A $300,000 commitment from Ozarks Medical Center (OMC) will help Missouri State University-West Plains expand its Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree program beginning next spring.
The commitment will be paid in $100,000 installments each year for the next three years, according to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) approved by officials from OMC and Missouri State University.
The funds will be used to help underwrite the cost of expanding the university’s nursing program to include an online LPN-to-RN bridge program for an additional 30 students, as well as a second cohort of the regular track RN program for 25 additional students.
The expanded programs are contingent on approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing at its Nov. 6 meeting. If approved, the new programs will begin with the 2020 spring semester.
OMC’s generous support
“OMC has been a strong advocate and staunch supporter of our ASN program since its inception in 1985,” Missouri State-West Plains Chancellor Shirley Lawler said. “They have generously provided training opportunities and scholarships to our student nurses, and they’ve financially supported the program in different ways through the years.
“We’re very appreciative of their continuing commitment to our program, our university and this region,” she added. “As a result of their generosity, Missouri State-West Plains is positioned to better meet the increasing need for trained nurses in this area for years to come.”
“We are pleased to continue to support MSU-WP’s expanding nursing program,” OMC President and CEO Tom Keller said. “They have been a long-standing partner in the quest to populate our area’s workforce with highly educated and clinically trained nursing professionals. OMC strives to provide exceptional compassionate care to all those we serve, and that mission would be impossible without the benefits of a skilled nursing workforce.”
A recognized need
Dr. Dennis Lancaster, dean of academic affairs at Missouri State-West Plains, said both university and hospital officials have, for quite some time, recognized the need to increase educational opportunities for the certification and licensure of nurses in the south-central Missouri area.
“The need is great. In fact, it’s approaching a critical level, and not just in the greater West Plains area but across Missouri and the nation,” Lancaster said. “At the time of developing our partnership with OMC earlier this year, OMC had 75 unfilled positions that require a registered nurse.
“These are great positions at OMC, and Missouri State-West Plains’ expanded programs will prepare hundreds of students in the future to fill these positions,” he added. “Projections by the Missouri Division of Workforce Development show that 161 new registered nurses will be needed by 2026 in the south-central Missouri Workforce Development Area, an 11.91% increase.”
As for pay, Lancaster pointed out the state’s average entry wage for registered nurses is $43,768. The average overall wage statewide for RNs is $54,250.
“This partnership will accomplish two primary purposes – it will increase the number of registered nurses for our region, and it will increase the quality of healthcare for those who call this region home,” Lancaster said.
Applications are currently being accepted for the expanded LPN-to-RN online program and the expanded regular track RN program. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1.
For more information about the application process and requirements, call 417-255-7245 or visit the nursing department’s website.