Sharron Thomas of Bladen Community College presented an update of the nursing program to the Elizabethtown Rotary Club. She noted that National Nurses Week is celebrated from May 6 through May 12. She noted that May 12 was the birthday of Florence Nightingale, one of America’s most notable nurses.
“She is the icon for my profession and we celebrate her each year when we celebrate nurses,” said Thomas.
She began her discussion by noting that one of our highest gross domestic products is health care. The number one profession in health care is the nursing profession, according to Thomas.
The retirement of older nurses from the profession of nursing is beginning to create a nursing shortage. “We should have 260,000 positions open by 2025,” said Thomas. She added the shortage will be two times that of any shortage since the mid-1960s.
“We have to decide what we are going to do as a community to keep nurses in our community,” said Thomas.
She stated BCC and Cape Fear Valley-Bladen Healthcare are collaborating on efforts to increase the number of nurses. Thomas announced that any student can enter BCC and “almost complete a Bachelor of Nursing degree on BCC campus.” She credited this to the school’s collaboration with the University system and the many different pathways students can take to achieve their educational goals.
She said the college has seen a 45.5 percent increase in the number of nursing students from 2014 to 2017. The reason for that increase is the addition of the LPN to RN program, according to Thomas.
This summer, Thomas said the Board of Nursing will visit the BCC campus and review the nursing program. She said BCC staff are eagerly anticipating meeting with them and hoping to increase the number of available slots for the LPN to RN program.
A new program will begin in 2018 in conjunction with UNCP called Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses. Thomas said high school seniors will be able to simultaneously be enrolled in nursing at UNCP but students will be able to complete most of their classes on the BCC campus. There are also various other pathways for high school students as well.
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