VCU School of Nursing targets Spanish-speaking nurses for RN-BS Weekend Program
It’s no secret that we face a critical shortage of nurses. Bureau of Labor statistics indicate that our nation will need 1.2 million more nurses by 2014. By 2020, Virginia alone will need 22,000 new nurses – meaning that without increases in nursing education enrollment, one in three Virginians will not have a nurse to care for them.
At the same time, changes in patient demographics are compounding the problem. Not only is the overall patient population aging, but we are experiencing rapid growth of Spanish-speaking patients. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2005 Hispanics were the largest and fastest-growing racial/ethnic minority in the U.S. Similarly, a 2003 Bon Secours/Central Virginia Health Planning Agency study found that in Central Virginia the Hispanic population was growing 5 times faster than the overall population. This is troubling because of healthcare disparities among Hispanic patients: CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reports that Hispanics have the lowest levels of doctor visits, early prenatal care, and health insurance among all racial/ethnic groups.
In response to this emerging crisis, the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing has obtained a 3-year grant from HRSA to recruit Hispanic and Spanish-speaking nurses and current public health nurses for its RN-BS Weekend Program.
This innovative program allows Registered Nurses without a bachelor’s degree in nursing to obtain a BS in nursing in as few as three semesters. With classes just one weekend a month, and with locations across Virginia or online, the RN-BS Weekend Program accommodates nurses who are already working full-time.
Associate Professor Martha Moon, Ph.D., who directs the RN-BS Weekend Program, says, “This grant-funded initiative can improve healthcare across Virginia by helping nurses in demand acquire the capabilities to assume expanded roles and responsibilities.”
For more information on the VCU RN-BS Weekend Program, please contact Millie Flinn, Hispanic Coordinator, at 804.828.5181 or flinnml@vcu.edu.