Hospitals straining under an extreme shortage of nurses now face another blow: USC is considering eliminating its undergraduate nursing program.
Administrators of hospitals throughout the region have responded with anger and disbelief that USC might drop undergraduate nurses' training.
"We felt this was the wrong time to think about that," said Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Health Care Assn. of Southern California. "We need more nursing slots and more nursing programs, not fewer."
Although the number of registered nurses increased nationally by 5% last year, California has continued to lag behind other states with one of the worst nurse shortages in the nation. In 20 years, the state will be short 60,000 nurses, according to a January report issued by the UC San Francisco Center for the Health Professions.
Six schools in Los Angeles County offer a baccalaureate degree in nursing, but Lott said USC probably generates more registered nurses each year than any of the other five. (About 80 graduates from USC take the licensing exam each year, he said.) The university also has a reputation for producing well-prepared nurses with exceptional clinical training and for accepting applicants of diverse ethnicities, an issue that has been a persistent concern in a field in which minorities are underrepresented.
"I think it will be a tremendous loss to the nursing community and to patients," said Glenda Canfield, a registered nurse and coordinator for the Service Employees International Union. "I don't think it sends a positive message on resolving the nursing shortage."
School officials said they will not make a final decision until next week, but USC stopped accepting freshman applications to the nursing school in January. The master's program will remain intact.
"We do this every year . . . take a look at the university's priorities," said Joseph Hellige, vice provost for academic programs.
Hellige said many factors are under consideration, including the size of the program relative to its cost. He declined to comment further.
"They look at nursing as a very costly program," said Gladys Smith, associate dean of nursing at Los Angeles Trade and Technical College. "They need to realize we are dealing with human beings."
Lott said the university would be disregarding its responsibility to the community as a whole.
