04-16-2023 Education - Flipbook - Page 3
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, April 16, 2023
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SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
Unprecedented demand for nurses
University of Maryland Global Campus
D
uring the height of the pandemic, media of all types covered the
incredible heroism illustrated by
nurses and other health care professionals as they risked their lives to
care for those infected with Covid-19. “The
coverage moved nursing to the forefront. The
interest in nursing is the strongest I have seen in
more than 30 years in the industry,” says Teresa
A. Gaston, D.N.P., R.N., C.N.E., B.C., collegiate
professor of nursing at University of Maryland
Global Campus.
Gaston notes that more and more hospitals are requiring nurses to have a Bachelor of
Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) degree or obtain
one within a set period of time after they are
hired. Gaston says this is where UMGC’s online
R.N. to B.S.N. program comes in.
Some students in the program are recent
graduates of an associate degree program,
while others are seasoned nurses with decades
of experience but lack a bachelor’s degree.
“Earning the B.S.N. degree opens up a plethora
of new opportunities for nurses – higher salaries, promotions, and the ability to work in a
variety of settings beyond hospitals, including
teaching,” Gaston says.
She notes that the diversity of students in
the program brings different perspectives. “We
have online discussion forums, and a seasoned
nurse brings different life and career experiences to the table than a younger nurse, which
is a very enriching experience for all students.”
She says that the majority of UMGC’s R.N. to
B.S.N. program students are from Maryland,
Virginia, and Washington, D.C., but the online
format does allow students from all over the
U.S. to enroll.
UMGC’s challenge, she notes, is to ensure
that the instruction in the program meets the
needs of all types of nursing students.
High demand
Gaston says that the pandemic may have
fast-tracked some nurses into choosing to
retire early, as some had to stay home with
their children or grandchildren while schools
were operating remotely, which created an
increased demand for nurses. Last October, in
a press release by the U.S. Department of Labor
announcing $80 million in funding to help
train, expand, diversify the nursing workforce
and address a shortage of nurses, it stated that
“the unprecedented demands that the pandemic placed on the nation’s nurses – combined
with retirements and an aging workforce – have
greatly increased the need for nursing workers
in the U.S. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
UMG C .E DU
"The interest in nursing is the strongest I have seen in more than 30 years in the industry,” says Teresa A. Gaston, D.N.P., R.N., C.N.E., B.C., collegiate professor of nursing at
University of Maryland Global Campus.
projects that more than 275,000 additional
nurses are needed from 2020 to 2030, and that
employment opportunities for nurses will grow
at 9%, faster than all other occupations from
2016 through 2026.”
“The average age of nurses and nurse educators is in mid-50s, and it is a physically
demanding job, especially on the clinical side,
so some older nurses are opting to switch jobs
into areas such as research or education, which
is creating more job opportunities for younger
nurses. Nursing is the top trusted profession
out there and provides great job security,”
says Gaston, “and nursing schools are seeing
an increased interest in applicants now that
some normalcy is returning after the pandemic
caused a temporary decrease in nursing school
applications.”
For those looking to earn their B.S.N.
degree, she says that UMGC is a great option
as the online format provides flexibility. “Most
of our students are working nurses, and if you
are working 36 to 48 hours a week and going
to school, it can be challenging. At UMGC, if
you need to take a semester off, that’s OK, as we
recognize that life sometimes gets in the way
of school.”
She notes that most students have job offers
before they graduate, and UMGC’s varied
courses provide myriad career paths for nurses.
“I’ve never seen so much variety of job
opportunities in nursing in my career,” Gaston
says. “Outside of clinical nursing, you can work
in information technology, patient safety, palli-
ative care, quality improvement, mental health,
case management for an insurance company, or
work for a medical device or pharmaceutical
company. Telehealth nursing is also a big draw
for our students as you can work remotely.”
Gaston says that UMGC’s course in community public health provides skills and training on working in a rehabilitation center or
an assisted living facility, for example, while
the “Informatics and Technology in Nursing
Practice” is critical to success as technology
continues to be a growing force within health
care. “We have to meet current demands for the
workforce and keep current in all the changes
in the industry so that when our students
graduate, they can hit the ground running and
be successful,” she says.
Earn up to 90 credits for your RN license, associate’s degree and
prior college coursework • Online courses • No-cost digital resources
in place of most textbooks • Personalized advising and suppor t tools
• Scholarships and other financial resources
The baccalaureate degree in nursing at UMGC is accredited by the Commission
on Collegiate Nursing Education (https://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Classes Start Soon.
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