Community Based Job Training Grant

Quarterly Progress Report

4-1-07-6-30-07

Section 1: General Grant Information

Grant Identification:
1. Community Based Job Training Grant #CB15210-06-60
  Jeanette S. Matrone RN, PhD, CNAA, BC
  Program Manager
  Community College of Rhode Island
  1762 Louisquisset Pike
  Lincoln, RI 02865
Expansion Goal
1. The Summer Nurses Admission Program (SNAP) commenced as planned on May 17, 2007 with 98 students admitted. These students are currently working as nurse aides in Rhode Island hospitals and long term care facilities, and their employers are members of the Health Care Futures Grant Advisory Council. The SNAP is an example of the collaboration that exists among CCRI and the community with grant support.
2. The wait list continues to be shortened through the grant's efforts toward expansion. One hundred percent of the SNAP students were taken off the wait list. In the fall there will be 32 additional students accepted in the accelerated program, and these will also be taken off the wait list. In the future the wait list will be non-existent. The new policy for admission can be accessed through the Dean's website.
3. Capacity building continues as the health science coordinators give group presentations to eight high schools throughout the state, and there was a very well attended career fair in Newport on April 25, 2007. Three hundred and forty students were contacted. Cumulatively there have been 20 institutions and 1160 student contacts made through these efforts.
4. For faculty capacity building, HARI continues to accept applications for the Nurse Faculty Externship, averaging 5 per semester, and there were 7 externs assigned to mentors during the 7th quarter. There was a meeting held between HARI and the mentors held on June 6th. Data were reviewed and evaluated on the overall program, the content of the program, and the interest of the nurse externs. It is clear that the program is serving its intent of raising awareness and interest in nursing education among BS prepared nurses who are contemplating a return to school. Through this program, they are considering the teaching alternative, and considering pursuing a master's in nursing education.
5. We still are in need of nursing adjunct professors who are qualified to teach in the clinical area, medical surgical nursing. During the 7th quarter one full time nursing instructor was hired. There are many adjuncts being processed for hire, and the numbers actually hired will appear in the next report, but we will still be short several instructors to serve clinical groups, even if all our candidates complete the application process, and fulfill all requirements.
Student Retention/Persistence Goal
1. The health science coordinators have been tracking the students who seek help, and their change in the final grade for the nursing courses. The results of the change in grade are impressive. Most of the grades point averages (GPA), comparing spring 2006 to spring 2007, showed an improvement. Out of the 12 courses tracked those who sought help raised their GPA in 8 out of the 12 courses. The health science coordinators will be tracking the dropout rate; when the grant was initiated the rate of recidivism in nursing was 35%, and we expect to reduce that rate with the interventions made possible through the grant.
2. Supplemental instruction hours continue to rise; during the 7th quarter there were 398 students served a total of 386.25 hours.
3. This quarter two candidates in the Practical Nurse program took and passed the NCLEX PN program (100%), and there were 15 out of 16 candidates who passed the NCLEX RN program (93.75 %) These statistics surpass our goals.
Status Update on Leveraged Resources
1. The Operations group continues to monitor the grant, and the Advisory Council now has the accountability of grant oversight. Originally the grant was to have oversight from the Health Partnership council but the Health Partnership Council has changed their structure and mission. This change has been approved by the Department of Labor. Several Community organizations continue to spend many hours in supporting grant activity and they are partnering with us to establish expanded programs.
Faculty Development Activities
1. There was a professional development day conducted on May 9, 2007 when 40 incumbent professionals completed the curriculum and earned 6.26 contact hours. The subject of the workshop was around enhancing student learning through the use of technology, student participation in instructional games, and learning about the Joy of Stress.
Budget Modification
1. We sent in a budget modification to the Department of Labor; the modification was necessary because of the changes made in hiring and expenditures of grant money. These changes were necessary because of increases in wages based on current market conditions, delays in hiring because of college procedures, and reallocation of funds to support the students' needs in supplemental and adjunct faculty instruction. The budget modification was approved during the 7th quarter.