS for help with the program -- the second of such in the state -- the university needed help with enrollment.
"The university did not need money to run the program - they needed students," Allen said of the partnership between the nursing school and CHS, a network of hospitals (including Ball Memorial), physician offices, pharmacies, home health services and rehabilitation services in the area.
Siktberg said CHS provides tuition, books, technology fees and health center fees for 10 students from the university who are pursuing the degree in the form of a scholarship. In exchange, these students agree to work with CHS for three years.
Allen said he sees the degree track as a situation where all parties involved win.
"Ball State gets the students and fees," Allen said. "We are assisting students and helping ourselves."
Allen said CHS hopes students pursuing the program will stay at CHS longer than three years in an effort to provide employment for students after graduation.
Though services for the degree track are provided, Siktberg said the program remains demanding.
"Although they have assistance with tuition and other fees, that funding does not meet their basic living needs," Siktberg said.
Siktberg said for this reason, single mothers and married men may have trouble staying in the program because the academic demands do not leave time for an additional job.
"If a person needs to provide childcare and housing, they have to work as well as attend nursing courses," Siktberg said.
Siktberg said if a man with a wife or family wants to join the program, he may need to stay employed because he needs to carry health insurance for his family.
Aside from these exceptions, Siktberg said CHS provides "excellent support" for students pursuing the second degree.
Though the degree may help Indiana with its nursing shortage, registered nurses are still needed across the country and internationally, Siktberg said. Allen said the nursing shortage will continue for a number of years, with what the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services projects will be a shortage of 808,416 nurses (40 percent) by 2020.
The demand, found by assessing the number of nurses needed to meet the increasing health care needs of our population, may be offset by a six percent increase in supply of registered nurses.
But Siktberg points out such a small growth is not enough.
"It is not that the nurse doesn't have the experience or the skills, but there are more demands for the individual nurse," she said. "Nurses cannot meet the needs of all the patients."
One major factor in the shortage is due to aging baby boomers who are increasingly in need of medical care, Allen said. Another factor is the lack of people enrolling in nursing school and graduating.
Siktberg said she is seeing a lapse in that trend, as the number of students applying for entry into nursing school next year is increasing.
"(But) we are not seeing as many applicants because nursing has always been seen as a female career," Siktberg said. "There have been more opportunities in the last eight to 10 years for females in other careers."
Siktberg added that careers in engineering and pharmacy demand higher salaries than nursing does, and are therefore more appealing to career-oriented women.
Nursing students are also aware of the pressing shortage.
"The nursing shortage is common knowledge," said Heather Nelson, a junior nursing student. "It isn't something that is brought up every day in class."
Junior Sarah Snawder said she also knew about the lack of nurses.
"I was aware going into the program," Snawder said. "The teachers could use it as a motivator to stay in the program."
The nursing program is also seeing an increase in non-traditional students, ages 23 or older.
"Some are single mothers pursuing a first-time career and others may not have been satisfied with their first career choice," Siktberg said.
Currently, 20 to 25 students have inquired about admission into the second baccalaureate degree program at BSU, Allen said.
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