This commentary is by Mary L. Collins of Elmore, a graduate of Johnson State College. She holds a BFA in writing.
Last night I was scheduled for a sleep study. (Lots of electrodes. It wasn’t horrible. I’m home now. And, yes, I took a nap already.)
As the technician was wiring me up, we started chatting. He’s been a med tech for six years. Loves his job. Loves medical science and he’s now a nursing student at Northern Vermont College-Johnson.
I asked him how that was going.
“I love my classes!” he said.
He then told me that his two professors are terrific but that one of them also works as a barista to make ends meet, as she is not full-time faculty.
“She would teach anyway,” he says. “She’s incredibly dedicated.”
Out of necessity, he lives off campus but recently moved back home (an hour’s drive from where he works) because the landlord who owned the new apartments where he was renting raised his rent $300 per month.
“I couldn’t afford that AND be a student.”
So, this lovely young man now has to travel a full hour after an all-night shift to return home so that he can afford to stay in school. I asked him if that was a problem.
“Yes, sometimes I’m pretty tired by the end of my shift even though I love working nights. And last night, driving to work in the snowstorm was not fun!”
I asked him about his classes.
“I prefer to take classes in person but they’ve all been online so far.”
Why is that, I asked.
“Because of low enrollment for the in-person classes. Most students are opting for online, because they also work or have families, and so those of us who would rather meet in person are stuck joining the online class instead.”
We talked about the number of applicants to the Vermont State Colleges, the number of accepted students, and the number enrolling. I shared data that I just happened to have been looking at earlier in the day. He was shocked.
“I think there are a lot more people who want to be enrolled than there are,” he figured. “And the people in my profession are all in their 40s and 50s. They’ll be retiring soon. And I’m the only technician here.”
I asked him why that was.
“The program that I studied in no longer exists.”
From that, he said, “The cost of medical care is going to increase or the services will decrease because we just don’t have the trained, professional staff available.”
I shared with him a conversation I’d had about five years ago with the dean of nursing at Vermont Technical College, who, when I asked her how many nursing students applied at VTC, she replied, “400.” And how many are accepted? “250.” And what do you do with the remaining 150 applicants? “We keep them on file.” And why don’t you share them with the other colleges? “Privacy laws.” And why can’t you accept more studentS? “Not enough Master’s-level instructors.”
He was not surprised. He finished placing the electrodes on my head (very attractive look) and off to the sleep study I went.
What I gathered from our conversation and how it pertains to the Vermont State Colleges is this: We have to know these students better. We have to understand their personal, individual needs, challenges and goals. And we have to reach out to all students who are accepted but choose not to enroll in our colleges and find out why they’ve made a different choice. (More than 5,500 Vermont high school graduates per year; about 50,000 Vermonters over 10 years.) Is it money? Is it culture? Is it convenience? Is it reputation? Is it because our recruitment strategies are outdated?
There is so much more at stake than just the closing of the libraries and athletic programs. As important as those things are, they are just the tip of the iceberg.
This young man is good at what he does. With his personable and caring manner, he will be an amazing nurse. He’s a Vermont kid who wants to stay in Vermont. And he deserves the full experience of what being a hands-on nursing student should be.
Let’s figure out a better way to support students from where they are, increase enrollment, focus more on students and less on a line item on a spreadsheet that has absolutely nothing to do with the student experience except to nullify it.
I may need another nap.
