Amid challenges to Sacramento State’s nursing division like an increasing faculty shortage, the program continues to grow to meet the needs of the community.

With the nursing shortage increasing daily, Sacramento State’s Nursing Division continues to add 70 new registered nurses to ease the area’s shortage each spring.

Despite its need for more instructors and adequate classrooms, the now impacted nursing program remains strong, said Robyn Nelson, division chair.

“With the increased funding, we were able to add 20 more students,” Nelson said. “This is an increase in our base budget. It won’t go away.”

The outlook for the nursing program looks even better with the anticipation of the fall opening of the Academic Information Resource Center, Nelson said.

“We’re getting a 72-station computer lab,” Nelson said. “Right now our classes are scattered over the campus. This building just isn’t big enough for all of our classes.”

El Dorado Hall, which houses the Nursing Division, is not only too small to be adequate; it is also the last wood structure on the campus.

Currently, Nelson’s office is being worked on for termites. So while sheet rock is being replaced in one corner, Nelson works off her computer in the other corner.

In President Alexander Gonzalez’ plans, a new Nursing Division building is slated to be erected near the southeast corner of the campus.

“We weren’t even on the radar before Gonzalez came,” Nelson said. “He has made the campus more available to the community. We can’t help but benefit from the community involvement.”

The community will also benefit from their involvement. The California Hospital Association estimates a shortage of 7,000 nurses in California this year.

By next year, the association said that number would double.

“It’s getting worse daily,” Nelson said. “Only 50 percent of the nurses we need are being educated. Next year there will be a shortage of 14,000 nurses.”

There’s not only a nursing shortage, but also a nursing faculty shortage, Nelson said.

Jason Saude, who just received his nursing credentials and will graduate this spring, will start out earning $60,000 per year, right out of college.

“It’s crazy,” said Saude. “A Ph.D.-prepared instructor will start out around $50,000 per year. I’ll make more than that at my first job.”

Emily Latham, who will graduate from the program in December, said the problem of enough faculty members is getting worse.

“You have to really love to teach because it is more beneficial to work in a hospital,” Latham said.

Assistant nursing professor Bridget Parsh is one of the newer members of the Nursing Division. Parsh said her decision to teach was a personal one.

“In the real world I could make $100,000 a year,” Parsh said. “But I decided to do something that I love.”

Latham said that many members of the faculty work part time in a hospital setting to have extra income.

Recently nurses have picketed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after he proposed eliminating the Board of Registered Nursing, an organization the Nelson said has been supporting nurses for over 100 years.

She strongly advocated for the Board of Nursing to be retained. The governor has since withdrawn his proposal.

Another issue of protest between the nurses and the governor is the ratio of patients to nurses.

Nelson said the ratio was targeted to drop from the current six nurses to one patient ratio, to a five to one, but the governor delayed that action.

Latham said she had mixed feelings about the delay.

“We just don’t have enough nurses (to supply the ratio),” Latham said. “It’s just not going to happen.”

Nelson said that she agreed with governor on this issue.

“We don’t want to close down facilities and if the ratios aren’t met they have to be closed down,” Nelson said.

Parsh said the lowering of the ratio would hit the rural communities the hardest where the pool of nurses are much smaller than that of large cities.

On Thursday a superior court judge ruled against the governor’s decision to postpone the new ratios which marked another win for the California Nurses Association.

Both Latham and Saude are involved with the California Nursing Student Association.

Latham currently serves as the Sac State chapter vice president. She had the opportunity to attend a conference in Long Beach.

“It was really fun to talk with other nursing students across the state,” Latham said.

Karen Marie Watson can be reached at [email protected]