TSU's School of Nursing Offers Innovative Programs to Combat the Nursing Shortage

According to the American Association of College of Nursing, the United States is in the midst of a nursing shortage expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows. While some college programs are seeing a decline in applications for nursing students, administrators in the School of Nursing at Tennessee State University believe the program will continue to see stable numbers.

"We are seeing a steady number of students continue to enroll in one or more of our programs," said Dr. Barbara Buchanan-Covington, director of the BSN nursing education program. ''The School of Nursing has a new dean, Dr. Kathy L. Martin, who comes to TSU with a wealth of knowledge, experience and the ability to continue to move us in the right direction. I am positive that the shortage will not affect us anytime soon, if at all."

Dr. Buchanan-Covington also believes the school's location and amount of health care providers needed in the region play major roles.

"We are located in the state capital and there are more than four or five major health care providers in the city," she added. "This gives us the opportunity to work directly with them and continue to place our students in externships and jobs upon graduation."

The school of Nursing recently added a certified nursing technician (CNT) to registered nurse (RN) concentration for the associate's degree program, focusing on the paraprofessional and others who have some skills, but no formal educational training.

Covington said the school has plans to renovate the skills lab in the near future and to provide more sophisticated and up-to-date equipment for students to utilize.

"We are the most diverse nursing program in the state and we plan to continue to offer our students a quality education in nursing."