Back To The Future A Joint Adventure For Addressing The Nursing Shortage

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges facing managers in the health care industry is the recurrent nursing shortage.  This paper presents a ‘Back to the Future’ innovative approach that addresses this issue.  The ‘Berger Project’, a joint venture between Berger Health Care System (BHCS) and a nursing education program at Ohio University-Chillicothe, began in spring 2003.  The venture incorporates a strategy that goes ‘BACK’in time by shifting the educational setting for nursing students from the traditional college campus to the health care organization campus which was a commonplace setting  ‘BACK’ in the 1940’s and 1950’s to resolve the nursing shortages--present and ‘FUTURE’.  The project will culminate with an evaluation process guided by comparative research studies of the nursing students in the traditional setting and those in the ‘Berger Project’ that investigate the differences in the level of critical thinking, empowerment and retention of the graduates of the two nursing programs.