04-17-2022 Education - Flipbook - Page 1
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, April 17, 2022 1
EDUCATION
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF BALTIMORE SUN MEDIA • SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2022
INSIDE:
2 Stronger workforce
Meeting industry needs
2 Business partnerships
Real-world connections
3 STEM education
Explore science
and technology
4 Preparing for
the workplace
Landing a job after
graduation
6 Customized programs
Tailor-made curriculum
7 Nurses for leadership
UMGC
8 Lessons well learned
Teaching the teachers
Salisbury University launched a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a track in graphic design.
Creating curriculums in line with the times
Education publishes four times a year
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Schools pivot and adjust to better prepare students
By Tracy M. Fitzgerald, Contributing Writer
T
oday’s workforce is dynamic, diverse
and constantly changing. Business
leaders are on an ongoing hunt for
new talent; they need people with
experience and solid skill sets, but
equally important, they need professionals who
understand the complexities of today’s world and
how to work in it.
Colleges and universities are taking ownership
when it comes to teaching them how.
Schools across Maryland are looking at academic programs and curriculums with a fresh eye
and challenging themselves to answer the tough
questions. What does a graduate of our program
really need to know in order to go out into the
world, work in their field and be successful in
2022 and beyond?
Here, we put the spotlight on a few who are
committed to creating and advancing curriculums in line with the times.
UMBC’s Master of Arts in Applied Sociology
UMBC launched its applied sociology program in the early 1980s, and since then, has been
arming students with research methodologies and
scientific strategies to solve real world problems.
It challenges students to think about society and
people from a global perspective. For example,
when a man presents in a doctor’s office and
is diagnosed with heart disease, the job of that
doctor is to activate a treatment plan to help that
man get well and stay well, medically. The job of
a sociologist, on the other hand, is to understand
factors that may have contributed to that man’s
heart problems. What is his neighborhood like
and what kinds of exposures may he have had?
What kinds of life experiences may have increased
his risk factors for developing heart disease? Did
he have sufficient access to health care? What
changes can take place to prevent other men from
ending up in that same doctor’s office?
“We look closely at real issues – things like
poverty, racism and lack of access to health care
– and how they impact people’s lives,” says Dena
Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology
and director of the graduate program in applied
sociology at UMBC. “Our students learn about
the realities of our world and how to develop
solutions using scientific models and research.
They develop very pointed skills and critical
perspective.”
UMBC offers a Master of Arts in applied
sociology, along with a series of certificate programs, allowing students to pursue concentrated
training in their current or intended career fields.
Social Dimensions of Health and Applied Social
Research Methods certificate programs were
added most recently to train students to address
current societal challenges in new ways.
“COVID has created a moment for us to think
about realities of health care access and inequality, and where we have opportunities to conduct
Creating curriculums,
continued on page 7
Addressing the nursing shortage
Developing programs that graduate qualified
nurses into the workforce
Students can earn their BSN degree in as little as 15 months at Notre Dame of Maryland University.
By Emily Parks, Contributing Writer
T
he worldwide nursing shortage has
been an issue prior to the pandemic.
Due to managing a high volume of
patients thanks to COVID-19 as well
as historic workforce shortage, nurses are needed now more than ever.
According to the Maryland Hospital Association,
Maryland hospitals face over 3,900 nurse vacancies, up 50% over last summer.
Maryland nursing schools are taking steps to
graduate qualified nurses quickly by developing
programs and initiatives that support students in
obtaining their nursing license. Three area nursing schools are stepping up to address the nursing
shortage and capitalize on interest in the nursing
field.
A partnership between the University of
Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and the
University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS)
provides a path for UMSON’s students from
their senior practicum experience to a UMMS
registered nurse position. The new Practicum to
Practice Program, known as “P3,” allows nursing
students to select their senior practicum placement on a unit of which they are interested at a
participating UMMS hospital. Upon graduation,
the student begins employment on the practicum
unit. Launched this spring, this program provides
a seamless transition to the workforce and is a win
for both the nurse and the hospital.
Celeste Seger, Ph.D., R.N., an assistant professor at UMSON who teaches within the P3
program, appreciates how the program meets the
needs of the nursing student as well as the hospital’s need for qualified nurses. “The P3 program
allows us to place nurses in a unit where they have
an interest, giving them a lot of say as to where
they are placed,” she explains. “Students need
placements, and hospitals need nurses.”
Maeve Howett, Ph.D., APRN, CPNP-PC,
C.N.E., a professor at UMSON who also teaches
in the program, agrees. “The nursing students
benefit knowing they have a job upon graduation,”
she says. “They’ve also been able to get acclimated
to the unit and building teamwork with other
nurses due to the time spent there during their
senior practicum.”
As of graduation this May, 56 nurses will have
taken part in the P3 program and will be poised
to enter the workforce. Lisa Rowen, DNSc, R.N.,
CENP, FAAN, chief nurse executive for UMMS,
cites the partnership as an example of innovative teamwork between the two organizations to
address the nursing shortage as well as the placement needs and satisfaction of its students.
“It’s a win for the student as they can become
engaged with the team where they will be working
as a new nurse upon graduation,” she says. “It’s a
win for the hospital to know how many nurses
are coming in and engage with them early. The
early engagement of the student into the team,
feeling included and part of the fabric of the unit
will go far in the retention of our nurses. And it’s
a win for patients as we create a more integrated
method of teaching nursing students who become
embedded early in our culture of compassion and
excellent care.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), employment of Licensed Practical Nurses
(LPNs) is projected to grow by 11% from 2018
through 2028 – faster than the national average
for all occupations. The Community College of
Baltimore County is helping meet the demand
with their Practical Nursing (LPN) program. The
program is a 12-month, three semester, certificate
program which upon completion graduates are
eligible to take the National Council Licensure
Examination (NCLEX-PN.) Each year, about 70
graduates complete the program and enter the
nursing workforce.
According to Cheryl McNamara, D.N.P., R.N.,
director of the practical nursing program, students
are drawn to the program as it is an efficient path
to a nursing career. “Within a year, the student
can earn their certificate to become an L.P.N. and
increase their earning power,” she explains. “For
Nursing shortage,
continued on page 7
Above: UMBC students engage in experiential
learning. See article on page 2.
Ask Margit
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
mbweisgal@gmail.com
Licenses, certifications
and credentials
Sometimes even a college degree
doesn’t guarantee that ideal career or even
the perfect job you imagined when you
were 17 or 18 years old. Brendan Dornan,
for example, graduated from a top art
school and immediately started a graphic
design business. “It was OK,” says Dornan,
“but I was never going to conquer the
world. I had to figure out a way to earn a
good living and this wasn’t it.”
That realization set Dornan on a path
where today, thanks to his license as an
optician, he has a job he enjoys and is on
track to be part of the management team
where he works.
“Certifications and licenses,” says the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS: www.
bls.gov), “are credentials that demonstrate
a level of skill or knowledge needed to perform a specific type of job. Certifications
are issued by a non-governmental body,
but licenses are awarded by a government
agency and convey a legal authority to
work in an occupation.”
With college enrollment of first-time
students down by 16% in 2020, many
people are reexamining the decision to
enroll in a four-year program. Alternatives
include community colleges where you can
get an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate
of Sciences (AS) degree in two years and,
at the same time, become certified in
a specific area. Apprenticeship programs
literally pay you to learn a profession. Or,
you can attend a coding boot camp where
students learn to code and develop a portfolio of projects to show employers. The
options are endless.
Just know that college is not always an
answer. A report from the Georgetown
University Center on Education and the
Workforce cited in a U.S. News article
stated “27% of workers with an associate
degree earn more than the median for
workers with a bachelor's degree.” It means
you should take time to figure out what
you really want to do and take the best
road to get your there.
You should also consider the costs
associated with a college degree. Student
debt soared to over $1.6 billion in 2020.
It has become a national issue and students saddled with repaying this amount
struggle, on the hook for years after they
graduated. Picture yourself still making
payments 15 or 20 years down the road.
Ask Margit, continued on page 7