RISING TO THE CHALLENGE: Bringing Relief to the Healthcare Community

Today’s healthcare workforce is facing a crisis due to the shortage of nurses and the lack of more highly trained nurses that are necessary to meet the demand of society’s healthcare needs. It’s also facing a crisis in educational opportunities for registered nurses who want to earn a bachelor’s degree. The University of Olivet has stepped up to help alleviate this crisis with several initiatives currently underway, including finalizing a partnership with University of Michigan Health-Sparrow in Lansing and the creation of a nursing simulation lab in the Mott Academic Center. The University also announced a scholarship program earlier this year that will virtually eliminate the cost of tuition to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing for qualified students. Through the expansion of its various healthcare offerings, UOlivet plans to be part of the solution to the myriad challenges presently facing the healthcare community.

The nursing shortage is due to a combination of the stressful work environment and nurses who have retired or plan to do so in the next several years. Nearly 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 600,000 nurses reported their “intent to leave” the workforce by 2027.* The demands placed on today’s nurses have also significantly increased. Nurses are increasingly becoming the first-line providers of patient health, assuming managed-care responsibilities, dealing with multiple intricate health issues, and incorporating technology into patient care like never before.** To prepare them for these tasks, nurses must now receive bachelor's-level training.

“The University of Olivet is responding to the critical nursing shortage. Nurses need to be equipped with the advanced skills and knowledge necessary to meet the evolving and complex healthcare needs in our community. Through collaborative efforts between academia, healthcare institutions, policymakers and funders, we can strengthen the foundation of our healthcare workforce,” said Jaime Sinutko, RN, MSN, Ph.D.

Practice Partner

The strength of clinical partnerships is paramount to the success of a nursing program. Olivet is thrilled to partner with University of Michigan Health-Sparrow. Working, learning and collaborating with world-class healthcare professionals and researchers is an extraordinary opportunity for our nursing students.

Nursing Simulation Lab

In May, renovations began in earnest on the new nursing simulation lab in the Mott Academic Center, with completion expected by late August. Sinutko, who is overseeing the lab renovations, explained that the space will be able to accommodate 16 nursing students, two labs, 10 hospital beds and headwalls, patient care stations, simulation manikins, skills stations, computerized charting systems and more.

“Students will be able to practice invasive techniques on a total of seven patient-care manikins, which are models of the human body used for medical training. These manikins will include four that are high-fidelity, high-tech and are able to blink, breathe, and simulate lung and heart sounds, among other bodily functions,” said Sinutko. “Additionally, students can practice their nursing skills on three CAE Juno manikins, mid-fidelity simulators that feature different skin tones. A manikin that gives birth, a newborn, an adult man and a pediatric child will be included among the seven manikins available in the nursing lab.”

RN To BSN

Another challenge to the nursing shortage crisis is the lack of nursing faculty. Nursing schools must turn away thousands of applicants each year due to the ongoing shortages of nurse faculty and preceptors who supervise students in clinical settings. Additionally, many employers now require or express a strong preference for nurses with baccalaureate degrees, which has increased demand for the expansion of nursing education. Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, UOlivet’s distinctive, relationship based RN to BSN program enables students who want to advance their nursing careers in a format that accommodates working professionals. Students in the program complete five 8-week online terms.

Alumna Lorilee Gute, BSN, RN found UOlivet’s RN to BSN program to be invaluable and one she couldn’t experience at other institutions. “When I enrolled with Olivet, there were no additional prerequisites added to my degree unlike every other Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree I looked into. The online remote learning provided the flexibility for a work/life balance while continuing to advance my education,” said Gute, who works as a Case Manager at McLaren Health Care and as a part-time nurse at the Clinton County Jail.

Additionally, Gute noted that her UOlivet professors were caring and made time to help their students learn and succeed. She emphasized the nursing professors strived to deliver excellence in learning to ensure their students graduated and excelled in their careers. “I graduated with honors in May of 2022 with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. I am currently enrolled at Grand Valley State University working to obtain my Doctor of Nursing Practice degree with an emphasis on Family Nursing Practice. I cannot thank The University of Olivet and its professors enough for helping me advance my career,” said Gute.

Full Tuition Scholarship Program

The University of Olivet’s full tuition scholarship program has the potential to significantly impact the healthcare community by removing the financial barriers that often hold students back from furthering their education. UOlivet is grateful to the following grant funders who supported enrollment of the RN to BSN program: Guido A. and Elizabeth H. Binda Foundation, The Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation, and The Miller Foundation.

With the RN to BSN scholarship program, the new nursing simulation lab under construction, and recent partnership with University of Michigan Health- Sparrow in Lansing, The University of Olivet’s expansion of its healthcare offerings will ensure an incredibly bright future, not only for the University’s nursing students but also for communities far and wide throughout Michigan and beyond.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF OLIVET’S RN TO BSN PROGRAM

Scan the QR code or visit UOlivet.edu/pre-licensurenursing-program.

We welcome donors to join Glenn Johnson ’71, who chose to support creation of the nursing simulation lab in honor of his late father, Byron Johnson.

Sources:

* "NCSBN Research Projects Significant Nursing Workforce Shortages and Crisis" (NCSBN.org)

** Baccalaureate Education (aacnnursing.org)