ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 3, 1995                   TAG: 9505030034
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GAYLE BOYETTE
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

A NURSING SCHOOL-UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE?

IN RESPONSE to the April 11 article by Sandra Brown Kelly (``Va. Western might manage Health Sciences''), which seemed to indicate that Roanoke's College of Health Sciences would soon be merged with Virginia Western Community College:

Dr. Harry Nickens, president of CHS, was quoted only once in the article, stating that ``a significant number'' of institutions have been contacted in determining the course of the college. We feel that appropriate consideration for the CHS' nursing school would be a baccalaureate program rather than another associate program.

The emergence of ``managed health care'' calls not only for changes in health-care delivery, but also for further education for nursing professionals.

CHS will begin a new program for nurses to earn a bachelor of nursing degree. We feel this is a step forward in addressing the educational needs of nurses in the Roanoke area. To continue this progressive program development, CHS would be better served by an alliance with a four-year college than by joining with another associate program.

Registered nurses will now, more than ever, be required to continue their education to meet the challenges resulting from health-care reform. We feel that CHS has responded to this need by establishing the RN-to-BSN program. To join with a four-year college at this point seems to better suit the needs of the community, as well as the needs of nursing in the Roanoke Valley.

CHS' current associate-degree nursing program boasts a high percentage of successes for graduates passing the nursing-licensure exam on the first attempt. This is one of the many performance records indicating the quality of our program. There's no question that CHS has a lot to offer, and we're sure that Virginia Western Community College would greatly benefit from acquiring CHS.

This wouldn't serve our community, however. Nursing trends are just not headed that way, and we have to face up to that. It's logical, too, to consider that with a four-year school to align with, rather than with VWCC, we may even find a MSN program here in Roanoke some day that will suit the needs of working RNs and our community.

With the support of a major university, there would be fewer costs for education related to living expenses while in school, opportunity for advancement while working in the health-care industry and improved health care for the community. In other words, with fewer educational limits set for nurses in our community, excellent health care can be maintained.

Gayle Boyette is project administrator for the Student Nurses Association at the College of Health Sciences and a member of the Virginia Nursing Association.

Editor's note: This letter was signed by 10 other members of CHS' 1995 graduating class. 


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