The University of Memphis Loewenberg Nursing School received a shot in the arm this summer with two pieces of good news that help the school, it's nurses and the people of Memphis.
The school recently announced that all 32 U of M students who tested under the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination received a passing grade.
In addition, the Nursing School's new Master of Science in Nursing program has been accredited for the maximum number of years (5) without recommendations, which according to Dr. Robert Koch, means "(the program) has totally met the standards."
The new program will prepare nurses at a more advanced level, according to Koch.
"It will increase the number of advanced nurses," he said.
The programs accreditation without recommendations is especially good news, according to Koch.
"A lot of schools get recommendations, at least the first time out," he said.
This news is not only good for the Nursing School but the citizens of Memphis will also benefit from the 100 percent pass rate and the new program.
The entire nation is in a nursing shortage and the victims are the sick.
According to the Congressional Quarterly Researcher and Brian Hansen, "a serious shortage of registered nurses (RNs) is forcing thousands of U.S. hospitals to function with skeleton crews, possibly causing hundreds of unnecessary deaths and injuries.
"Nationwide, there was a shortage in 2001 of 126,000 full-time RNs, but the shortage will surge to 808,000 by 2020 if something isn't done. Even more worrisome, many disaster experts say last year's terrorist attacks dramatized the possibility that a chemical, biological or nuclear attack could overwhelm the nation's nursing work force."
The first graduates of the Master of Science in Nursing, numbering close to 20, will graduate this summer.
Despite the shortage of nurses in the medical field, the enrollment at the Nursing School is traveling in the opposite direction.
"Enrollment has doubled," said Dr. Marjorie Luttrell, Associate Dean for Academic Programs for the school. "(The Nursing School) is getting support from the administration."
With the higher number of enrollment, Memphis' 17 percent vacancy rate should improve with time.
A majority of the nursing graduates do stay in Memphis due to the demand of a regional medical center, according to Luttrell.
