employment- jobs and career

y Judy Horan
WORLD-HERALD Correspondent 

Michael Taylor-Stewart will be 50 when he graduates in two years from the nursing program at Clarkson College.

“I lament the fact that I will be 50 when I finish, but I have a friend who got his Ph.D. when he was 70. You are never too old to get an education.”

Taylor-Stewart served as an Air Force medic. He also has worked as a travel agent and grant writer-fundraiser for a nonprofit group, where he was laid off three years ago because of the recession. He sees health care as a more steady career.

“There's also more income, and it's more satisfying,” he says.

Taylor-Stewart is not alone in joining the party late. Half of the 980 students enrolled at Clarkson College are nontraditional students.

A 60-year-old pharmacy salesman decided to attend Clarkson and become a registered nurse.

A certified nursing assistant enjoys her job but is pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing to increase her income.

An armored car driver enrolled in the Physical Therapist Assistant program at Clarkson College for a more secure career. Salaries in the field for graduates are estimated at $40,000 to $49,000.

A father of eight children worked for years as a registered nurse, then entered the new master's degree in nursing program with specialization in the nurse anesthesia program that was introduced by Clarkson College this year.

A woman with a bachelor's degree in biology is now pursuing a bachelor's in nursing.

During a recession, enrollment at health-care colleges typically increases, says Dr. Louis Burgher, president of Clarkson College. The Omaha college has experienced a 24.3 percent increase during the past four years. Many students have lost their jobs and see health care as a secure, well-paying career.

Some students begin studies at a two-year community college before transferring to a four-year school like Clarkson College. Many students, such as Brittany Kramer, 20, enroll directly after high school.

Kramer, who is student government association president, likes the small class sizes at Clarkson College. Student-faculty ratio is 14 to 1.

Becoming a nurse has been Kramer's dream since she was 8. Her plan after earning her bachelor's degree in nursing is to return to her hometown of Stapleton, Neb., and work as an emergency room nurse while pursuing a master's degree.

Like most students working toward a master's degree, she will work and enroll in the online program at Clarkson. Students completely enrolled online make up about 36 percent of students. Eighty-four percent of students take at least one online program.

“We're one of the largest programs in the country for health-care colleges,” Burgher says.

Until 1988, Clarkson College was a school of nursing. Nursing students continue to make up half of the enrollment.

But the school is now a four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Nebraska Medical Center that offers degrees in nursing, health-care business, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, medical imaging, imaging informatics and professional development.

“A young person can come out of high school, enroll in the LPN program, move on to a bachelor's in nursing program, then go for their master's degree in nursing,” Burgher says.

Projections show there will be a shortage of 3,800 nurses in Nebraska by 2020, he adds. Presently, there is a shortage of 300,000 nurses nationally. In Nebraska, Burgher estimates salary for a registered nurse will range from $45,000 to $55,000.

“Nursing gives access to a strong work force wherever the student goes,” Burgher says. “Health care is an attractive field with favorable job placement and portability within the industry.”