As Community’s chief nursing officer, Mary Contreras, R.N. oversees about 1,500 nurses – the largest group of nurses in central California. Mary has more than 30 years of nursing experience and is active in several local and statewide nursing organizations.
AB 1559, the legislation that would allow community colleges to accept nursing students based on merit was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger last week. I believe this change will decrease the attrition rate, improving the number of nursing students who start in community college nursing programs that complete those programs. Currently only about 75% of those who start in the programs in California graduate. We can expect that a properly designed merit system will improve the probability that those who start will complete the program. This is important in the effort to increase the number of nurses in our Valley in the face of a critical nursing shortage in our future.
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As Community’s chief nursing officer, Mary Contreras, R.N. oversees about 1,500 nurses – the largest group of nurses in central California. Mary has more than 30 years of nursing experience and is active in several local and statewide nursing organizations.