Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/3526

 12 2 STA T .350 3 PUBLIC LA W 110 – 315 — AU G .1 4, 200 8(3)encourag e i n st itutions o fh igher e d ucation to w or k with co m munit yp artners from the b usiness , go v ernment, and non - profit sectors to design and imp l ement sustainability programs for application in the community and workplace ( 4 ) identify opportunities for partnerships involving institu- tions of higher education and the F ederal G overnment to e x pand sustainable operations and academic programs focused on environmental and economic sustainability; and ( 5 ) charge the summit participants or steering committee to submit a set of recommendations for addressing sustain- ability through institutions of higher education .SEC.1 1 2 1. NUR S I N G SC HO O L C AP ACI TY . (a) F IND IN GS . —C ongress finds the following

( 1 ) R esearchers in the field of public health have identified the need for a national study to identify constraints encountered by schools of nursing in graduating the number of nurses sufficient to meet the health care needs of the U nited S tates. ( 2 ) T he shortage of q ualified registered nurses has adversely affected the health care system of the United States. (3) I ndividual States have had varying degrees of success with programs designed to increase the recruitment and reten- tion of nurses. (4) Schools of nursing have been unable to provide a suffi- cient number of qualified graduates to meet the workforce needs. (5) M any nurses are approaching the age of retirement, and the problem worsens each year. ( 6 )In2 0 04, an estimated 125,000 applications from quali- fied applicants were re j ected by schools of nursing, due to a shortage of faculty and a lack of capacity for additional students. (b) S TU D YW IT H R E S P E C TT O CONST RA INTS WITH RESPECT TO SCHOO L SO FN URSING.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enter into an agree- ment with the Institute of Medicine of the National A cademy of Sciences to conduct a study for the purpose of— (A) identifying constraints encountered by schools of nursing in admitting and graduating the number of reg- istered nurses necessary to ensure patient safety and meet the need for quality assurance in the provision of health care; and ( B ) developing recommendations to alleviate the con- straints on a short-term and long-term basis. (2) CERTAIN CO M PONENTS.—The Secretary shall ensure that the agreement under paragraph (1) provides that the study under such paragraph will include information on the following: (A) The trends in applications for attendance at schools of nursing that are relevant to the purpose of the study, including trends regarding applicants who are accepted for enrollment and applicants who are not accepted, particularly qualified applicants who are not accepted. (B) The number and demographic characteristics of entry-level and graduate students currently enrolled in schools of nursing, the retention rates at the schools, and Contrac t s.

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