New program puts nurses on fast track

As long as folks grow older, babies are born and children get the sniffles, nurses will be needed. The question is -- will there be enough of them to go around?

In April 2006, the American Hospital Association said in a report that approximately 118,000 registered nurses were needed to fill vacant positions in hospitals across the country. By 2014, 1.2 million nurses will be needed to fill new positions and replacements as mature nurses retire, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics’ Monthly Labor Review. Those numbers indicate nursing will be the second-fastest growing job. The fastest-growing field is retail salespersons. What originally began in 1959 as a program to train bedside nurses to quickly combat the post-World War II nursing shortage has evolved into a licensed practical nurse program offered at the Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational-Technical School.

With people living longer than ever and as America’s record-number Baby Boom generation ages, medical professionals are again looking for new ways to quickly, yet effectively educate registered nurses.

Realizing a need to fast-track students holding lower-level nursing degrees to bachelor-degreed registered nurses, the School of Practical Nursing at the Wilkes-Barre Vocational-Technical School began coordinating a program three years ago with Luzerne County Community College and three local universities.

“We can’t produce them fast enough to fill the holes,” said Mary Beth Pacuska, director of the School of Practical Nursing.After 12 months of intensive classroom and on-hands training, vo-tech students graduate as LPNs after they pass a national certification test to receive their state license.

Vo-tech students interested in continuing their educations are guaranteed placement in one of four nursing programs at area colleges and universities.

The school has local agreements with Luzerne County Community College, Marywood University, University of Scranton and Wilkes University. LCCC offers a two-year associates degree in nursing. All three universities offer a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Studies show nurses with advanced education provide better care than those who have not furthered their schooling, said Patricia Harrington, chairperson of the department of nursing at University of Scranton.

She said that although the fast-track program does not produce a large number of registered nurses, every little bit does help.

“It’s not a major contributor, but it is certainly making things better,” Harrington said.

As administrative director of clinical studies at Wyoming Valley Healthcare System, Mindy Torbik-Belleman works as a liaison between the hospital and nursing schools in the region. She oversees the clinical studies program in which nursing students work directly with patients in a supervised setting.

About three years ago, the LPN nursing school restructured its curriculum to ensure students wouldn’t lose any credits when transferring to another institution to pursue their bachelor’s degrees.

“Now they are going right through. The response has been huge.” Out of 44 graduates this May, more than three-quarters said they were planning on continuing their education.

Hunlock Creek resident Muingo Muthui said she plans to take advantage of the fast-track program because she can earn her bachelor’s degree quicker than a traditional four-year route.

“This is a great way to jump-start your career whether you stay with LPN or go on to your RN,” Jennifer Andrewlavage of Wilkes-Barre said.

In August, Tracey Kenzakoski will graduate from Wilkes with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She credits her training in the LPN program with helping her while going through the Wilkes program. She was introduced to the LPN program while working as a home-health aide.

“I see students out of high school enter Wilkes and they don’t have a lot of hands-on experience,” Kenzakoski said.

“I believe they are at a disadvantage. I’ve learned so much in nursing by going through the LPN program.”

LPN students work directly with patients in clinical routines twice a week in local hospitals, while attending classes the remaining three days.

Vo-tech students are assigned patients depending on what they are studying in the classroom, Torbik-Belleman said.

When students are learning about gerontology, they work with elderly patients and when studying obstetrics they interact with pregnant women during the clinical work.

“Those folks work side by side with the students to provide care,” Torbik-Belleman said, noting the instructors accompany the LPN students to the hospital.

Wilkes-Barre’s school is one of only 32 licensed practical nursing schools in Pennsylvania accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. And it’s one of only 153 practical nursing schools nationally accredited by the commission. The Wilkes-Barre school earned its accreditation in April 1987. The school’s next evaluation is scheduled for spring 2012.

Licensed Practical Nursing:

Comparing LPNs to RNs:

For more information on the Licensed Practical Nursing program at Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational-Technical School, call 570-822-6539 or visit its Web site at www.wbpracticalnursing.com.

Class information: 15-month course (no summer school) broken into four segments. Classes start each September and March.

Licensed Practical Nurse – Average salary: $35,530/year for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area

Registered Nurses - Average salary: $50,350/year for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area

Third-quarter 2006 records show an average of 2,239 nurses in Luzerne County worked in doctor’s offices making an average of $1,165 a week. This is down slightly from five years earlier, when an average of 2,294 nurses in Luzerne County worked in a doctor’s office making an average of $1,032 a week.

Third-quarter 2006 records show an average of 99,953 nurses in Pennsylvania worked in doctor’s offices making an average of $1,341 a week. This was up from five years earlier, when an average of 89,031 nurses in Pennsylvania worked in a doctor’s office making an average of $1,118 a week.