Students graduate from the master of science in nursing program ready to train new and future nurses
An ongoing nationwide shortage of nurses has seriously affected our healthcare system’s ability to fight COVID-19. The shortage has led to devoted nurses throughout the United States having to frequently pull 12-hour shifts, care for an overwhelming number of COVID-19 victims in hotspots and feel the stress from the immense responsibility they hold in caring for their patients.
“Right now, in Texas, there are 17,000 nursing positions that cannot be filled,” said Dr. Gabriel Oluwakotanmi, Dean for Hallmark University’s School of Nursing. “Nursing schools don’t have enough faculty to keep up with the demand of students who want to study to become a nurse. If we had a ready supply of nurses, I am sure this pandemic would not be as devastating as it is now.”
The shortage of nursing instructors is primarily addressed by universities offering Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs, a graduate degree that specializes in training experienced nurses to lead a career in education, hospital administration and more. Hallmark University launched its own Master of Science in Nursing program in 2019 to and recently graduated its first students to enroll in the program.
Training New Nurses to Fight COVID-19
When the first students enrolled into Hallmark University’s MSN program over a year ago, they were prepared to learn how to use the expertise they built from their careers in nursing to train new healthcare professionals.
“I wanted to make a difference with students while they’re learning so we can better learn how to prevent infection, transmission, and fight infections and disease,” Shared Oluwakemi Adeleke, a recent MSN graduate. “We have a lot of things to teach our students and current nurses; I think I’m prepared now as a better educator after finishing this program.”
The quality of care a nurse gives to their patients begins in the classroom and continues when they enter a healthcare environment. Hospitals often provide additional training to nurses to become specialized in certain areas, learning from professionals such as Sid Bella, who has over ten years of experience as a nurse and just completed his MSN at Hallmark University.
“I’ve spent twelve years in critical care, and I’ve moved into an administrative role at my hospital,” shared Sid Bella. “I’d been interested in becoming a nursing development professional to teach adult learners the practices of nursing, and I believed an MSN would help me achieve that.”
Hallmark’s MSN program taught Sid to tailor information to help those who are less experienced in healthcare, changing the way he prepared new nurses at his hospital. His understanding of training has helped him motivate his employees and to get the best out of them during the worst public health crisis in the past century.
“In the larger scope of things, I think what I’ve learned could help us fight Covid. Not having enough nurses is one of the biggest hindrances we face now, which goes back to not having enough faculty in universities. Providing this path for people to learn as they come in and care for others will help us give better care in the long run.”
Oluwakemi and Sid serve a role in our society that most did not realize was so critical for our safety and well-being until now. Earning their Master of Science in Nursing degrees will help in the fight against COVID in San Antonio and highlight to the community and world the need to focus on solving the nursing shortage.