Howard Community College received a $544,000 grant to expand its nursing programs, part of a statewide campaign to prevent a forecasted shortage of nurses.

The "Who Will Care?" campaign, organized by the Maryland Hospital Association and Johns Hopkins Hospital, was launched in 2007 and has raised $15.5 million through public and private pledged donations, about one-quarter of the $60 million sought.

The first grants, announced at a news conference June 22 at MHA headquarters, in Elkridge, are expected to increase the number of nurses graduating from Maryland schools by 300 and add 20 faculty positions at various schools.

The campaign's goal is to graduate an additional 1,500 nurses every year -- double the current number.

Howard Community College is one of 17 Maryland schools awarded a grant and will use the money over a three-year period to improve retention rates within the nursing school and also the caliber of its graduates, according to Georgene Butler, HCC's director of nursing.

The college will use this grant money to hire additional faculty to improve their accelerated, 14-month nursing program and its traditional associate degree nursing program, thus lowering the teacher-to-student ratio and giving students more direct interaction with professors, Butler said.

The grant also will be used for tutoring sessions and support services to increase retention rate, in the hope of increasing the number of graduating students who pass the National Council Licensure Examination for nurses. Graduates are required to pass this exam for certification.

"It's important that we improve the graduation rate, but even more crucial that our graduating students pass the nursing exam so that they can actually get a job in the work force," said Ron Roberson, HCC's vice president of academic affairs.

The nursing school graduated 121 students in the 2008-2009 academic year. Butler said that with the grant, the school might be able to graduate an additional 45 to 50 students.

"Howard Community College has always been on the cutting edge of expanding our nursing program but now we want to ensure that these students graduate and are prepared for the work force," Butler said.

According to the Maryland Hospital Association and the Maryland Healthcare Education Institute, Maryland could have a shortage of 10,000 nurses by 2016. Some 43 percent of nurses are approaching retirement age, the organizations contend, and many applicants have been denied admission to nursing schools because of limited faculty.

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