The need for more nurses – and our urgent plan to educate more

I have had the privilege of visiting most of the Adventist hospitals outside of the United States. They range from small hospitals and rambling, venerable places like Malamulo in Africa, to tall, modern steel and glass structures like Tsuen Wan in Hong Kong. There are around 100 all told — 30 in Africa, 15 in Inter-America, 11 in India, 11 in the Philippines, with others in South America, Asia, and Europe. Some are thriving, while many face the worldwide challenges of staffing and finances. 

What has been very clear to me through these visits is that nurses establish the culture at each of these hospitals. More than doctors or any other staff members, nurses set the stage for hope and healing at each bedside and ward. They know the patient’s name, greet the family, answer the questions, make careful predictions, and generally are the connective tissue between the worried patient, their family, and institutional activities.

So it’s not surprising that either through great foresight or necessary caution that our founders began Loma Linda University’s educational journey in 1905 with a School of Nursing, as well as a School of Cooks and Bakers. They called their new college the College of Evangelists, only changing the name to College of Medical Evangelists a year later, in 1906, when they had the courage to dream of a medical school. Out of that first nursing school class — five women and two men – two headed directly to the mission field after graduating in 1907. 

While nutrition has remained a part of Loma Linda University ever since, the School of Nursing is our oldest continuous school, now approaching 119 years. As the school developed and became a college-based program rather than a hospital diploma program, the baccalaureate degree commenced in 1949. The Master of Science degree was started in 1957, the Doctor of Philosophy degree added in 2002, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2010.

Granted that a few students graduated more than once as they came back for advanced degrees, there are now 12,301 graduates. Of those, 681 hold a diploma, 3,267 have an associate’s degree, 6,772 hold a bachelor’s degree, 1,286 hold a master’s degree, 268 have a Doctorate of Nursing Practice, and 27 hold a Doctor of Philosophy. And they have literally blessed the world with their skills, establishing nursing care in many hospitals and clinics, and helping start over 100 nursing schools worldwide. One can only imagine the multiplying impact that nurses from these associated nursing schools have also had.

Our School of Nursing deans through the years include some iconic names, from Julia White, the founding dean, to some of the ones I remember — Maxine Atteberry, Marilyn Christian, Helen King, Marilyn Herrmann, Becky Bossert, and our current dean, Shawn Collins. Pat Jones and colleagues have recently published a book about Loma Linda University’s impact on global nursing care. Impressive indeed!

The demand for quality nurses has escalated since the pandemic, which encouraged many to retire. We have over 300 open nursing positions here at Loma Linda University Health alone. For many years, our School of Nursing has accepted 56 students each fall, winter, and spring quarter into our bachelor’s program — 168 per year. But with many applicants desiring a Loma Linda University education and associated reputation, and with the State of California encouraging us, we are now expanding our class size to 100 students three times a year. We have the clinical sites to enable this growth and are expanding our faculty to maintain quality education. 

But West Hall, which houses our School of Nursing and was initially a nursing home, is inadequate for this expansion. So, plans are being developed to build an addition next door, replacing the old Hughes Mortuary, with a new 58,000-square-foot, three-story expansion on the corner of Campus Street and Barton Road. We estimate this new building will cost around $50 million and is part of our Stronger Together campaign. The clock is ticking, with class sizes already expanding and needing larger classrooms. While we can accommodate these classes elsewhere on campus for a year or two, we need to get this new annex completed soon. This will enable our School of Nursing to continue its long trajectory of serving the world and nurturing their culture of caring in many hospitals and clinics. 

Thank you to all the nurses around us every day, serving the world in so many ways, including the one with whom I live!

Sincerely,

Richard Hart, MD, DrPH
President
Loma Linda University Health