COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS WEEKEND NURSING PROGRAM. Summary of Need for the Weekend Nursing Program at CCM:

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1 COUNTY COLLEGE OF MORRIS WEEKEND NURSING PROGRAM Summary of Need for the Weekend Nursing Program at CCM: Severe shortages predicted in nursing and allied health fields are not a local or a shortterm concern. To address the issue of shortages in the nursing profession locally, however, the County College of Morris creatively developed a unique Weekend Nursing Program and a partnership with three local hospitals Atlantic Health System (Morristown Memorial Hospital), Chilton Memorial Hospital, and Saint Clare s Health System to support this program. Through the implementation of the Weekend Nursing Program, the County College of Morris is able to educate and train up to an additional 90 qualified nursing graduates over three years. Given space limitations, this special program opens up CCM facilities when they are not being used by nursing students enrolled in the day or evening nursing programs, which are over capacity; and, given fiscal limitations, the partners involved with CCM have enabled the program s existence with pledges of $250,000 each payable over the current time frame of the program. Because the shortage of nurses is not a short-term concern for the community, it is important for the CCM Foundation to continue to seek additional partners to assist with this critical community issue. The CCM Foundation is asking the officers and trustees of the ABC Foundation to consider becoming a partner with CCM and the hospitals and supporting the program in the amount of $175,000, or a portion of that amount. With the inclusion of an additional partner, CCM will be able to educate and train a new cohort of nursing students beginning in the Spring Semester 2008, which will help significantly in addressing the nursing shortage and its affect on medical care in our area. Workforce Shortages in the Nursing Health Care Professions: Although a local concern throughout Morris County, the shortage in the health care workforce has become a national concern because of its potential impact on the future quality of medical care. Part of the problem in New Jersey has been identified with the decline of student nurse graduates due to limitations in enrollment capacity, which has been identified as an integral part of the emerging concern. The New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing (the Center) summarizes their findings as follows:

2 it is estimated that the State s supply of nurses will be short 19,600 RNs by 2010, short 29,900 RNs by 2015, and short 42,400 in 2020 when compared to employer demand (citation). Based on nurse supply-demand model projections for the State over the next 15 years, NJ schools of nursing would need to increase the number of entry-level nurse graduates by an average of 3,000 each year in order to offset this shortage. In order for the NJ schools of nursing to produce nurse graduates in the numbers needed, the educational capacity of existing schools will need to be dramatically increased. In survey responses from NJ schools of nursing to the Center, it was explained that this phenomenon of denying qualified applicants to schools was largely due to a lack of resources, such as faculty and classroom space, essential for increasing enrollments beyond current levels. In 2004, 73% of RN schools reported a lack of financial resources to add faculty lines to increase enrollment capacity for the school year. Although there are a number of complex factors contributing to the nursing workforce shortage -- including the aging of the nursing workforce, increased demand for nurses in different health care settings, current working environments, among others one of the contributing factors that has been identified is the limited capacity in nursing education programs. A recent report by The Forums Institute for Public Policy stated that: Solutions and strategies to remediate the current nursing workforce crisis are multifaceted. In the area of education, experts believe that federal, state, and private support is needed to enhance capacity in nursing education programs. Role of Community College in Nursing Education: The American Hospital Association (AHA) reported that the shortage for registered nurses (RNs) was the most critical manpower problem facing hospitals across America, with 126,000 vacancies for RNs. The American Association of Community College reports that 60 percent of all RNs educated in the United States who entered the nursing field in 2000 received their associate degree in nursing (ADN) at community colleges. Community colleges are the primary educators of new registered nurses in the United States. Nursing Education at the County College of Morris: As part of its mission is to deliver dynamic, challenging, high quality, and accessible academic programs and services that support the individual s quest for lifelong learning and professional development, the County College of Morris has been committed to a strong nursing program since it s inception in Under the Division of Health and Natural Sciences and the Department of Nursing and Allied Health, the outstanding Nursing Program at CCM offers a balance of courses to prepare men and women for entry level Registered Nurse (RN) positions. The nursing curriculum at CCM provides selected laboratory experiences during which students provide nursing care to patients in hospitals and other health care facilities. 2

3 As the second largest community college RN program in the state of New Jersey (with increased facilities and faculty members in their nursing program, Brookdale Community College is the first largest), CCM s nursing program ranks in the top 100 in size of enrollment in a community college RN program in the U.S. CCM was the first two-year nursing program in the state of New Jersey to acquire the Human Patient Simulator (HPS), which is the newest type of advanced technology available to medical and allied health education. CCM s simulators are computerized, full-bodied mannequins that are able to provide real time physiology and pharmacological parameters of the patient; i.e., they can be programmed to respond just like the human body would to a disease or medication and can be programmed to represent a variety of health programs, ages, and both genders. These advanced systems coupled with an overall high quality program and a dedicated faculty all contribute to providing CCM students with an outstanding education, and the necessary skills and training to start their career paths or to continue with the next phase of their educational endeavors in the medical or health care field. In fact, CCM s nursing graduates consistently score in the 90 th percentile on the NCLEX licensing exam for registered nurses, with the latest completed pass rate at 94.17% in In addition, between 70% to 75% of CCM s nursing graduates responding to surveys over the last five years indicate that they continue to live and work in Morris County and the surrounding area, including hospitals such as Morristown Memorial, Chilton, Saint Clare s, Saint Barnabas, Overlook, Mountainside, and Greystone. The Weekend Program In light of the current and projected future shortages in RN nursing personnel, the County College of Morris developed a Weekend Nursing Program (WNP) and a partnership with three local hospitals Atlantic Health System (Morristown Memorial Hospital), Chilton Memorial Hospital, and Saint Clare s Health System to support this program in addressing the nursing shortage in our area. With current space and fiscal limitations, the CCM Weekend Nursing Program provides CCM with the opportunity to expand its nursing enrollment on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays when the facilities are not being used by students enrolled in CCM s day or evening nursing programs, which are currently over capacity. Initiated in September 2006, the current WNP will continue through the end of the 2009 academic year, and it will increase the total number of highly qualified nursing graduates by up to 90 students by the end of the spring semester in Students are admitted to the Weekend Nursing Program in a cohort of 30 students each semester. The WNP is focused solely on the student s fulfillment of the professional phase of the Nursing discipline Nursing I, II, III, and IV which students complete in two years (four semesters). The Weekend Program admitted its first cohort (30 students) in September 2006, and it admitted one cohort (30 students) in the Spring Semester

4 The final cohort of the current three year program will be admitted to the Weekend Nursing Program in the Fall Semester 2007; i.e.: Fall Semester 2006 First Cohort (30 students) entered the two-year program Spring Semester 2007 Second Cohort (30 students) entered the two-year program Fall Semester 2007 Third Cohort (30 students) will enter the two-year program By the end of the Spring Semester of 2009, ninety (90) students will have been admitted into the professional phase of the two-year nursing program, although attrition due to unforeseen circumstances including illness, changes in family circumstances, and the level of challenge of CCM s nursing program will result in less than 90 graduates at the end of the three-year program. The Need for An Additional Partner: The total cost to initiate the current CCM Weekend Nursing Program over three years is approximately $1 Million. CCM is covering program costs of approximately $250,000 and, because of their past relationship with CCM and the potential of this program in addressing growing needs within the nursing profession, all three hospitals committed to contributions of $250,000 each to the CCM Foundation to launch this program. The Weekend Nursing Program has established a momentum as the interest of qualified nursing candidates has increased substantially. It is important for CCM to continue to increase its efforts in meeting the demand for well trained and qualified nurses, which impacts the overall healthcare of our community, especially with approximately 70% to 75% of CCM s nursing graduates indicating that they were employed in Morris County hospitals and health care institutions, with additional graduate responses indicating employment at St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, which is located in Essex County. In fact, the interest in this unique program is starting to grow, and it could have an impact on a much broader scale than to Morris County alone. In May 2007, a presentation on the Weekend Nursing Program was part of a panel discussion on partnerships at the Northeast Regional Conference of the Council for Resource Development (CRD) -- the only national professional organization concerned exclusively with fund-raising at twoyear institutions. Because of the interest in the program, the CCM Foundation has been asked again to present the Weekend Nursing Program partnership presentation at the CRD National Conference in Washington, D.C. in November It is the hope of the CCM Foundation that the ABC Foundation will consider becoming a community partner in this important endeavor and supporting the Weekend Nursing Program in the amount of $175,000, or a portion of that amount. (With a partnership with the ABC Foundation, the total amount of need is reduced due to a reduction in the total indirect instruction and academic support costs that are shared -- please see the 4

5 attached program budget). This support will allow CCM the opportunity to continue to meet community demands for qualified nurses and enroll the next cohort of 30 students in the Spring Semester Considerations for the Future: As the population continues to age and Baby Boomers reach retirement age, most labor market forecasts indicate an increasing need for health care professionals at all levels. As has been demonstrated through the College s Nursing Program, CCM remains committed to graduating health care professionals and technologists to help meet this need. Indeed, CCM has an established partnership with Atlantic Health System, St. Clare s Health System, and Hackettstown Hospital to graduate Radiologists and Respiratory Therapists. These programs need to secure an infusion of future funding as laboratories and equipment as well as clinical opportunities remain expensive. The college is also planning to expand the Radiology Program to offer a degree in Nuclear Medicine to train greatly needed technologists working in nuclear scanning facilities. In addition to Radiography and Nuclear Medicine, CCM is anticipating growth in Cardiovascular Technology and Polysomnography. Consequently, the ABC Foundation may wish to become a partner with the college in providing periodic and targeted grants to specific health care programming needs as they develop. The ABC Foundation, as a partner, would also assist the college in attracting additional external funding from other sources, both public and private, in providing funds for these expensive programs to meet rapidly developing community needs. In addition to consideration of our current request, we also ask that the ABC Foundation remain open to future discussions concerning partnering to meet these rapidly growing needs in the health care field. 5

6 County College of Morris Weekend Nursing Program Budget Expenses: Annual Direct Instructional Costs Per Cohort per year: One full-time faculty member $ 83,000 Includes fringe & benefits Two adjunct faculty members + fringe $ 41,144 $200 / student $ 6,000 Total Annual Direct Costs $130,144 Two-year Direct Costs Per Cohort $260,288 Annual Indirect Instructional / Academic Support* Program Coordinator + fringes $ 22,000 (25% of total salary; cost is diluted based on multiple cohort & partner participation) One part-time Nursing Lab Coordinator $ 6,250 (25% of total salary) Supervisory, administrative & clerical costs $ 12,303 Annual Indirect Costs Overhead use for facilities, maintenance, equipment $ 17,070 use, security etc. (10% of annual direct and indirect instructional / academic support) Total Annual Indirect Costs: $ 57,623 Two-year Indirect Costs Per Cohort $115,246 TWO-YEAR DIRECT & INDIRECT COSTS: $375,534 Costs do not include inflation and annual increases 6

7 County College of Morris Weekend Nursing Program Revenue First Year Revenue for One Cohort: Direct Revenue per cohort (30 students): Tuition and College Fee o $ x 18.5 credits x 30 students / year $ 61,327 Nursing Fee o $175 per course x 2 courses x 30 students $ 10,500 FTE per credit x $47.95 x 18.5 credits x 30 students $ 26,612 Total Annual Revenue for One Cohort: $ 98,439 Total Two-Year Revenue for One Cohort: $196,879 Although revenue is lost due to attrition, revenue figures based on 30 students admitted. Total Two-Year Costs: $375,534 Total Two-Year Revenues: $196,879 Total Two-Year Deficit: $178,655 Per Cohort 7