The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s traditional undergraduate nursing program continues to attract strong numbers of applicants—more each year than it can accept.
“Our program attracts many students to the University,” said Rachelle Lancaster, RN, associate professor/assistant dean and director of the pre-licensure nursing program.
She said interest and the number of applicants exceed the number of seats.
“We always fill every available seat,” she said. “Nursing is one of the most declared majors of incoming students.”
The cohort of traditional bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) students is capped at 80 students per semester—culled in the most recent semester from a group of 114 incoming students who met all qualifications.
Students meeting admissions criteria have high grade-point averages; achieve national benchmarks on a nursing entrance exam (the Test of Essential Academic Skills known as TEAS); excel in a personal interview process; demonstrate a history of community service; and have backgrounds working with diverse populations as well as experience as a caregiver.
Reputation of excellence
From the lab’s control room, instructor Polly Anderson administers the junior 1 simulation experience as she observes the students’ actions through a one-way mirror.
Spring 2018 graduate Lindsey Bolwerk, of Appleton, said she was attracted to the traditional BSN program at UW Oshkosh because of the opportunity for patient contact and the “top-notch” clinicals and lab simulations.
She transferred to Oshkosh from UW-Madison, where she began studies as a pre-med student. At Madison she had contact with nurses who served as student mentors. Soon she was re-thinking her career path and switching schools.
“The reason I chose nursing is to help,” Bolwerk said. “Even if I can’t make patients better, I can help them feel better. As long as I can do my best to help them be comfortable, it’s fulfilling to me.”
Bolwerk recently accepted a position in the Intermediate Care Unit at Ascension Northeast Wisconsin–St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton.
She isn’t the first nurse in the family. Her older brother graduated several years ago from the UW Oshkosh accelerated BSN program. He and his wife work in the Fox Valley as registered nurses.
Another UW Oshkosh BSN graduate, Katie Sullivan ’18, of Hortonville, said she appreciated the one-on-one teaching that takes place at UW Oshkosh.
“Our professors actually care. They know our names and where we’re from,” she said. “They want us to be prepared for the real world.”
Sullivan became interested in nursing in high school. Her grandmother was sick and she was inspired by the nurses taking care of the family as well as their patient.
Sullivan secured a job in the operating room at St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Changing demographic, technology explosion
A 1999 alumna, Lancaster said changes in nursing include the need to increase the numbers of diverse nursing students.
Senior 2 student Reed Boettcher
“Faculty actively assist recruiting diverse students including men,” she said. “The nursing profession as a whole should reflect patient demographics.”
Nursing also is becoming increasingly attractive as average salaries continue to rise. Nationwide, annual salaries average nearly $70,000, Lancaster said, and are estimated to rise by more than 15 percent in the next decade.
Lancaster called the wave of technology influencing nursing practices “remarkable.”
The use of human patient simulation to educate nurses as well as the integration of telehealth into care delivery means that nurses must be prepared to use technology.
“Our graduates may care for patients in remote areas,” Lancaster said. “Nurses are now in touch with patients and providers via smart phones and other systems, 24 hours a day.”
Technology allows for nurses to cross geographical boundaries. Millennials were virtually born with technology in their hands, so for this generation it’s not a big deal when electrocardiogram results come directly to a nurse’s phone.
Similarly, electronic healthcare records have evolved as the norm in the industry.
“The future is here, and it’s amazing,” Lancaster said about technological advances.
International partners
For years UW Oshkosh has used a study-abroad program to help students fulfill clinical requirements. Simply put, there are not enough educators or clinical sites available locally.
Jenna Graff, director of the Office of International Education (OIE) at UW Oshkosh, said OIE has been running study-abroad programming since 2003, and the College of Nursing had been offering short-term opportunities even earlier. Programming in the 1990s through 2004 focused on Western Europe and the differences in approaches to healthcare.
Abbie Chobot ‘18 at the Taj Mahal in India.
The move to a clinical approach began around 2004 and involved a number of trips to India—made possible by connections UW Oshkosh faculty had with nursing colleges there.
Graff said the College of Nursing has brought students to India almost every year and has expanded programming to Uganda (2010), Peru (2011 to present), Nicaragua (2014-2016) and Ireland (2018-2019).
The College of Nursing has sent 628 nursing students—the vast majority undergraduates—on international programs between 2004 and 2018.
Abbie Chobot ‘18, a Waukesha native who graduated in June with a BSN degree, said studying in India in January 2018 was a “life-changing” experience.
“While in India, we went to the villages and worked with children and families, caring for and educating them about health,” she said. “We worked alongside nursing students from India and it was an awesome experience.”
Nursing by the numbers
UW Oshkosh College of Nursing graduates the second-largest number of BSN-prepared nurses in Wisconsin and has the highest National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) pass rate among UW System schools. In 2017, the NCLEX pass rate for first-time test takers was 96.88 percent.
According to the UW Oshkosh Office of Institutional Research, the University has graduated 7,190 BSN nurses since records began in 1970. Last spring, there were 157 graduates.
A workforce survey from 2016 indicates there are approximately 76,700 nurses in Wisconsin serving about 6 million residents.
The number of nurses is expected to remain consistent through 2040. However, the demand for nurses is projected to steadily rise over the same period, according to an October 2016 forecasting model from the Wisconsin Center for Nursing Inc., which projects supply and demand of registered nurses. The report says there will not be enough RNs to meet the increasing healthcare needs of an aging population under the status quo. There will be large numbers of retiring baby boomers that include those holding nursing positions across the state.
With data pointing to a nursing shortage, leaders say strategies to combat vacancies and strategies to increase enrollment must be addressed. Nursing is not alone; all healthcare occupations face similar shortages.
Will there continue to be jobs for graduating nurses?
“Yes, absolutely,” Lancaster said.