By January of 2023, Ozarks Technical Community College will increase the number of nursing and respiratory therapy students it can educate each year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory therapists were instrumental in saving lives as the medical practitioners who helped patients breathe. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the United States will need more than one million new nurses to keep up with demand and nurse retirements to avoid a nursing shortage.
“We have seen the need within our community and OTC has responded by expanding the college’s capacity to graduate more students with these essential skills,” said Dr. Aaron Light, OTC dean of health sciences.
OTC is offering new pathways and degree programs for nurses and respiratory therapists, which will lead to an increase of 70-80 healthcare practitioner graduates each year.
Respiratory therapy
In March of 2021, the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development approved OTC to offer a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy in 2023. The college is still seeking the necessary approvals and accreditations, but if the college receives all of the approvals OTC will admit its first class of bachelor’s degree-seeking respiratory therapy students in January 2023. OTC will have 15 spots available in Springfield and 15 at its location in Waynesville.
OTC and St. Louis Community College sought approval to offer bachelor’s degrees in respiratory therapy because both schools hope to expand their programs in the future, and the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) now requires that any new respiratory therapy programs offer bachelor’s degrees.
Besides the bachelor’s in respiratory therapy, OTC will continue to offer the associate degree in respiratory therapy and an accelerated bachelor’s option for students who already have an undergraduate degree in a different subject.
Direct to Associate of Science in Nursing program
The OTC Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program is seeking approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing to start a direct entry program that does not require a practical nursing license as a pre-requisite. A minimum of an associate degree in nursing is required to become a registered nurse in the state of Missouri. Currently, OTC students must first graduate from a practical nursing program, and achieve and maintain an active practical nursing license to be admitted into the ASN program. The new program will admit 24 students in its first cohort and they should graduate in about a year. The new direct-to-ASN program will be in addition to the current ASN program, which requires a student to be a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Practical nurses and registered nurses differ in their level of education, what duties they are able to perform and the level of supervision required.
Certified Nurse Assistant/Medical Assistant/Emergency Medical Technician to Practical Nursing program
Pending approval from the Missouri State Board of Nursing, beginning in January of 2023, the Practical Nursing program at OTC Springfield will offer students who are either certified nurse assistants (CNA), medical assistants (MA), or emergency medical technicians (EMT) the opportunity to enter the Practical Nursing Program with a new educational track. This track will require fewer clinical hours for those students based on their prior education and work experience. Often considered entry-level positions, CNAs, MAs, and EMTs provide direct care to patients in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and community settings.