LPN Partnership

PARTNERSHIPS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES

Community stakeholders partner to educate, retain nurses

by DWAIN HEBDA

»As Dean of Health Sciences for ASU-Mountain Home, Dr. Julia Gist is constantly looking for ways to make educational programs more accessible and more relevant to the needs of today’s students and the local workplace. She, along with her departmental faculty, had been very successful in this mission, introducing creative educational programs that have set ASUMH’s curriculum apart in the educational landscape.

So, when Dr. Robin Myers, Chancellor, directed her to create a mechanism for attracting and retaining more nurses, Gist knew she was up for a challenge. What she didn’t know at the outset was the result would be something unlike anything higher education in Arkansas had ever seen.

“The Arkansas Department of Education had come out earlier this year with a pilot project to include high school students in LPN education,” Gist said. “I was leery of what that program was proposing to do. But it made me start thinking, ‘How would I do it differently?’ ”

Gist’s grand vision — a seamless pathway from high school to college to the workplace, wasn’t particularly original. In theory, it was what every community of any size in the U.S. would like to see exist, in fact. But what was wholly original was the way community stakeholders from the local high school and hospital joined the university’s efforts, coming together to make the LPN fast-track program a reality.

“As we looked at our prerequisites for coming into the LPN program, we realized Mountain Home High School students currently have the opportunity to get all of that done before the second semester of their senior year,” Gist said. “That was a very good starting point, and once we started having those conversations, we found that the three partners had a lot more to gain working together than working separately.”

From left to right: Stacy Bryant, Sacha McGee (behind the bed), Jessica Williams, Logann Merriman, and Brianna Rodriguez.

“… We realized Mountain Home High School students currently have the opportunity to get all of that done before the second semester of their senior year.

—Julia Gist, Dean of Health Sciences for ASU-Mountain Home

Students in the white coat program through ASUMH. Opposite, from left: Stacey Bryant, Jennifer Dedek, and Sacha McGee

“There have been concerns expressed to me for some time about the local nursing pipeline and the number of vacant nursing positions we have here locally.

—Dr. Robin Myers, Chancellor

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing is one of the top fields for job growth through 2029. Demand for nurses is expected to grow 7% in that time, thanks to a combination of increased demands by the substantial Baby Boomer population growing older and institutional nursing losing numbers due to pandemic burnout, more lucrative home-health or travel nurse jobs and retirees. In fact, retiring nurses alone account for more than 175,000 new job vacancies per year.

While all health systems are feeling that pinch, smaller communities like Mountain Home are particularly at risk of having to limit access and services to patients due to understaffing. When that message reached Chancellor Myers, he knew ASUMH had a role to play in being part of the solution.

“There have been concerns expressed to me for some time about the local nursing pipeline and the number of vacant nursing positions we have here locally,” Myers said. “As we worked through those conversations, we talked about the various things we could possibly do, including greasing the pipeline in our existing programs. But we also saw a real opportunity to create this new pipeline that encouraged high school students to pursue nursing as a vocation.”

MHHS seniors who have taken the appropriate prerequisite courses and met all admission requirements can now apply for acceptance into the LPN program, with coursework beginning in the spring of their senior year. Program participants will complete roughly half of their college coursework during that spring semester, then complete

Get Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance coverage for you and your family, including:  Medicare Supplement insurance policies, Medicare

Advantage and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans  Individual and family ACA plans and limited duration health insurance plans  Additional coverage like dental, vision, accident, critical care, hospital confinement and travel health insurance plans

Call us today and let us help you find the right plan for you!

Your Affordable Insurance team. 635 Highway 62 E | Mountain Home, AR 72653

MOUNTAIN HOME | FLIPPIN | HARRISON 870-425-6079 870-453-2886 870-741-1749

From left: Dr. Jake Long, Tenille Rauls, Barney Larry, Shannon Nachtigal, Ron Peterson, Dr. Robin Myers and Dr. Julia Gist. “ I think this opportunity shows how dedicated we are to providing incredible opportunities for student success while also supporting the workforce needs in our community.

— Dr. Jake Long, Superintendent of Mountain Home Public Schools

the remaining college coursework through the summer and fall, sitting for their licensure tests at semester break.

What’s more, students incur no college expenses or debt, thanks to scholarships funded through the Baxter Regional Health Foundation. Those awards cover tuition, books and fees not already covered by other scholarships the student may have earned. In addition, each student receives a laptop and $500 monthly stipend while completing their studies. In return, program graduates agree to work for the hospital for one year.

“I think this opportunity shows how dedicated we are to providing incredible opportunities for student success while also supporting the workforce needs in our community,” said Dr. Jake Long, Superintendent of Mountain Home Public Schools. “This gives students a chance to start their careers without student debt, making great money and making a difference right here in the place where they were raised. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

Denise Malloy, a faculty member in ASUMH’s nursing department, said the program can also serve as a model for other communities.

“We are definitely going to be looked at throughout the state to see how successful this type of program can be, that is for sure,” she said. “What we are about to embark on is truly going to be a pilot that most community colleges, hospitals, and high schools are going to be looking at. What made it successful? How did we choose the students that needed to be in this program? Did we change the curriculum to fit the high school folks as opposed to the traditional folks? What is that key?

“I feel blessed to be part of it, to be at the frontlines. Is it challenging, is it overwhelming? Yes. But I’m up for it, I’m excited about it and I really want to make a difference in Mountain Home in terms of how health care is done,” said Malloy.

As details of the program began to be communicated to guidance counselors and teachers alike, student reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, said Tenille Rauls, an MHHS teacher.

“We were getting toward the end of the semester in my anatomy and physiology class, and I have a sophomore there who was not motivated. She was basically checked out, and her grades were falling,” Rauls said. “Once details of this program were released, it was literally like a light bulb went off.

“She came to me and said, ‘How can I get my grade up? I need to get my grade up because I want to be an LPN now that I know that I can do this.’ She was empowered; she realized she had resources that were going to allow her to get an education, whereas before she couldn’t see outside her world and what opportunities were available,” said Rauls.

Such stories are music to the ears of program architects like Julia Gist. She said the various partners share the vision of making such scenarios the norm for countless students in the future.

“The partners behind this are leaders who want the best for the community, not just for themselves,” she said. “We’re more altruistic than what you might see in other places. None of us are for-profit businesses; we’re not out to make a million dollars off this program. We are all service-oriented organizations, and I think we all believe that we only win if everyone wins.” ■

“What we are about to embark on is truly going to be a pilot that most community colleges, hospitals, high schools are going to be looking at.

— Denise Malloy, ASUMH’s nursing department faculty member

TIME TO REVIEW YOURTIME TO REVIEW YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS RETIREMENT SAVINGS

Need a trusted guide to help?Need a trusted guide to help?

We’ll set you on the right track for a successful retirement. Connect with one of us today!We’ll set you on the right track for a successful retirement. Connect with one of us today!

At Arvest Wealth Management, we love Mountain Home! Our Client Advisors are here to help you create the future you want, with financial solutions for your life. Learn more at arvest.com/wealth.

Tianna Piland Tianna Piland Client Advisor Client Advisor (870) 508-8454(870) 508-8454 tpiland@arvest.comtpiland@arvest.com

AR Ins. Lic. #17069179AR Ins. Lic. #17069179

Clint MorrisClint Morris

Client AdvisorClint MorrisClint MorrisClient Advisor (870) 508-8450Client AdvisorClient Advisor(870) 508-8450 Cmorris1@arvest.com(870)508-8450(870)508-8450Cmorris1@arvest.com AR Ins. Lic. #15277230cmorris1@arvest.com AR Ins. Lic. #15277230 cmorris1@arvest.com AR Ins. Lic. #15277230AR Ins. Lic. #15277230

Investment products and services provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Wealth Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered Investment products and services provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Wealth Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Insurance products made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Insurance products made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc. but are underwritten by unaf liated insurance companies. Trust services provided by Arvest Bank.Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc. but are underwritten by unaf liated insurance companies. Trust services provided by Arvest Bank.

Investments and Insurance Products: Not a Deposit Not Guaranteed by the Bank or its Af liatesInvestments and Insurance Products: Not a Deposit Not Guaranteed by the Bank or its Af liates Not FDIC Insured Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency May Go Down in ValueNot FDIC Insured Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency May Go Down in Value