Partners help Fletcher expand nursing programs

The health care industry is experiencing a challenging time related to the supply and demand of licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and nurse educators.
The expansion of Fletcher’s nursing programs will require an increase in space for classroom activities and labs and increasing the amount of nursing faculty employed by the college that will deliver instruction to the students. In recent months, Fletcher Technical Community College has secured commitments from a number of community partners that will significantly expand its nursing program by the 2024-2025 academic year.
With the addition of space and instructors, faculty members believe this expansion will best serve the state of Louisiana by beginning to fill gaps in the projected nurse shortage identified by the Louisiana Center for Nursing. Currently, Fletcher’s nursing programs has capacity for 64 students.
With the funding provided by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation of Louisiana Foundation, Fletcher will be able to hire additional faculty over the next three years, which will allow the nursing programs to increase student enrollment by 20 students each year.
This expansion is made possible by bringing together a coalition of healthcare providers, economic development agencies and foundation funders, including:
—Ochsner Clinic Foundation and Terrebonne General Medical Center, each of which has committed $1 million and will provide clinical training and internship programs
—The Economic Development Authority, which awarded $2.1 million to construct a new nursing training facility at Fletcher’s Schriever Campus
—The Blue Cross and Blue shield of Louisiana Foundation, which has committed to $380,000 to pay for Fletcher to add two full-time nursing instructors to its classroom program
Louisiana faces a number of critical human capital shortages in its healthcare systems – but the need for nurses, especially outside of major urban centers, is critical. Before the pandemic, the Louisiana Hospital Association was projecting that unfilled nursing positions would quadruple by 2025. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, those needs have only grown.
“With the increasing demand for nurses in our communities, it is important that we increase student enrollment into our nursing programs,” commented Dr. Danielle Vauclin, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health at Fletcher. “This increased enrollment will provide quality nursing graduates into the community to assist in closing the nursing shortage in the Bayou Region. Fletcher is excited to partner with the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation to make this happen. This partnership will provide Fletcher’s nursing programs with the opportunity and funding needed to hire additional faculty and subsequently increase student enrollment. As always, Fletcher is dedicated to educating nursing students that will one day be a huge asset to the bayou region workforce.”
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation works each day to improve the health and lives of Louisianans by empowering everyday people to do extraordinary good. By building and funding coalitions of friends, families, and neighbors, the Foundation hopes to build a healthier Louisiana, particularly for its children. The Foundation is funded solely by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, but is a separate 501 (c)(3) nonprofit entity.