CSSI
WHAT IS IT ?
CRITICAL
SKILLS
SHORTAGE
INITIATIVE
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
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Use the grant money from the
Governor’s Opportunity Returns plan to
build a highly skilled workforce in
Southwest Illinois
Identify the key industries in the area,
determine occupational shortages and
develop solutions
Who Is Involved?
3 Community Colleges: SWIC, KC,
and L&C
9 County Workforce Investment
Boards: Calhoun, Jersey, Madison,
Bond, St.Clair, Clinton, Monroe,
Washington, Randolph
Area Hospitals and Nursing Homes
STEP 1: Identify the need
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Registered Nurses
LPNs
Rad Tech
Lab Tech
Resp Therapy
Supervisors in all
areas
NARROWING THE FOCUS…..
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Nursing was determined to be the
priority now and well into the future
SWEDR hospitals had a shortage of
225 RNs and LTC facilities were short
30 RNs
In the same region, LTC facilities needed
69 LPNs and hospitals were short 48
Local Root Causes were………….
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Insufficient supply of
new graduate RNs
Excessive “leakage” of
RNs out of the
SWEDR to metro area
hospitals
Aging RN workforce
RNs leaving facility
due to dissatisfaction
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LPNs climb career
ladder to RNs often
within 1-2 years of
grad
Insufficient supply of
new grads
Inadequate
compensation for the
jobs they perform
Dissatisfaction with job
RESULTS OF THE MEETINGS
“It was my first time to realize
that it was not a supply issue.
It wasn’t that there were not
enough students interested in
going into the programs; it
was that the colleges were
not able to take in enough
students to meet the
hospitals’ needs.” (Human
Resource Manager, Alton
Memorial Hospital)
Other “payoffs” of the meetings
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Area hospitals made aware of 2 existing
programs: KC’s RN Refresher Course
and L&C’s Management Course
Sharing of resources: Hospitals offered
classroom space, names of MSN
prepared nurses, available clinical
spaces
$$$ GRANT AWARDED! $$$
SWEDR was the recipient
of a CSSI Grant for $615,000
3 projects were established:
1) Project HEAL –Health Education Alliance… to
increase the number of RNs educated
2) Project BESTBasic and Effective Supervisory Training...to
improve supervisory skills of nurses
3) Project RENEWReturning Nurses to the Educated Workforce....to
provide refresher training for nurses who have
been out of the workforce and want to re-enter
Kaskaskia’s Piece of the Pie
PROJECT RENEW
A Refresher Course for LPNs and RNs who
have been out of the workforce and are ready
to return
May require meeting IDFPR requirements to
re-issue license after being inactive for 5 or
more years
May just require a “refreshing” of skills and
knowledge to be a safe practitioner
REFRESHER COURSE
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Is available to both
RNs and LPNs
LPN syllabus was
written and updated
by the Illinois Council
of LPN Directors
RN syllabus follows
guidelines in Illinois
Nursing Act
REQUIREMENTS OF COURSE
All students take a pre-test (NLN) to determine areas of strength
and weakness
Includes a review of theory content…a synopsis of the entire
program of either the LPN or A D N program
Students do 14 days of supervised clinicals…..can go with a current
clinical group or can find a nurse preceptor. Clinical skills are those
listed in the Illinois Nurse Practice Act.
Prior to clinicals, students must meet all the current program
requirements including proof of insurance, health
assessment/immunizations, background and drug screenings, TB
test
Must pass a calculations quiz with at 90% in order to give
medications
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THIS?
Graduates of a RN or LPN program who
reside in the SWEDR and work for a
healthcare facility in the SWEDR
There are currently 14 facilities involved and
others can be added as the need arises.
Just a note about Project HEAL
35 incumbent workers began A D N programs with an additional
15 added in January 2006
8 LPNs were admitted to the A D N program at SWIC and should
graduate this year
9 additional LPN students were supported in completing
prerequisites for the A D N program
A full-time “coach” has been hired and works with students to help
them be successful
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QUESTIONS
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