2008 Woodie Awards
Nursing program needs students for rewarding field
Stefani Vella, Kelly Andersom, Jennifer Burbank, Guest Writers
Issue date: 12/7/05 Section: News
Due to many factors, including lack of faculty, lack of funding for nursing programs, and an aging nursing population, the nursing profession is facing severe shortages. California is feeling the effects of this shortage. According to The California Healthcare Association, our state is in a severe crisis, and ranks 50th in the nation in number of RN's per 100,000 residents.
The nursing profession offers a variety of benefits and opportunities. According to Judy Stenson-Musa, a Kaiser Nurse Recruiter, base nursing salaries start at $37.92 per hour plus shift differential. A newly graduated nurse's yearly gross income working a day shift would be $78,873.60, an evening shift $87,963.20 and a night shift would pay $93,350.40. A majority of hospitals also provide nurses with excellent benefits such as forgivable student loans, scholarships, complete family healthcare coverage, and pension plans. A number of hospitals offer signing bonuses of up to $10,000. Nurses have the luxury of creating a flexible schedule that suits their own individual lifestyle. There are also many traveling opportunities due to the high demand for nurses nationwide.
Sonoma State is home to one of the most prestigious nursing schools in California. Since 1998, SSU has graduated 171 Bachelor of Science-prepared nurses, but there are many more unfilled nursing positions.
SSU is doing all that it can to amend its program to generate more nurses. The program entails one to two years of sciences and math followed by three years of core nursing classes. SSU's nursing program is highly competitive. Due to the lack of resources it can only admit 30-35 students into the pre-licensure nursing program each year. However, California is doing all that it can to increase funding and enrollment to state nursing programs in the hope of generating more nurses.
Although nursing is a challenging profession it is also one that is very rewarding. For more information go to the Nursing Office in Nichols Hall.
The nursing profession offers a variety of benefits and opportunities. According to Judy Stenson-Musa, a Kaiser Nurse Recruiter, base nursing salaries start at $37.92 per hour plus shift differential. A newly graduated nurse's yearly gross income working a day shift would be $78,873.60, an evening shift $87,963.20 and a night shift would pay $93,350.40. A majority of hospitals also provide nurses with excellent benefits such as forgivable student loans, scholarships, complete family healthcare coverage, and pension plans. A number of hospitals offer signing bonuses of up to $10,000. Nurses have the luxury of creating a flexible schedule that suits their own individual lifestyle. There are also many traveling opportunities due to the high demand for nurses nationwide.
Sonoma State is home to one of the most prestigious nursing schools in California. Since 1998, SSU has graduated 171 Bachelor of Science-prepared nurses, but there are many more unfilled nursing positions.
SSU is doing all that it can to amend its program to generate more nurses. The program entails one to two years of sciences and math followed by three years of core nursing classes. SSU's nursing program is highly competitive. Due to the lack of resources it can only admit 30-35 students into the pre-licensure nursing program each year. However, California is doing all that it can to increase funding and enrollment to state nursing programs in the hope of generating more nurses.
Although nursing is a challenging profession it is also one that is very rewarding. For more information go to the Nursing Office in Nichols Hall.