Innovative Contract Language - Nursing
Promotes Recruitment and Retention
Barbara Hanfling and Mark Newton worked with nursing faculty to prepare new contract language to address the growing issue of recruitment and retention of nursing faculty at EVC.
As of fall 2006 there were 96 unfilled full time tenure track nursing faculty positions in California. EVC had just lost two nursing faculty to another community college which was able to offer a more attractive salary. All area community colleges with nursing programs were trying to attract the same few candidates.
With negotiating team support, the nursing faculty was able to present a proposal which asked for an extra month of pay for the work nursing faculty must do before and after each semester. This involves meeting with hospital administration, unit managers and hospital education staff to arrange placement on orientation of student clinical rotations and other tasks. Also the nursing program maintains accreditation with the California Board of Nursing and the National League for Nursing. Each of these organizations requires annual reports, site visits and approval of any curriculum changes.
EVC is taking the lead in innovation and the nursing faculty is most grateful to our Faculty Association, AFT 6157 for hearing our needs and advancing our proposal into what is now new contract language. Currently the nursing department has 8 full time faculty with 2 positions unfilled. This is a great improvement over the past 5 years and comes at a critical time as the enrollment in nursing this coming year will be increased from 60 new students to 80 new students.
Barbara and Mark worked tirelessly over the 2006-07 academic year to understand the situation and to find a solution agreeable to faculty and administration.
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