Arkansas Legislature Aims At Nurse Shortage

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Legislation Aims At Nurse Shortage
By Mary L. Crider
TIMES RECORD · MCRIDER@SWTIMES.COM
Sunday, May 3, 2009 10:27 AM CDT

Act 9 passed by the Arkansas Legislature this session authorized nursing student loans of up to $20,000 a year and extended the program to nursing educator students — nurses seeking postgraduate degrees to qualify them as nursing school teachers.

In all, three area colleges and universities benefit from funding appropriations this session.


The act, spearheaded by state Rep. Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith, readily passed both houses and was signed into law Feb. 3 by Gov. Mike Beebe. It included an emergency clause, putting it into effect immediately. Co-sponsors included nine more representatives and five senators.

Previously, the Nursing Student Loan Program limited the loans to $6,000 to students in registered or licensed practical nursing programs.

Pennartz said last week that, of all the bills she worked toward, it is the one of which she is most proud.

In talking to Nursing Board Executive Director Faith Fields, Pennartz said, she learned that an issue contributing to the state’s nursing shortage is a lack of qualified nurses to fill nursing school educator positions. Pennartz said she suggested revamping the nursing loan program to create a new revolving loan program that included educating faculty.

Carolyn Mosley, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith College of Health Sciences dean, said she testified about the difficulty in recruiting faculty when the Legislature’s Health and Safety Committee met at UAFS.

“Arkansas is in a unique situation because few people are available because there are few nurses with degrees above associate degrees, and at a minimum, a master’s degree is required for teaching, and preferably a doctorate,” Mosley said.

The legislation creates an opportunity for those would-be nurses and nurse educators who want to go back to school but don’t necessarily have the financial resources to do it, Mosley said.

Health-care programs are more expensive than other degree programs, and the $6,000 loan limit was insufficient to cover costs, Mosley said. In health care, one text costs $150, and three or four texts might be required per course as well as medical equipment, she said.

UAFS has more applicants than it can accept into its nursing program because there are limited faculty available to teach them. The state mandates a maximum of 10 students per instructor, Mosley said.

“This loan program will enable us to train more educators so we can increase enrollment,” Mosley said.

Pennartz said under the loan terms, students have their loans forgiven at the rate of one year’s loan for each year they work in Arkansas as a nurse or in a state nursing education program.

The loan program is funded through state and federal appropriations, gifts, grants, bequests and donations, and is administered by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.

RMCC

In Act 1012 approved with an emergency clause on April 7, the Legislature appropriated $270,000 toward constructing and equipping an aviation project at Rich Mountain Community College at Mena and $500,000 toward operating and maintaining it. Sen. Larry Teague, D-Nashville, sponsored the bill. It is funded through the state’s General Improvement Fund.

According to Judi White, RMCC community relations director, the funding goes toward the Arkansas Aerospace Training Consortium in which RMCC has partnered with the University of Arkansas at Batesville, Southern Arkansas University-Tech, Black River Technical College, National Park Community College, Arkansas Northeastern College, Ouachita Technical College and Arkansas State University at Beebe. The consortium is led by the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges.

In February, the consortium also received a $2.9 million Community Based Job Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand training over three years. The partner schools and several partnering aerospace/aviation industries pledged $1.8 million in matching in-kind funds. The focus of the program is to share resources and to add instructors, equipment and curriculum to coincide with new Labor Department aerospace skills competencies.

According to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, the statewide aerospace/aviation industry is Arkansas’ largest export with a 28 percent growth rate in the past two years.

ATU-Ozark

Passed into law on April 6 with an emergency clause, Act 866 appropriates $1.5 million from the General Improvement Fund for a student services center at Arkansas Tech University’s Ozark campus.

State Rep. John Paul Wells, D-Paris, sponsored the bill. Co-sponsors included six more representatives.

ATU-Ozark Public Relations Director Laura Rudolph said the school plans to open the one-stop or wrap-around student services facility on Aug. 1.

The 7,500-square-foot facility will house four departments and 20 staff members. It will house Career Pathways, finance aid, all of student services and accounts under one roof, allowing enrolling students to make the rounds all under one roof, Rudolph said.

“The neat thing is this building will also serve as a conference center,” Rudolph said.

It will provide two conference/meeting rooms that can be opened up into one large ballroom, Rudolph said.

UAFS

Act 1429 appropriates $9.5 million from the General Improvement Fund toward UAFS’ planned Boreham Library expansion. Sponsored by state Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, the act became law on April 9 with an emergency clause. Legislation co-sponsors included two more area senators and eight area representatives.

UAFS Chancellor Paul Beran said, “The fact of the matter is they agree we should get $9.5 million. ... the appropriating of it and the giving of it can be different things.”

Beran said the funding depends on availability of funds. He said university officials will stay in touch with the Governor’s Office to explain why the project is so important to UAFS and the community.

UAFS’ goal is to double the size of the current 30,000-square-foot library to add space for programs already housed there, including a 90 percent to 95 percent increase in shelf space, Beran said. Included and funded through a $2 million federal economic development grant announced in April will be a center consolidating research services for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Beran said plans are to create a coffee shop-type atmosphere so students and researchers can be comfortable as they work in the library. He said the university has also asked for $3.5 million in federal stimulus funds toward the project.

Growing enrollment and the change to a four-year institution means UAFS has outgrown the library, which was built in 1987, Finance and Administration Vice Chancellor Mark Horn has said.

Arleen Breaux, vice chancellor for university relations, said Act 1443, which lumps together the General Improvement Fund money set aside for appropriations designated by individual senators and representatives, sets aside for the library $760,000, Altes’ share, and $100,000 from House members’ shares.