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OJC Nursing Dept. is recipient of grant from The Colorado Trust
Otero Junior College has recently been named one of 22 grantees of The
Colorado Trust’s Health Professions Initiative. The grant has awarded the OJC
Nursing Department $311,000.00, over a three-year period, to be used to fund the
second level of the college’s newly created part-time nursing program. The
Colorado Trust’s Health Professions Initiative is a three-year, $9.4 million
effort that hopes to expand existing programs and develop new programs to
increase education, training, and advancement opportunities for health
professions, especially for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and in
rural areas of the state.
Over the next three years, OJC will use The Colorado Trust grant to increase the
annual number of registered nurse (RN) graduates by providing a non-traditional
part-time schedule that utilizes evening and weekends for classroom and clinical
experience for students who are working or cannot attend a traditional weekday
format. Funds from the grant will provide faculty development and salaries as
well as equipment and supplies for the second level nursing program at OJC.
The first class of Otero Junior College nursing students to enroll in the
part-time program will go through a pinning ceremony on August 2 to receive
their certificates in practical nursing, the first level nursing program. Most
of the graduates will continue on to the second level that will lead to the
registered nursing license. The second level program will begin in September and
end in August of 2006. Touted as one of the most innovative programs in the
state of Colorado, the OJC program’s goal is to reduce the state’s nursing
shortage by providing an educational opportunity to students who can not attend
college full-time.
According to Denise Root, director of the OJC Nursing Program, the part-time
program follows the same format and curriculum as the full-time program. “The
two programs are identical, except for the time frame that classes are offered.
Part-time students take only one class at a time. They attend lecture on Tuesday
and Thursday evenings and participate in labs and have their clinical experience
on weekends,” explained Root.
The 22 grantees of the The Colorado Trust’s Heal Health Professions Initiative
were selected via a competitive Request for Proposals process. Grantees
represent hospitals, clinics, universities, colleges, community-based
organizations and community health care foundations that provide training and
services statewide.
According to the Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA), Colorado
currently has an 11 percent shortage of nurses — twice the national average
—with a 31 percent shortage projected by 2020. Exacerbating this challenge
across health professions in both urban and rural areas, is the fact that the
population of Colorado during this period is expected to grow 16 percent, while
the population aged 65 and older is projected to grow 113 percent.
“This initiative strengthens ongoing efforts to significantly reduce the severe
shortage of health care professionals across Colorado,” said John R. Moran, Jr.,
president and CEO of The Colorado Trust. “With statewide reach, this initiative
will bring together health care providers and educators to promote long-term
connections and collaborative partnerships, striving for systemic and
sustainable change.”
The HRSA Bureau of Health Professions: National Center for Health Workforce
Analysis has designated the majority of rural Colorado counties as health
profession shortage areas or as medically underserved areas. The shortage of
trained health care providers – including primary dental and metal health
professionals and pharmacist – is generally greater in rural areas due to lower
wages and limited training opportunities than in urban areas. Under The Colorado
Trust initiative, grantees will work to expand existing programs, and develop
new programs to increase education, training, and advancement opportunities,
especially for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and rural areas.
“We are very proud to have been named a grantee of The Colorado Trust’s Health
Professions Initiative,” said Denise Root. “I believe our newly developed
part-time nursing program meets the criteria and spirit of the Initiative’s
original intent.”
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