Those preparing for Las Vegas nursing jobs at one local institution could soon be gravely effected by cost cutting measures.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is currently facing significant budget cuts, and although the School of Nursing is one of the most successful programs on campus, it has become a target for cuts – or worse – elimination.
During 2009, 96 percent of the school’s nursing students passed the National Certification Licensure Examination, which is 7 percent higher than the national average. However, the program is being considered for cuts because it’s one of the more expensive academic programs at UNLV.
According to an article by the Las Vegas Sun, UNLV has identified the School of Nursing as one of the 20 most expensive programs, and therefore one of the most susceptible to budget cuts, in order to meet a 6.9 percent decrease in state funding for higher education.
Unfortunately, many less expensive programs have already been cut from the school. The nursing program currently has 200 undergraduate students, 150 master’s students and 30 doctorate candidates. The school operates on an annual budget of about $5 million.
The school has such high operating costs because of the clinical settings and a low student-faculty ratio, which is required for accreditation. However, the School of Nursing brings in about $1 million each year through research and educational grants.
Several options have been put on the table to help reduce costs and avoid cutting the program. The university president recently hosted a campus town hall meeting with students. Dean Carolyn Yucha also has been considering her options, one of which would be to close the school’s pediatric nurse practitioner master’s program, which only brings in about four applicants per year.
Although that move would only save about $120,000, the program is the only low-demand program at the school, and cutting other nursing programs would reduce enrollment during a time when the community desperately needs more nurses.
Another option would be to increase the cost of tuition. Nevada’s college and university system currently charges students the same tuition regardless of the academic field they choose, and moving to a system of differentiated tuition would better take into account the costs associated with specific programs.
Check out this video about the growth of UNLV’s School of Nursing:
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