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12 Hartford Business Journal • June 11, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com C entral Connecticut State University (CCSU) is opening additional spots for nursing students this fall and providing more teaching tools, including more simu- lation labs and high-tech mannequins on which to practice, after the recent on-campus relocation and expansion of its nursing training facility. The $1.1 million project roughly triples CCSU's training space to about 4,800 square feet and is expected to be an attractive marketing tool for potential students looking to enter a field that his- torically has offered good job prospects. "I think really through the eyes of a prospective student and a parent, the fact that the university … made this com- mitment to the nursing program … gives a physical example that both the university and the (nursing) department are very commit- ted to (students') learning and their learning needs," said Catherine Thomas, an assis- tant professor who was instrumental in shepherding the project over roughly the last year as former interim chair of CCSU's department of nursing. The facility helps train students to get a bachelor's degree in nursing and a job as a registered nurse (RN) in a healthcare field where nurses have been in high demand, more so in some roles or parts of the country than others. However, there is disagreement about whether or not Connecticut has an adequate workforce supply right now, particularly as the state's aging nurse corps nears retirement. Some research suggests there will be more RN supply than demand in Connecticut by 2030. "I think it's perfectly accurate to say that we are not at a shortage status right now" on a statewide basis, said Elizabeth Beaudin, senior director of population health for the Connecti- cut Hospital Association, who holds a doctorate in nursing. That said, myriad variables are at play and hospitals here do cite needs for experienced nurses in some de- partments like the ICU and operating room, Beaudin said. To that end, some hospitals offer up to yearlong residen- cies, including support from a coach or preceptor, to help train new nurses for those more demanding roles, real- izing a new graduate won't be ready to walk immediately from the classroom into the OR or ICU, Beaudin said. "There's some concern about … get- ting close to the demographic cliff and (hospitals) may lose a lot of people all at once," she said, referring to aging Baby Boomers nearing retirement. "And even if nationally and in the state we've made enough nurses, there's going to be some transition there that will be a challenge." Connecticut nurses tend to be slightly older than the national aver- age, Thomas said. A 2015 survey found that 57 percent of the state's RNs were 50 or older and 43 percent were 55 or older, according to a report on the Connecticut League for Nursing's website. Nationally, 50 percent of RNs were age 50 or older, according to the 2015 National Nursing Workforce Study from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. CCSU's Thomas acknowledged dif- fering data on whether there's a nurs- ing shortage in the state. "I do know that there are definitely jobs out there, that our grads do not have difficulty in finding jobs, at all," she said. Cheryl Ficara, vice president of patient care services for Hartford HealthCare (HHC), which has 3,742 nurses across its six hospitals and other care providers, said her orga- nization recognizes there's a nursing shortage and "real demand" for nurses in specialty areas in many parts of the country. They've been able to recruit nurses through several key partnerships formed with colleges and universities over many years, Ficara said. "Through these partnerships, nurs- ing students perform clinical rotations at Hartford Hospital, with many often leading to employment upon gradua- tion," she said. More nurses, though, are being asked Growing Footprint CCSU expands nursing program with new lab, amenities Cheryl Ficara, Vice President of Patient Care Services, Hartford HealthCare HBJ PHOTO | JOHN STEARNS Catherine Thomas, an assistant nursing professor at CCSU, said her school's nursing facility expansion will accommodate a larger class of prospective caregivers.