Funding Awards - August 2005
Central Ohio Nurse Workforce Initiative

Osteopathic Heritage Foundation approves nearly $1 million for central Ohio nursing schools

For several years the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation has been a catalyst in working with the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the Columbus hospital systems and the area colleges of nursing to collaboratively identify future healthcare workforce needs and ensure there are adequate numbers of highly trained health professionals to fill them.

"A Chamber study found the need for registered nurses (RNs) is growing faster than area colleges of nursing can prepare them," Rick Vincent, Foundation president, said. "We must act now to avoid the severe nursing shortages experienced in other parts of the country."

The following $991,000 in awards were presented in response to the Foundation's January 2005 request for proposals from Columbus nursing schools:

• The Ohio State University College of Nursing ($230,000) - The majority of this funding will provide neonatal, pediatric and intensive care-level patient simulation equipment in the College's upgraded Technology Learning Complex. Nursing students can learn and practice patient care techniques on simulators before seeing live patients.
  
  The award will also provide a clinical instructor to tutor nursing students having difficulty with clinical courses. The goal is to reduce student attrition and increase the nursing graduation rate to more than 93%.

Additionally, the award will help with development of a master's program for students with a non-nursing bachelor's degree who would like to work as bedside generalists in acute care settings. Students can be prepared to take the RN licensure exam after 18 months of full-time study.


• Mount Carmel College of Nursing ($221,000) - Foundation support will help Mount Carmel increase its annual number of graduating nurses by more than 50% by 2009. Funds will equip classrooms with audio-visual equipment, computers, microscopes, patient simulators, software and other furnishings to support the increase in faculty and students.
  
  Mount Carmel will also provide a program to help master's degreed nurses achieve the required certification to become nursing educators. The goal is to enroll 20 participants annually in the one-year post-master's certificate in education program.
  


• Columbus State Community College ($193,000) - Having expanded its nursing student enrollment by more than 50% in the past three years, Columbus State continues its focus on increasing enrollment, retaining students and graduating them with an associate's degree in nursing. The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation award will enable the school to expand staffing of its Success Center, which provides academic assessment, tutoring and referral services - especially to those at risk of leaving the program or performing poorly. The award will also provide computers and faculty support for the online nursing program.
  
  
• Otterbein College of Nursing ($177,000) - Foundation funding will support acquisition of skills lab equipment and materials to help nursing students practice their patient care techniques. The award will also support clinical faculty and a skills lab instructor. All are needed for Otterbein's GAIN (Getting Adults in Nursing) program, aimed at attracting students ages 25-60 for its accelerated, independent study curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in nursing in three years. Otterbein expects to recruit 25 students to begin the program this fall, with another 25 starting in 2006.
• Capital University ($170,000) - This award will support additional faculty, curriculum development, skills lab equipment and supplies, and other operational expenses for the C-NAP (Capital-Nursing Accelerated Program) for those with bachelor's degrees in other fields. In 20 months participants can earn a bachelor of science in nursing. Capital expects 30 students to begin the program each fall beginning in 2006.

In addition to Foundation funding, each of the nursing programs will receive a portion of a $416,000 federal appropriation to support nursing education. The Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce will administer the federal funds distribution.