Departmental Self Review - UCLA Academic Senate

University of California Los AngelesSchool of NursingUndergraduate ProgramMasters in Clinical Nursing ProgramExecutive SummaryThe School of Nursing at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is requesting permanent Generalfunds for increasing enrollment through three programs: the new start of the Masters Entry into Clinical Nursing(MECN); the new start of the generic undergraduate program (UG); and increased enrollment of the existingAD/BS/MSN program.The MECN program is designed for persons who already have a baccalaureate degree in another discipline,such as biology, humanities, or social sciences. They will complete 2 years of graduate study in nursing to preparethem to work as nurses at the bedside. This program is designed to “raise the bar” in educating bedside nurses.The UG program is a four-year program designed for high school graduates who desire a major in nursingand a minor in another discipline such as biology, humanities, or social sciences. It is designed so that students maymatriculate for a masters degree to complete the requirements of the MECN program in 3 quarters of graduatestudies, if they wish to do so. The AD/BS/MSN program is designed for those RNs who graduated from thecommunity colleges to complete both a baccalaureate and a masters degree in three years. This program was firstimplemented in 1998.Statement of NeedThis proposal addresses the shortage of hospital nurses in California and the nation. Unless additionalnurses are produced in this state, the health of all Californians will be threatened.Shortage of Nurses. According to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco(UCSF) Center for California Health Workforce Studies and the Public Policy Institute of California, completed inDecember 2003, the state faces a shortage of registered nurses (RNs) and must increase the supply to keep pace withthe rapid growth of the state’s population. Based on California’s projected population growth, researchers fromUCSF estimated that an additional 43,000 registered nurses will be needed by 2010, and an additional 74,000 by2020, to maintain a stable ratio of RNs to population, which has been low. California ranks next to the last in thenation of RNs per capita with 544 RNs per 100,000 capita. The national average of RNs is 782 per 100,000 capita.California has the capacity to only educate about 6000 RNs per year, meeting only about 70% of the statesdemands by 2010. The number of applicants attempting to enter nursing schools has continued to grow. Publicinterest in nursing as a career is strong and not an issue in California at this point. A person can become a registerednurse (RN) by completing a two-year program in the community college system or completing a baccalaureatedegree in the California State system or private universities. Neither of the schools of nursing at UCLA or UCSFoffers baccalaureate programs. Currently, the baccalaureate programs in the California State system are fullyenrolled, most with admission waiting lists for as long as 3 years.California has a shortage of nurses, related to both quantity and quality. About 80% of the RNs inCalifornia are two-year graduates from community colleges as compared to about 30% nation-wide. Both theAmerican Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and the California Association of Colleges of Nursing havestrongly recommended that the entry-into-professional nursing should be the baccalaureate degree, with littlesuccess in California.292