cording to Mrs. Warren, chairman of the nursing department, "the primary thrust of the program is to up-grade the educational preparation of R.N.'s in Arkansas and thereby to improve the quality of health care in Arkansas." One of the primary reasons Hardin began a nursing program is the college's deep and abiding concern for mission efforts throughout the world. Almost 50 per cent of all foreign missionaries of the churches of Christ attended Harding College. An increasing number of Harding graduates have entered the field of medicine and many of these physicians are doing mission work in the emerging nations either on a full-time or part-time basis. Students at Harding are challenged in their classes, in chapel, at the College church, and through peer as ociation to commit themselves o Christian service and evangelism. Harding's Board of Trustees believed that many young men and women would s udy nursing and then join medical docto s and other missionaries throughout the world. Kirk Davis, a member of the f1 t graduating class, is the leader of a group of students who p an to be medical missionaries in Bangladesh. Other members of this class are planning to go to other mission fields. During 1974-75, Dr. James F. Carr, Jr., Assistant to the President, assisted Mrs. Warren in recruiting faculty for the nursing program. In view of the great shortage of nurses across the country, and an even more acute shortage of nurses with the Master's degree, the need for teachers with graduate specialization in the different fields of nursing, the below-average salary scale at Harding, and the need for teachers who were committed to the Christian as well the professional objectives of Harding, the task of recruitment was difficult. A very capable faculty was assembled by June, 1975, although it was necessary for the college to provide financial assistance to several teachers so they could complete the Master's degree, a practice that has bee effectively implemented for many years to obtain teachers with the d ctorate. Elissa Lane and Louise Truex joined Mrs. Warren on campus in June t finalize the curriculum and to prep r course outlines for the first yea of he clinical program that began the following August. Mary Jane Hostetler joined the senior faculty in nu , 1976. Joining the nursing faculty in the fall of 1975 as clinical instructors were J nic Bing am, Anna L. Chambliss, ana Pat Rice, R.N.'s with only the baccaluareate degree. Miss Bingham had spent many months at the Chr"stian hospital in Nigeria a isting r. enry Farrar, F.A.C.S., in surgery. As a resu t of her interest in mission work, she developed an elective course in 11Medical Missions" for students planning to enter the mission field. During 1975-76, the college assisted Nancy Leslie, Dana Lester, and Cathie Smith in completing the Master's degree so that they could join the f culty for the 1976-n school year when the full program of generic nursing was implemented. Priscilla Hardin and Rebecca Matthews came in the fall of 1976 as clinical instructors. Two local physicans, Dr. Jim Citty, a family practitioner, and Dr. William D. White, F.A.C.G., a gastroenterologist, joined the faculty on a part-time basis as Adjunct Professors of Nursing to teach the nursing students to take health histories and to do routine physical examinations. Dr. Farrar, a surgeon, and Dr. John Henderson, a cardiologist, as well as other local physicians, gave lectures and assisted with the program as the need arose. Drs. Citty, Farrar, and Henderson are Harding alumni. Although Searcy has a population of only about 11,000, it provides the following clinical facilities for the nursing program: two general hospitals, three large extended-care facilities, an out-patient mental health clinic, a public health department which services a two-county area of approximately 55,000 population, a large 12-physician ambulatory clinic, and several smaller ambulatory clinics. Psychiatric, pediatric, and critical care nursing experiences have been provided by three large hospitals in Little Rock. The cooperation that the college has received from physicians and health services in the area has been excellent. The student nurses have enhanced the cooperative relationship through their professional work and Christian example. As the nursing faculty made preparation for seeking National League accreditation, several consultants were brought to campus during the 1976-n school year. Current trends in nursing education necessitated restructuring the curriculum and fusing into a one-track program the projected Family Nurse Practitioner program and the generic program already being implemented. The nursing faculty has also been involved in developing the self study report for the National League. Since the program is only in its second year and the first class will graduate on May 15, 19n, heavy pressure has been on the nursing faculty as it plans for the one-track program to be implemented for juniors in the fall of 1977 while currently implementing the program in effect for those who are now juniors and will be seniors in 1977-78. 1. STUDENT NURSES. McMillen, Carrel, McWhorter, Pitts, Cole, Young, Bingham, Shroades, Betts. 2. TAKING notes from modern equipment, Marcine Snyder spends her time wisely. 3. CHAIRMAN of the nursing department, Michele Warren takes care of paper work at her desk. NURSING - 2fI7
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