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Final Evaluation Report
Springfield Technical Community College:
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
Nursing Education Redesign Grant
December 31, 2013
1. Draft evaluation report highlighting project achievements, barriers and challenges
encountered, lessons learned, potential for replication, sustainability, leveraged support from
partners, next steps, recommendations for the DHE, etc.
This evaluation report for Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) details project
achievements, challenges/opportunities, lessons learned, next steps, and recommendations for
the proposed Nursing Education redesign.
Project Achievements
This project has had multiple achievements. Highlights include:
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Hiring a Targeted Nursing Advisor for intrusive advising.
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An increase by more than 10% of fall to spring retention of first year students enrolled in
the STCC/UMASS 1+2+1 seamless Nursing curriculum.
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An increase by 100% of the number of STCC ADN graduates who have had clinical
experiences in non-acute community healthcare settings.
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A slight increase (2%) in the number of STCC ADN graduates who transfer into the
UMASS RN to BS program.
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Development of a New Graduate Orientation program with Mercy Home Care.
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Excellent working relationships have been fostered between the Nursing faculty of STCC
and the Targeted Nursing Advisor.
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Excellent working relationships have been continued between the faculty of STCC and
UMASS-Amherst.
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Excellent working relationships have been fostered between the faculty of STCC and the
Mercy Home Care staff.
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Excellent working relationships have been fostered between the faculty of STCC and the
faculty of other universities, including Elms, American International College, UMASS –
Dartmouth, UMASS – Boston, University of Hartford, Chamberlain College.
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Barriers and Challenges:
Targeted Nursing Advisor
Hiring a Targeted Nursing Advisor for intrusive advising (see appendix A - job description) was
more difficult than previously anticipated. Despite several well placed ads in a variety of
venues, the response to these ads was poor and the few candidates who did respond had no
experience as a Targeted Nursing Advisor.
This recruitment process was repeated several times in an effort to attract experienced
candidates. A Targeted Nursing Advisor for intrusive advising was finally hired but with a start
date later than the proposed start date.
The late start date of the advisor was not conducive for intrusive advising with students just
beginning the program of study who were interested in the 1+2+1 seamless curriculum.
Also, because of the late start date, a formalized program was unable to be developed to
recruit high school students, with a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) or higher and demonstrated
success in math and science, into the seamless curriculum program. There were also minimal
ongoing support services to keep the cohort of students on track throughout their first
semester of studies.
Because of the late start date of the Targeted Nursing Advisor, classes on time management
and transfer requirements did not happen until the spring semester. Once hired, the Target
Nursing Advisor was able to develop tutoring sessions and sessions on studying skills to help
promote retention.
The advisor was also able to coordinate informational sessions on the RN to BS matriculation
process at UMASS – Amherst for both freshmen and senior students in April. The advisor also
developed an informational checklist for students interested in pursuing a BS degree.
Although, the goal was to encourage students to matriculate to UMASS-Amherst, some
students stated that they were not interested in the UMASS program because it is an online
program.
To meet the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report, The Future of
Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, which recommended that more nurses need to
enter the workforce with a BS degree, and to meet the needs of students who do not want an
online program, the advisor also invited representatives from Elms College to the informational
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sessions in April. Many STCC graduates who decide to complete their BS degree, but do not
want an online program, choose Elms College.
Although the Targeted Nursing Advisor was hired later than the proposed start time, the
advisor was able to meet with key players at Mercy Home Care to develop a model orientation
program with integrated Nurse Of the Future (NOF) Nursing Core Competencies© for new
graduate registered nurse employees. During the process, both administrative staff (see
Employer – Administrator Needs Assessment – Appendix B) and current staff nurses (see New
Staff Nurse Needs Assessment – Appendix C) were asked to complete a “Needs Assessment” to
determine what needed to be incorporated into the orientation program. The “Needs
Assessment” tools also were designed to determine if orientation content the employer valued
was the same as what the new registered nurse valued.
No – Cost Extension Activities:
A two month, no cost extension was granted to allow the School of Nursing to develop
materials for the advisor to utilize for both recruiting students for admission to the School of
Nursing and advising graduates of the School of Nursing who intend to pursue additional
degrees after graduation.
Funds were utilized for the targeted nursing advisors to work with a graphic designer to
develop materials, aligned with the STCC curriculum and the baccalaureate curricula for
colleges, including the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Elms College, American
International College and other colleges that our graduates have been accepted at. Western
Massachusetts colleges and universities were primarily selected to align our curriculum with
because STCC graduates primarily practice Nursing in Western Massachusetts areas after
graduation.
The School of Nursing utilized the design efforts of a graphic arts student and worked
collaboratively with the marketing designer for the college to create superior all-inclusive
materials. The graphic designer created folders, fabric table top covers and pop-up displays
reflective of the RN to BSN, RN to MSN and RN to Doctoral programs to use for both
recruitment and advising. These varied materials allow prospective and current students the
opportunity to see visually what is needed for advancing to an additional degree program.
These materials also enable students to identify what courses are needed to continue in
specific programs and make decisions about which program is best for them.
Additionally, the total curriculum for the Home Care Nurses orientation was completed based
on both employer and staff nurse ‘needs assessments’. The orientation program reflects a
strong evidence-based curriculum inclusive of classroom presentations. The orientation
program was designed following the Nurse Of the Future (NOF) Nursing Core Competencies©
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which are integrated in the STCC School of Nursing curriculum as well as a systems approach
developed across the lifespan, thus providing a comprehensive orientation program for all new
home care nurses.
Lessons Learned:
Targeted Nursing Advisor position: The Targeted Nursing Advisor is a critical role for ensuring
retention and success in the Nursing program. This position has many responsibilities,
including: recruiting new students into the Nursing program each year, providing ongoing
support services to keep the cohort of students on track, meeting students both one-on-one
and in group sessions to provide support and education and collaborating with both STCC
faculty and faculty/staff in other colleges and facilities. The amount of time needed to recruit
and hire someone into the Targeted Nursing Advisor position was considerably more than we
initially expected. It was surprising to see how challenging and time consuming it was to both
attract qualified, experienced applicants, and fill this position.
Cost to students: Another key element is that of financial aid to students attempting to
complete their baccalaureate degree. Most employers do not reimburse graduates for courses
taken to earn a BS degree. Most new graduates from STCC do not have the financial resources
to continue on to earn their BS degree without financial aid or tuition reimbursement.
Students validated that they intend to complete a BS degree in the near future, but also
expressed concern that transitioning to a RN to BS program would create a financial hardship.
In addition, although most graduates had applied to facilities to obtain a beginning staff nurse
position, most had not been offered a staff nurse position until after the June 1st start date of
the UMASS –Amherst RN to BS program.
BS program start date: Students expressed concern that UMASS had only one start date per
year in June and noted that since they had not obtained a Nursing position at that point, they
were reluctant to commit to an immediate start to the RN to BS program because they were
unable to pay tuition. As of March, 2013, UMASS-Amherst has made a decision to offer two
‘start’ dates per year for the RN to BS program: June and January which will be more flexible
for graduates to commit to and more likely graduates will also be employed at that point.
Potential for Replication:
In 2008, the implementation of a seamless curriculum was initially funded in all three phases by
the Department of Higher Education (DHE) for STCC to develop this seamless curriculum
partnered with UMASS –Amherst and Baystate Medical Center, as the practice partner. It can
easily be replicated at other community colleges.
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With this current Nursing Education Redesign grant, involving Mercy Home Care, it
demonstrates a natural expansion and progression from the previous grant funded by the DHE
to include community based clinical settings as recommended by the Institute of Medicine’s
2010 report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.
Sustainability:
The School of Nursing realizes that the Targeted Nursing Advisor position is essential to the
success of students in the School of Nursing and is committed to ensuring that the position will
continue after the DHE funding ends.
Leveraged support from Partners:
At STCC, the original practice partner, was Baystate Medical Center, an acute care facility. The
outcome of that work was the development of a dedicated education unit (DEU). A cohort of
STCC senior Nursing students have been placed in the DEU for clinical since its development
with the intent that those DEU students would both apply and be accepted into the RN to BS
program at UMASS – Amherst and would be offered positions at Baystate Medical Center upon
graduation.
For this education redesign, this has been expanded to include Mercy Home Care. In the past,
new graduates have not been offered positions in home health because they lack experience.
But, a 2011 study by the Oregon Center for Nursing identifies that the demand for home health
nurses is expected to increase 109 percent by the year 2020.
Next Steps:
Expand this education redesign to include long-term care. Most of our recent STCC graduates
obtain employment in long-term care upon graduation. During the STCC program of study,
their clinical experience with long-term care occurs in the first semester of the nursing program
and is very limited. Development of an orientation program based on the curriculum with NOF
competencies integrated would be critical.
Two STCC Nursing faculty recently applied for and were selected by the National League for
Nursing to develop a transition clinical program for long-term care during the final semester of
the STCC program of study. This transition clinical program will be specifically designed for
students who intend to work in a long-term care facility upon graduation. It would be ideal if
we could partner with several long-term care facilities that would agree to hire our graduates.
Expand the potential RN to BS programs to include other UMASS RN to BS programs, other
Commonwealth of Massachusetts state colleges and private RN to BS programs, like Elms,
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American International College, Westfield State University, the University of Connecticut and
the University of Hartford.
Recommendations:
Commitment from Practice Partners
In the initial, DHE grant for Integration of the Proposed Nurse of the Future Competencies into
the STCC curriculum, a dedicated education unit (DEU) was developed with practice partner,
Baystate Medical Center. One goal was to offer graduate nurse positions upon graduation to
students who had been in the DEU while in the Nursing program of study and had been
accepted into the UMASS – Amherst RN to BS program. Despite this informal verbal
agreement, there were no students in the past four years who were offered a position at
Baystate Medical Center upon graduation even though several had been accepted for the
UMASS-Amherst RN to BS program. This has been problematic. Students who were accepted
at UMASS-Amherst have been reluctant to go, because they have not been offered a Nursing
position to help fund their RN to BS education.
Having a written commitment and formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) with both
Baystate Medical Center and Mercy Home Care to hire these graduates at graduation might
increase the number of registered nurses who can financially afford to complete their RN to BS
degree immediately post-graduation. It would also allow employers to hire employees who
have had several clinical experiences at their facility, and have a vested interest in the facility
which would decrease orientation time and potentially increase retention.
There is a need for more consistent collaboration with area health care facilities, particularly
those that are staffed by out graduates, to explore more tuition reimbursement to support
graduates as they pursue their BS degree.
Targeted Nursing Advisor position is critical for success.
The Targeted Faculty Advisor position is not a luxury, but is critical for success. Having an
advisor would allow for an extensive collaboration with area high school counselors and their
students to know what high school courses students must take to be considered eligible for
readmission. This advisor would also work closely with Nursing students to create a reliable
mechanism to ensure that information related to admission criteria is disseminated consistently
to students.
Involvement of the Grants Department: to explore funding sources to provide financial and
academic support to students pursuing their BS degree.
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References:
Institute of Medicine (2010). The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Washington,
DC: National Academies Press.
Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing Initiative (2010). Creativity and Connections:
Building the Framework for the Future of Nursing Education and Practice: Nurse of the Future Nursing
Core Competencies©. Boston, MA.
Oregon Center for Nursing (2011). Nurses Wanted: The Changing Demand for Registered Nurses in
Oregon. Portland, OR: Oregon Center for Nursing.