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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 21, 2004 Nurse-in-training Bryn O�Kelley examines newborn Mahala Fink, held by mother Charlene Fink of Central Point, at Rogue Valley Medical Center on Monday. O�Kelley is a senior in the Southern Oregon University nursing program. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Nursing students may face fee boost Governor’s proposed budget could force higher tuitions By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune A year from now, the cost of Bryn O’Kelley’s nursing diploma could look like a real bargain. The Central Point woman paid about $10,000 in tuition and fees to complete her senior year of nursing school at Southern Oregon University. Tuition could rise dramatically next fall to compensate for funding cuts proposed in Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s 2005-07 budget. The nursing program at SOU is managed by Oregon Health & Science University, which stands to lose about 40 percent of its state funding in Kulongoski’s budget. OHSU officials say the only way they can keep their nursing program afloat is to raise tuition while they wait to see how the Legislature handles the governor’s spending proposal. "We’re looking at very, very, significant increases in tuition," said Kate Potempa, dean of the nursing school. "We want to be as cost-efficient as possible, but somebody has to pay for education." Potempa could not say how high tuition would rise because OHSU officials are still deciding which programs should absorb the budget cut. Several private nursing schools in the Northwest charge tuition that ranges from $17,000 to $22,000annually. Advertisement She said nursing school tuition would also rise at OHSU’s Portland campus and at two other regional schools: Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls and Eastern Oregon University in La Grande. OHSU’s board of directors has said higher tuition at OHSU’s medical and dental schools is also likely. The university is a public corporation that raises more than 95 percent of its own money, but the state provides money for training doctors, nurses and dentists. Potempa said the governor’s proposal would shave $33 million from OHSU’s current state support of $86 million, and it comes on the heels of several years of cuts. OHSU admits new students in January, February and March, but the Legislature rarely decides on a budget until the end of the session. In 2003, legislators did not adopt a budget until August. Even if the Legislature gives OHSU more money than the governor requested, nursing students will likely have to pay more for their education, said Sandy Theis, associate dean for OHSU’s Southern Oregon region. "This is not a one-year fix," Theis said. "This is possibly for the long term." The regional nursing programs at SOU, OIT and EOU provide the third and fourth year of studies for a four-year degree in nursing. Many students complete their prerequisite courses at community colleges and then transfer to the four-year schools. The Ashland program graduates about 40 to 50 nurses per year, and 40 to 50 more graduate at EOU and OIT combined. Hospitals in communities such as Medford, Grants Pass and Klamath Falls fill many of their nursing jobs with graduates from the regional programs. That’s because many, like O’Kelley, the Central Point nursing student, already have strong ties to the community. "My husband has a good job here," O’Kelley said. "We’re not going anywhere." When the governor’s budget was announced Dec. 1, officials at OHSU talked of closing the three regional nursing programs and scaling back the program in Portland. Theis said many hospital administrators told OHSU the regional programs must survive to ensure that rural hospitals get new nurses to replace those who are nearing retirement and to fill new positions that will be created as hospitals expand. "The question is how we can develop stable funding ..." Theis said, "if the Legislature is not going to come through." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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