2008 Woodie Awards
Donation allows expansion of UNMC nursing college
Adam Ziegler
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: News
For nearly 20 years, the University of Nebraska Medical Center's nursing college had trouble finding students to fill its classrooms.
But now, it's turning many students away because of a lack of space.
While most discussions of the nation's nursing shortage have focused on the decreasing numbers of nursing students, Mark Bowen, UNMC's director of government relations, said the school has experienced a large increase in nursing majors, which has left them unable to accommodate all the students.
"We just don't have the space," Bowen said.
However, a donation from Ruth and Bill Scott, a wealthy Omaha couple who have made several previous donations to the school, will help UNMC's problems by funding a new addition to the nursing college. The donation amount has not been revealed yet.
The $14 million addition will add 50 percent more workspace to the college, with most being used for classroom and study space for students. Construction will begin sometime later this year, and the building is expected to be completed by March 2010. Virginia Tilden, dean of UNMC's college of nursing, said the additional space will allow the college to expand enrollment and accept more students.
The country's nursing problems began in the 1980s, Tilden said, when the availability of more diverse job opportunities led to fewer women choosing nursing as a career. Many schools cut back their nursing programs because of the student shortage and were unable to handle the recent increase in nursing enrollment.
"It's been disappointing to not be able to accept every qualified applicant knowing there's a nursing shortage," Tilden said.
The work of health care philanthropy groups, such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Johnson and Johnson Company, is one of the main reasons for the increase in nursing enrollment, Tilden said, because their publicity campaigns emphasized how key nurses are to health care.
"They've showed the importance of nurses," Tilden said. "It takes all of us on the team to really take good care of patients," she said.
But now, it's turning many students away because of a lack of space.
While most discussions of the nation's nursing shortage have focused on the decreasing numbers of nursing students, Mark Bowen, UNMC's director of government relations, said the school has experienced a large increase in nursing majors, which has left them unable to accommodate all the students.
"We just don't have the space," Bowen said.
However, a donation from Ruth and Bill Scott, a wealthy Omaha couple who have made several previous donations to the school, will help UNMC's problems by funding a new addition to the nursing college. The donation amount has not been revealed yet.
The $14 million addition will add 50 percent more workspace to the college, with most being used for classroom and study space for students. Construction will begin sometime later this year, and the building is expected to be completed by March 2010. Virginia Tilden, dean of UNMC's college of nursing, said the additional space will allow the college to expand enrollment and accept more students.
The country's nursing problems began in the 1980s, Tilden said, when the availability of more diverse job opportunities led to fewer women choosing nursing as a career. Many schools cut back their nursing programs because of the student shortage and were unable to handle the recent increase in nursing enrollment.
"It's been disappointing to not be able to accept every qualified applicant knowing there's a nursing shortage," Tilden said.
The work of health care philanthropy groups, such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Johnson and Johnson Company, is one of the main reasons for the increase in nursing enrollment, Tilden said, because their publicity campaigns emphasized how key nurses are to health care.
"They've showed the importance of nurses," Tilden said. "It takes all of us on the team to really take good care of patients," she said.
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nevhusker
nevhusker
posted 3/12/08 @ 6:23 AM CST
It should be noted that the UNMC Nursing Program has 4 campuses not just the Omaha campus. They have a campus at UNL, UNK and in Scotsbluff at Western Nebraska Regional Medical Center. (Continued…)
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