【聖路易時報訊】因應目前護士日益短缺的情況，加強護理教學護士培養，聖路易社區學院及董事會6月8日任命Jordan Cooper擔任護理學院院長。
Jordan Cooper曾任聖路易社區學院2022年春季學期護理學院臨時院長。社區學院從2019年開始大力擴張護理學院，目標在2024年之前要將護理學院新增75%項目。通過護理學院在社區學院Florissant Valley、森林公園、Meramec和Wildwood校區的擴張，聖路易社區學院將在擴張結束時每年可有約384名護士畢業。
目前各都會區和全國都面臨護士短缺的問題。據密蘇里州醫院協會調查數據顯示，今年醫院註冊護士職位的空缺率將達到20%，這是該協會21年以來最高護士空缺率水平，高於2019年的10%和2020年的12%。
聖路易社區學院校長Jeff L. Pittman博士表示，聖路易社區學院一直是提供本地區醫院醫護人才的重要教學機構，期待在Jordan Cooper院長領導下，聖路易社區學院護理項目繼續成為提供本地區首屈一指衛生保健醫護工作者的搖籃。
聖路易社區學院的護理課程是聖路易地區最實惠的教育科目，為期兩年，費用約為19,000美元，結業後參加全國執照考試委員會考試之通過率高達96%。
Jordan Cooper是聖路易郡人，是一名註冊護士、委員會認證家庭執業護士。畢業於聖路易社區學院Florissant Valley校區，獲有護理應用科學副學士學位，他還擁有Maryville大學護理學學士學位和Walden大學護理學碩士學位，專攻家庭護士。Jordan Cooper目前正在攻讀護理博士學位。
Cooper Hired to Lead St. Louis Community College’s Expanding Nursing Program
ST. LOUIS (June 8, 2022) – St. Louis Community College and its Board of Trustees named Jordan Cooper as dean of nursing.
Cooper, who served as the interim dean of nursing for the spring 2022 semester, will continue the College’s impressive expansion started in 2019 that will see the College grow its nursing program by 75% by 2024. By increasing the capacity and number of its cohorts at its Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood campuses, STLCC will graduate approximately 384nurses per year by the end of the expansion.
This movement comes as the metro area and nation face an increasing shortage of registered nurses. Vacancy in registered nurse positions at hospitals hit 20% this year — the highest level in the 21 years the Missouri Hospital Association has conducted the survey — and up from 10% in 2019 and 12% in 2021.
“We are looking forward to Jordan’s leadership in this critical position,” said Jeff L. Pittman, Ph.D., STLCC chancellor. “The St. Louis region is facing a shortage in health care workers and for many years, the College has served as a vital pipeline to area hospitals. I am confident that under Jordan’s strategic leadership, our nursing program will continue to be the premier health care worker provider for the region.”
STLCC’s nursing program is the most affordable education in the St. Louis area at approximately $19,000 for two years. Its students also have one of the highest pass rates with 96% of the students passing the National Council Licensure Exam.
Cooper is a registered nurse, board-certified family nurse practitioner and native of St. Louis county. He attended Riverview Gardens High School and graduated from STLCC-Florissant Valley with an Associate of Applied Science in nursing. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Maryville University and a Master of Science in nursing, specializing as a family nurse practitioner, from Walden University. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in nursing, specializing in interdisciplinary health.
“As a lifelong resident of St. Louis and an alumnus of St. Louis Community College, it’s an absolute honor to be offered the dean of nursing position,” Cooper said. “The College already provides the region with some of the best-trained and most-qualified nurses to help fill the growing gap in registered nurses. I look forward to growing our program, continuing to develop strong relationships with our community, academic and clinical partners in the metro area and help promote student success by removing barriers to learning and making our program an accessible goal for all.”
Cooper’s nursing experience includes critical care, emergency nursing, pediatrics and family practice. His interests include fatigue/burnout in nursing educators, diversity and inclusion among nursing students and faculty, and workforce development.
After serving as an adjunct nursing faculty for STLCC in 2017, he joined as a full-time faculty member in 2018. In 2020, he became program coordinator of the STLCC-Florissant Valley nursing program before assuming the interim dean role in January 2022.
Cooper made numerous contributions to the Florissant Valley program. He led the expansion from a single to a double cohort, including increasing from seven to 13 full-time faculty members and boosted enrollment to 48 students for both the spring and fall semesters. He strengthened the College’s partnership with Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, which has provided meaningful clinical experiences for students.
In addition to chairing several district nursing committees, Cooper co-chaired the Missouri State Board of Nursing Five-Year Program Review for the district nursing program and facilitated the development and planning of the newly built nursing simulation lab on the Florissant Valley campus. He also organized student and faculty participation in a joint venture with the St. Louis Department of Public Health for the first mass vaccination clinic in the St. Louis metro area in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cooper also served on the leadership team for the development of the future Centers for Nursing and Health Sciences at the Florissant Valley and Wildwood campuses.
“I look forward to working with Jordan as we continue to develop one of the region’s largest and best healthcare education programs,” Julie Fickas, Ed.D., president and chief academic officer at STLCC-Forest Park.
Cooper’s new role is effective June 6.
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About St. Louis Community College
Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States. STLCC has four campuses: Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood. The College annually serves more than 50,000 students through credit courses, continuing education, and workforce development programs. For more information about STLCC, visit stlcc.edu
