Southwestern College is scrapping its main campus clinical nursing program at the end of the 2012-13 school year, the school announced Wednesday.
The college cited increasing competition for potential students from publicly funded schools as a reason for the decision. Current nursing students and students entering the program as juniors in fall 20011 will be able to finish the program and earn a degree.
The college will continue to offer a degree completion program for licensed nurses seeking to earn a bachelor’s degree, school officials said.
“Our program has faced challenges created by the 2006 decision by the state of Kansas and the Board of Regents to increase the number of available spots in the nursing education programs at the state’s colleges and universities and to provide additional funding for hiring faculty and purchasing equipment,” Merriman stated.
Merriman also noted that Kansas ranks ninth in the U.S. in the number of B.S.N. programs per capita, and seventh in the number of associate degree nursing programs per capita.
“It seems,” Merriman said. “That the state has more nursing programs than its population can support. The competition is stiff, and not just for students. There is a national shortage of nursing educators and, looking ahead, we anticipate challenges with staffing.”
