June 19, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Suzanne Ernst (702) 889-8426

Regents Adopt Plan to Combat
Nevada Nursing Shortage

ELKO, Nevada-The Nevada Board of Regents today voted to approve a $27 million plan that would enable the University and Community College System of Nevada to help address the shortage of nurses in the state.

The plan calls for a doubling of the number of students enrolled in the seven UCCSN schools of nursing by 2006-2007. Funding will be required in a number of areas that will help UCCSN institutions to expand their current nursing programs and to encourage current and potential students to consider nursing as a viable career option.

Several action items are addressed in "The Plan to Double Capacity of Nursing Programs at UCCSN Institutions," including the development of outreach programs to K - 12, a media campaign promoting nursing as a career, academic support services for pre-nursing students, special partnerships with other educational institutions and health care providers, and enhancements to clinical programs, distance education, and evening and weekend programs.

The plan, which is projected to cost $27.2 million over the next two biennia, will now be forwarded to the Nevada legislature for its approval at the 2003 session.

"The shortage of nurses is a nationwide problem, but given the number of people moving to Nevada this problem becomes even more acute. We must make an extra effort to train and educate our workforce in order to ensure the healthcare needs of our residents are met," said Board Chair Thalia Dondero. "The Board of Regents believes this plan will not only help the UCCSN address this problem, but will set us on the road to solving it."

Data released by the Department of Health and Human Services in Feb. 2001 reveals that Nevada has the fewest number of registered nurses per 100,000 population in the nation. While the national average is 782 nurses per 100,000 people, Nevada has only 520 nurses per 100,000.

This low figure is compounded by the projections from the Nevada Hospital Association that predicts 662 nurses per year are needed for the period 2000 to 2008 to accommodate the state's projected population growth and attrition of currently employed nurses.

In addition, Nevada's population is growing faster than nursing programs in the UCCSN are currently able to produce new graduates. In 2000, the number of graduates from UCCSN nursing programs was approximately 262. It is projected to be approximately 385 in 2008 unless the Regents' plan can be implemented.

Nursing programs in Nevada have recently been forced to deny admission to qualified applicants due to the lack of program capacity. In 2001, Great Basin College turned away 21 applicants, Truckee Meadows Community College turned away 19 applicants and the University of Nevada, Reno turned away 38 applicants.

In 2001, the Nevada state legislature mandated that the Board of Regents develop a plan that would double the capacity of nursing programs in the state. Working together, Nevada's seven schools of nursing and the UCCSN Regent's Health Care Education Committee developed this plan with the full support of the Nevada Hospital Association and the office of the Chancellor.

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 11-member governing body for the University and Community College System of Nevada. Comprising two doctoral granting universities, a state college, four comprehensive community colleges and one internationally acclaimed research institute, the UCCSN serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to nearly 100,000 students.

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