School Partners With Hospitals to Train Nurses

Charlotte Guevarra, 27, was just out of community college when she landed a job as a respiratory therapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center four years ago. The job, which paid more than $15 an hour, was everything she had worked and hoped for.

After a couple of years, however, Guevarra wanted to move up in medicine. She set her sights on becoming a registered nurse, knowing that jobs are plentiful and pay is high due to a nationwide shortage of nurses.

Although she had completed the community college courses to meet the academic requirements for two-year registered nursing programs, she hit a roadblock: Nursing schools did not have space for her and the many other students who applied. She languished for a year on waiting lists for community college RN programs. High-priced private schools were not an option for her.

Guevarra’s employer -- and the nursing schools themselves -- shared her frustration. Cedars-Sinai, along with many other hospitals, needed more nurses than local colleges were graduating. But the colleges lacked the money to expand.

From that frustration, an idea emerged.

Along with UCLA Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai contracted with Santa Monica College to significantly expand its nursing education program to accommodate hospital employees and other qualified applicants. Cedars-Sinai is paying $188,000 to create 20 one-time openings, and UCLA $102,000 to create 14.

Cedars employees in the program include respiratory therapists such as Guevarra, technicians and nursing assistants -- even housekeepers, Swanson said. The participants from UCLA are all licensed vocational nurses who wish to move up to registered nurse positions.

Registered nurses are qualified to perform a wider range of medical functions than licensed vocational nurses and must meet higher educational requirements. The Santa Monica College program awards associate’s degrees in nursing.

The program has enabled many participants to bypass the long waiting lists for registered nurse programs. The hospitals do not pay the students’ tuition, but provide some financial aid for expenses such as books and child care.

“We’ll be able to increase the number of our [nursing] graduates 100%, from 30 to 60 a year,” said Marvin Martinez, the college’s associate vice president for planning and development.

Guevarra said that had she enrolled in a nursing program on her own, she might have taken longer than the normal two years to complete her training because of the high cost of incidental expenses. Her books alone cost $400 this semester, and shoes, uniforms and lab coats an additional $300. The program paid for her books and part of her uniform expenses.

Jane Swanson, director of the Institute for Professional Nursing Development at Cedars-Sinai, said the program is both an employee benefit, giving Cedars staff a chance to get better-paying jobs, and a way to meet the hospital’s needs.

“The nursing workforce is aging, and we need to look for a way to replace the nurses who are eligible to retire in their 50s,” she said. “It’s a win-win all the way around.”

Registered nurses can expect to make at least $45,000 annually, Swanson said.

The students take courses at Santa Monica College, but they spend the clinical portion of their training in the sponsoring hospitals, assisting registered nurses. This arrangement is a bonus for the students and the hospitals, because participants are able to train with nurses who probably will be their coworkers after they graduate.

For students who already work at the hospitals, the arrangement makes it easier to work and attend school at the same time; the hospitals are able to adjust their work schedules to match the program’s. Nurses at the hospital volunteer as mentors for the students.

Guevarra said her mentors make all the difference when she is struggling to get through the many chapters of assigned reading on top of attending classes, working full time and raising her 3-year-old child. Guevarra said when she is stuck on her homework, her mentors can explain the material to her over the phone or by e-mail. They also meet with her at the hospital to offer advice.

“They provide both educational and moral support,” Guevarra said.

Along with hospital employees hoping to advance their careers, the program also enrolls students from the community. David Alfon, 22, was in a graduate-level public health program at Loma Linda University last year, but decided to switch to nursing.

“I saw the economy was slowing down, and persons with master’s degrees were not as much in demand,” Alfon said. Alfon heard about the Santa Monica College program while taking pre-nursing science courses at West Los Angeles College.

Alfon hopes working as a nurse will finance his return to graduate school to finish his public health degree. He also sees nursing as valuable experience that will prepare him for a career with an international agency such as the World Health Organization or the Red Cross. Alfon hopes to work in developing nations on such projects as improving child health.

Alfon, who has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UC Riverside, said if he were not able to enroll in the Santa Monica program, he would either be on a waiting list for another program or studying at a private college, which would have meant heavy student loan debt.

He especially enjoys the Santa Monica program because it draws hospital workers and students from other fields. “There are people in their 20s and some returning from retirement. It’s a good mix of ages and experiences,” he said.