Short-term Strategies.Presently in Hawaii the number of qualified students desiring to enter nursing
outpaces the available places in the public sector. Many are discouraged and apply to schools on the
mainland or choose an alternate career. Therefore, we cannot assume that there will always be a plentiful
supply of qualified applicants. Successful sustained recruitment of qualified students to nursing programs
will depend on their perception of nursing as a viable career choice where education is recognized, career
advancement is possible, and work environments foster the Hallmarks of Professional Practice (AACN,
2002). Successful retention of students currently enrolled will ensure graduation.
Recruitment and Retention.In response to the immediate need for associate, baccalaureate, and higher
degrees prepared registered nurses, numerous short-term strategies are identified as viable options
attainable by partnership efforts.
• Targeting new student populations (e.g., underrepresented students, men, second-degree
students, and undecided college students).
• Providing tuition support and incentives to enter nursing programs through collaborative efforts
between healthcare and nursing programs.
• Removing barriers to admission for all qualified applicants (e.g., encourage regional referrals to
schools with open spaces for qualified applicants not admitted due to space limitations).
• Communicating through media the specific message about the value of learning in a variety of
clinical settings.
• Creating marketing strategies that demonstrate partnership efforts between healthcare facilities
and nursing programs.
• Expanding access by student exchange programs (e.g., WICHE – Western Undergraduate
Exchange, Professional Student Exchange Program, Western Regional Graduate Program).
• Eliminating barriers to progression of students in the nursing program (e.g., financial support and
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personal and professional support through advising, mentoring, and educational case
management).
• Ensuring stimulating and satisfying clinical learning experiences in healthcare delivery settings.
Creating New Programs & Accelerate Progression
• Exploring time-acceleration to graduation of existing programs.
• Exploring time-accelerated program options that are attractive to potential students and will
quickly increase the number of graduations from existing programs.
• Creating new program options attractive to new populations of students (e.g., access to higher
education programs for underrepresented and low income students, second-degree programs,
master's entry programs, and individuals making a career change, military retirees, and specialty
practice).
Creating Mentoring Programs for Nursing Faculty.The National League for Nursing (2006) identifies, in
order to recruit and retain qualified nurse educators, mentoring may be a viable strategy to facilitate
ongoing career development of nursing faculty.
• Exploring different mentoring models
• Establishing mentoring programs relevant across the career continuum.
• Designing clinical mentoring programs
Sharing Faculty & Increasing Access to Clinical Experiences. Some program initiatives have established
integrated clinical partnerships that combine best practices in education and clinical practice that result in
an improved working and clinical learning environment.
• Expanding faculty capacity by sharing clinical faculty and/or funding additional faculty positions.
• Designing clinical learning experiences that accommodate increased numbers of students and
use of clinical space (such as, clinical preceptors).
• Collaboratively evaluate ways to increase access to clinical experiences through creative
scheduling.
• Establishing linkages and sharing expertise between nursing programs and healthcare facilities
across the continuum of healthcare delivery.
Redesigning Learning Using Technology and Simulations.In Hawaii and nationally, the exploration of
various technologies is occurring to expand the ability to deliver instruction, redesign learning, and
enhance clinical learning experiences (e.g., simulations, distance education, and podcasting). Increasing
the use of technology and clinical simulation may prove useful as a way to increase the capacity to teach
more students. Technological information systems that support the clinical practice of nursing are also
being explored. The University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston, University of Maryland School of Nursing, and the Nursing Clinical Education Center are a few partnershipsattempting to redesign learning using state-of-the art technology.
Long-Term Strategies. Long term strategies are being established to address the core issues and
problems creating barriers to recruitment, education, and retention of registered nurses. Initiatives across
the country include:
• Establishing Consortia for Leadership in Practice, Education, and Research. An example of
successful consortia is the UCSF Stanford Center for Innovation and Research in Patient Care,
which combines efforts from UCSF Medical Center, UCSF School of Nursing, and the
Departments of Nursing at Stanford and Packard.
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• Creating new funding mechanisms to support nursing education.
• Creating innovative partnerships and other collaborations between higher education, state and
local governments; private and public sectors of society to help meet nursing workforce needs. |
