UC college supports nursing pipeline during pandemic

Long before anyone had heard of COVID-19, the World Health Organization declared 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. With the spread of the coronavirus pandemic around the world, the role of the nurse in global health care has never been more critical, and the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing is taking steps to ensure that current and future nurses receive needed support.

“We have a diverse student population comprised of frontline nurses continuing with their education, students needing to complete clinical hours, new admits joining our programs and soon-to-be graduates navigating licensure and career placement at an exceptional time,” says Angela Clark, PhD, executive director of undergraduate and pre-licensure programs at the College of Nursing.

In addition, administrators and academic advisers held a series of town hall meetings to communicate policy changes and next steps for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students and soon-to-be graduates to help alleviate student anxiety during this stressful and uncertain period.

The process to become a licensed registered nurse (RN) requires nursing program graduates to receive an authorization to test (ATT) from a nursing regulatory body, after schools submit final grades. With an ATT, individuals schedule an appointment to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). In the past few months, because of COVID-19, NCLEX testing sites closed or limited their capacity to follow social distancing and sanitizing recommendations, causing a bottleneck of applicants.

“We don’t know how long it will take them to get into the room [to test],” Clark says. To help graduates receive their ATT and get registered for the NCLEX as soon as possible, College of Nursing faculty and staff worked together to review students’ courses and requested faculty release grades a week early. Faculty and staff also helped direct seniors to open testing sites.

“Because testing sites are limited, we wanted to ensure everyone can get in the system and get tested; if [new BSN graduates] don’t test right away, they don’t do as well,” Clark says.

While they wait, new graduates can get a temporary license to practice. Many states hoping to boost the number of health care providers in the workforce have enacted laws authorizing their state nursing regulatory boards to issue temporary licenses to NCLEX applicants. In Ohio, temporary licenses are valid until 90 days after the duration of the COVID-19 emergency period or Dec. 1, 2020.

Garrett Aini is a new College of Nursing graduate navigating many unknowns as he begins his nursing career in the midst of the global pandemic. Aini says his experience at UC and in the College of Nursing’s co-op program — a one-on-one, paid mentorship opportunity in a clinical environment — have prepared him for what’s next. Aini’s co-op gave him the opportunity to experience real-world nursing at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC) emergency department.

“I was able to put my clinical skills and judgment to the test while further developing myself in so many other areas,” he says. “My time working at UCMC, a level I trauma center, allowed me to witness, learn and do so much. These skills will be put to good use as I progress in my nursing career, especially given the current situation.”

While offering additional support to its pre-licensure students and new graduates, the college is helping nurses continue their education in the RN to BSN Online program. In many cases, the college is working with enrolled students on an individual basis to help them balance their professional and family obligations and course requirements, says Rebecca Lee, PhD, associate professor and director of the program, which consists of 540 active students living in 24 states and Guam. Some students are on the frontline in COVID-19 hot spots, including New York, New Jersey and Washington.

“The RN to BSN Online program is designed to be responsive to the needs of our students, many of whom are already working as registered nurses,” Lee says.

In addition, the College of Nursing adjusted the program’s admission requirements to allow new associate degrees in nursing (ADN) program graduates with a temporary license to apply for acceptance to UC’s RN to BSN Online program and start working toward their BSN while waiting to take the NCLEX.