nursing - WKTV Journal

Some community colleges are pushing to offer four-year degrees in nursing. GRCC officials stated they currently have no plans to do so. (pxhere.com)

By Cameryn Cass
Capital News Service

Michigan community colleges want to offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing to battle a shortage of nurses surging across the state and fueled by the pandemic.

Demand for intensive care and emergency nurses grew by 186% in the past year nationwide, according to a 2021 study by Incredible Health, a nationwide company that helps nurses find jobs.

The Henry Ford Hospital System in Detroit has already arranged a program to soon fly in 500 nurses from the Philippines to meet its needs, said Michael Hansen, the president of the Michigan Community College Association. More are coming from Canada.

“We’ve got students here in Michigan who are willing and able, if we could just let our colleges train them,” Hansen said.

Community colleges have been interested in offering four-year programs since Gov. Jennifer Granholm recommended they do so in the early 2000s, Hansen said. A provision in the Community College Act of 1966 prohibits community colleges from conferring bachelor degrees. It requires legislation for that to be allowed.

The law was amended so now they can offer bachelor degrees in four areas — maritime, culinary, energy production and concrete technology — to meet local demands, Hansen said.

They have wanted to do more than nursing, but that’s being proposed now because of the acute shortage, Hansen said. Community colleges traditionally respond to local workforce needs.

Advocates say allowing community colleges to also offer four-year programs would make access easier for adult students, which would help with the nursing shortage.

Opponents say it’s unnecessary and say there is no unmet need. They worry there might be too many colleges to choose from as it is.

Since COVID-19 has intensified the need for nurses, community colleges want to offer programs to help, Hansen said.

Jackson College, Lake Michigan College, Schoolcraft College and Northwestern Michigan College are among the community colleges interested in offering nursing programs, Hansen said.

Representatives from Grand Rapids Community College stated they have no plans to offer a four-year program and in fact, GRCC does not offer any four-year degrees in any of its programs. GRCC does offer an associate degree in nursing which has been approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Those with an associate degree in nursing can enter a number of fields including hospitals, nursing care facilities, doctor’s offices, outpatient care centers, and specialty hospitals.

However, Rep. John Roth, R-Traverse City said the two-year registered nurse programs and online courses community colleges offer now are insufficient for providing the hands-on experiences nurses need. Roth is working on legislation to allow colleges to offer four-year nursing degrees.

“They offer a very good program, it’s just not enough for what hospitals are requiring now,” Roth said.

An associate degree sufficed in the past, but the baseline hiring requirement in most hospitals is a bachelor of science degree in nursing, Roth said.

Many jobs now require schooling beyond an associate degree, a demand community colleges could help satisfy, Hansen said. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, in 2018, 41. 5 percent of registered nurses were required to have a bachelor’s of nursing degree, 31.1 percent were required to have a vocational associate degree, and 20 percent were required to have an associate’s degree. GRCC has a waiting list for its associate in nursing degree program.

But Daniel Hurley, the chief executive officer of the Michigan Association of State Universities, calls the proposal irrational. It does nothing to produce more nurses, he said.

The few four-year degree programs community colleges offer now see little demand, Hurley said.

In 2020, Michigan granted 58 bachelor’s degrees from community colleges; 44 of them were from Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Hurley said. The demand for four-year programs at community colleges isn’t there.

Plus, the high school graduation rate is expected to drop by 15% between 2019 and 2037, which means fewer prospective college students, Hurley said.

“We need more students right now, we don’t need more four-year institutions in the state,” Hurley said.

Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma contributed to this story.

By Colleen Cullison

Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services

Ruth Helmholdt-Davis recently received her 55-year service award from Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services. Helmholdt-Davis came to Pine Rest right after her graduation from high school in 1959; she had just turned 17. She came from Lucas, a small farming community near McBain, Michigan. Helmholdt-Davis really actually has 57 years of service, but 55 years consecutively.

She entered the nursing program and began work at the Retreat Center with children. It was a natural fit for her since she was the oldest of six kids and had done a lot of babysitting.

Helmholdt-Davis graduated the nursing program in 1961. She was in a group of nurses grandfathered in as licensed practical nurses by the State of Michigan. In her years of service she held many positions; she has been a nurse in literally all areas of Pine Rest, both past and present. On completion of her nursing bachelor’s degree, she became a unit manager in Child & Adolescent. In the late 1990s, she left full time employment until 2004 when she returned full time as clinical service manager of the Child & Adolescent Unit.

In 2007, she became the director of clinical practice of Hospital Based Services and terminated full-time employment in 2008, but still maintains part-time work with Pine Rest. She works on-call as an intake co-coordinator. Helmholdt-Davis also works in the nursing program at Detroit Mercy Nursing School.

Helmholdt-Davis is married to Ron Davis. She has two sons and a daughter, 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Her daughter, Sallie Nyenhuis, just received her 5-year service award and her niece Joan Hibma received her 25-year service award at Pine Rest.

Helmholdt-Davis spends her winters in Florida and still has time for her many hobbies. She enjoys interior decorating, flower arranging, reading, golf, gardening and spending time outdoors. She also enjoys spending time with her family especially her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

In Florida, she is currently teaching a Bible study on Nehemiah. She also volunteers at Manasota Care Net which is a pregnancy resource center.