With two nursing program cohorts underway in Fresno, National University’s School of Health and Human Services is meeting a critical need for an aging population in a key region of budget-strapped California.
The San Joaquin Valley is often referred to as the state’s “bread basket.” It has long been a major source of agricultural production, and since the real estate boom that began in the late 1990s, the fertile region stretching from Stockton to Bakersfield between the Sierra Nevada and the coastal mountain ranges, has also become one of California’s fastest-growing areas.
Fresno State University and surrounding community colleges, such as Fresno City College, San Joaquin College and West Hills College, are producing registered nurses with associate degrees. Programs at Fresno Pacific University and University of Phoenix are designed specifically to assist Registered Nurses (RNs) in earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Unfortunately, state budget cuts have slowed expansion of public programs and the region is still struggling to keep pace with demand, according to Jayne F. Moore, Ph.D., R.N. Professor and Assistant Director of Nursing at National University’s Fresno Academic Center.
“They are still hiring a lot of travelling nurses in the San Joaquin Valley, a staffing approach which can be very expensive,” says Dr. Moore. “There are multiple employment opportunities for nurses in Fresno and the surrounding area. Jobs are available in medical centers, schools, nursing homes, even jails and correctional facilities.”
Nurses may not get to work where they want to immediately, but the job market in Central California is improving.As Dr. Moore explains it, there are now five cities in the San Joaquin Valley with a population of 100,000 or more. Dozens more communities are close behind. The region’s Baby Boomers are hitting age 65 en masse.
Much of this burgeoning demographic will be eligible for Medicare soon, and a significant population will be demanding a plethora of medical services. By producing more nurses, National University is poised to contribute toward meeting those demands.
The first 16 students in Dr. Moore’s BSN program in Fresno started last November. A second cohort of 21 students started in May. “We’ve got some great students,” exclaims Dr. Moore. “It’s a very exciting time for the program here.”
Two full-time faculty positions were filled and a brand-new nursing lab was completed before Dr. Moore arrived in Fresno in mid-August. She is projecting the need for four more full-time faculty members over the next year, and would like to see two adjunct instructors for every clinical position.
Nursing students in royal blue scrubs, emblazoned with National University insignias, are becoming a common sight at the Fresno Academic Center. Soon these students will be on staff at healthcare facilities throughout San Joaquin Valley, elevating the quality of life in their communities.
