MonticelloLive

Sometimes sustained excellence can be taken for granted. Consider the nursing program at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Year after year, UAM nursing graduates achieve high passing rates and surpass both state and national averages on the National Council Licensure Examinations (NCLEX). Graduates of UAM’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree program achieved a 100 percent passing rate for 2005-06, as did graduates of the LPN to RN fast-track program. In fact, it’s news when UAM fails to achieve a 100 percent passing rate.

“Our nursing program is truly one of this institution’s most consistent success stories,” says UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter. “Through the years, the nursing program has achieved a level of sustained excellence that is recognized by the health care industry across the state and throughout the region.”

UAM’s Division of Nursing offers four academic options – the LPN (licensed practical nurse) to BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) degree program; the LPN to RN (registered nurse) fast-track program; the RN to BSN program; and the BSN program. There are also LPN programs at the UAM Colleges of Technology at Crossett and McGehee.

Each academic option shares a common thread – they’re all tough.

“Nursing is not an easy program, but it shouldn’t be,” says Dr. Larry Eustace, chair of the Division of Nursing. “It’s a rigorous program because our graduates are being prepared to deal with issues involving human life. However, we are very student friendly. Our faculty go the extra mile to make sure our students achieve their career goals.”

Part of that success can be traced to a low student-teacher ratio of one instructor for every six to seven students by the time they reach their junior years of the BSN program. “Our students who leave here and go on to graduate school often tell us how well prepared they are academically, indicating they are head and shoulders above their classmates from other undergraduate programs,” says Eustace. “That’s a tribute to our faculty and to our commitment not to compromise the academic integrity of our program.”

Eustace says there’s no time like the present to pursue a nursing career. In fact, nursing graduates may soon be able to write their own ticket thanks to a critical shortage of nurses. “We need one million new nurses nationwide,” says Eustace. “The baby boomer generation is aging and they’re going to put a strain on our health care system. A large supply of nurses will be needed to give them competent nursing care.

“The shortage isn’t going to be in any one area,” he continues. “We’re going to need more nursing faculty at the college level. A study by the National League for Nursing indicates that in the next 15 years, two-thirds of all full-time nursing faculty between the ages of 45 to 60 are likely to retire.”

In addition to someone thinking of entering the nursing profession for the first time, Eustace says the UAM program is designed to help those already in nursing move up the professional ladder. One way is through the fast-track program, which allows an LPN to become an RN in two regular semesters and two summer terms. The advantage is in the bottom line. “An LPN will generally make between $10.50 and $12.50 an hour starting out,” says Eustace. “A typical starting salary for an RN is $18.50 to $22.50, usually with good benefits.”

In an effort to better serve practicing nurses who are considering upgrading their education level, Eustace says the Division of Nursing will soon begin contacting some RN’s and LPN’s in the region to determine if they would like UAM to make nursing theory classes available online, partly online, or keep them in the classroom one day a week.

“We’re doing everything we can to serve the interests and needs of our constituency,” says Eustace.

For more information about programs in the Division of Nursing, call (870) 460-1069 or visit the division’s website.