The University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing has received
a $911,000 grant that will make it possible for registered nurses living
in rural areas to earn bachelors degrees in nursing in their community.
Carol Pullen, Ed.D., assistant dean of rural nursing education at UNMC,
has received the five-year grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services Nursing Division.
It is difficult for rural registered nurses who want to earn a bachelors
degree in a traditional campus setting that requires attendance in class
at a certain place and time, Dr. Pullen said. By using distance learning
technologies, we break down these barriers and make our program available
statewide and better serve Nebraskas rural nursing needs.
The program will make it possible for students to earn a bachelors
degree in nursing by taking most of their classes via home computer and
receiving clinical experiences in the local area, Dr. Pullen said. It allows
students the flexibility to study when its convenient for them.
“We are finding that many of the students who are interested in such
programs are from a variety of settings and backgrounds but are limited
by geographical location and financial resources,” Dr. Pullen said.
The program will use Internet-based courses and CD-ROM technology.
In order to participate in the program, students must be accepted into
the program and meet the appropriate requirements of the college. They
will receive a laptop computer to participate in web-based classes, as
well as technology training and technical support.
Although the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice
recommends that two-thirds of the nurse workforce holds baccalaureate and
higher education degrees by 2010, only 25 percent of all active nurses
in Nebraska possess a bachelors degree.
In all the rural counties of Nebraska, nurses prepared at the diploma
and associate degree level far outnumber those with a bachelors degree,”
Dr. Pullen said. “We think this program that incorporates technology for
distance delivery in the nurses home communities will accelerate the movement
toward a nursing workforce to meet the health care needs of the next decade.”
The UNMC College of Nursing is the largest nursing school in the state
with 110 faculty members and 700 students at its Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney
and Scottsbluff campuses. It is the only nursing school in the state to
offer undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees.
For more information about the program or to receive application information,
call (800) 626-8431, ext. 6270, on-campus at 559-6270, or by e-mail at
chpullen@unmc.edu.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,
UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for
cancer research and treatment, solid organ transplantation and arthritis.
Nearly $32 million in research grants and contracts were awarded to UNMC
scientists during the past fiscal year. In addition, UNMCs educational
programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing
in Nebraska than any other institution.