Many new nurses come from other professions

Second in a two-part series

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Having finished all her prerequisites for the new bachelor of science in nursing program at New Mexico State University-Grants, rancher's wife and mother Jennifer Weingert said a scholarship from Continental Divide will help her pay the $2,115 tuition for each semester for the next two years.

"I have already purchased all my textbooks, $800 worth, most from Amazon.com," she said.

She said she works well with people and likes working with older people. Too many years in an office helped her decide to pursue a new career midlife.

Kathy McKenzie, MSN, the Grants campus nursing instructor, said many students in nursing programs are exactly the same as Weingert, people who are a little older and have decided to start a new career.

"They are single parents, a stay at home mom or someone who already has had a career and has decided to make a change," she said.

McKenzie has a master's degree in nursing and has taught at the community college level before.

She lives in Los Lunas and works full time at the Veteran's Regional Hospital in Albuquerque every weekend.

Classes at the Grants campus will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays so McKenzie, who is about to take the national licensing test to become a certified nurse practitioner, said being on the campus in Grants is not a conflict.

Opportunity for something unique
"Nursing programs are diverse. Anybody, from all walks of life and all ages, are in the programs," she said.

"This is an opportunity to create something unique," she said.

"The students in the Grants program will mostly be from Grants and it provides them with an opportunity to develop pride in the community and take care of their neighbors."

With a major nursing shortage across the United States, Cibola General Hospital, Good Samaritan Nursing Home and doctors' offices in Grants are not exception. Nurses are needed across the board.

Economic incentive
Having a program like this one on the Grants campus will allow the hospital to employ nurses locally and stop hiring traveling nurses. It is an economic incentive.

Vince Ashley, CEO of the hospital said by employing local nurses and not having to pay higher salaries, travel expenses, provide an apartment, and sometimes a car, the hospital might be able to save as much as $200,000 a year in salaries.

Casados said the nursing program in Grants is permanent and the college expects to have applicants from throughout the state apply. There are waiting lists at every nursing program in the state and with a new program, some of those individuals may decide to come here.

Dual enrollment
Dual enrollment from Grants and Laguna-Acoma high schools also plays a part in the program.

Students who are juniors and seniors are allowed to take college courses while still attending high school and it is at no cost to them.

The college has waived tuition and the Grants-Cibola County School Dsitrict pays for books, lab fees and may even provided transportation to the college.

High school students who want to become a nurse could effectively reduce the number of years in the college program to three instead of four by competing may of the prerequisites.

The college will be registering students for both spring and fall semesters for the nursing program. Each class will be a maximum of 10.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197, or e-mail jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.