Impact Report: Year-Ends 2021 and 2022

Safeguarding the health of San Mateo County residents: the Associate Degree in Nursing Program at College of San Mateo

Anyone who knows about nursing education in the Bay Area is undoubtedly familiar with College of San Mateo’s Nursing Program. Within an institution that is already an icon, it is a flagship program and a source of great pride.

The 1960s were one of the most tumultuous and consequential decades in world history. It was a time of social revolution with the fight for civil rights for Black Americans and for women’s liberation, when “bra-burning” became a popular concept (never really a reality) among feminists. On a note of optimism, the first human being to set foot on Earth’s moon ended the decade and ushered in an era of space exploration.

In the thick of this exciting time, hospitals and health officials and agencies realized they needed to expand nursing education to meet new demands. Thus was born the RN program at CSM in 1963 with a cohort of about 30 students.

[Photo with caption: CSM RN Program First Graduating Class, 1965]

Today, the Nursing program is both akin to and radically different from its inception. Students still must have college prerequisites to enter the highly competitive program, which includes classwork, skills lab work, and hands-on experience. Moreover, most of the students averaged around 30 years old.

That’s where the similarities end.

In 1963 and until the mid to late 1980s most of the nursing students were White women. Today, 80% of the cohorts of 50 students are made up of Asian, Latino, and Filipino Americans, reflecting the diversity of the county. In general, men comprise 10% of students in most nursing programs. Since the early 1980s, CSM has always matched or exceeded that percentage. CSM Nursing

One of the Nursing program’s biggest challenges and opportunities is to increase diversity among the staff. While attracting instructors to work in education, which doesn’t pay as well as other nursing positions, has been problematic, Director of Nursing Janis Wisherop has made diversity and equity in both staff and students her personal goal. “I would like our instructors to reflect the student body,” said Janis. “We’re as diverse as we’ve ever been, and we have a long way to go.”

Janis and the entire Nursing Program team have much to be proud of. The first cohort of the Associate Degree in Nursing/Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (ADN/BSN) collaboration with San Francisco State graduated in 2020. The much sought-after program ensures students receive their BSN degree in 2.5 years (not including pre-requisites to enter the Nursing Program). 80% of CSM’s nursing students participate in the program which answers the community’s need for nurses that have a wider perspective and knowledge base.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire department, including the skills lab and clinical education, shifted to an online mode in four days. Janis’s creative team invented a telehealth curriculum that still gave the hands-on skills they needed. Furthermore, they collaborated with a variety of organizations to give students first-hand experience in COVID testing and vaccination clinics. Partners included UCSF, the Moscone Vaccination Clinic in San Francisco, the Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council, and the Global Initiative for Health and Wellness through the Foster City Lions Club. “Our students are local and they stay local after graduation. So, it makes sense to maintain and increase our local partnerships.” Now that the pandemic has become endemic, the program and students have continued their partnerships with these groups as part of a general programmatic move to increase community-based primary care clinical programs.

The Foundation has been proud to partner with this groundbreaking and innovative program. Many of our nursing students receive SMCCCF scholarships and the Foundation houses a fund for the program. When beloved Nursing faculty member Leanne Kennedy passed away suddenly in January, her family, friends, colleagues, and students donated to the CSM Nursing Fund in her name. “We were devastated by her passing, we are like a strong family here," says Janis. "I keep her lanyard around my neck and often use it to pray for her peace. Having the fund to which we can donate in her name is a way of filling the void that she left.”

Reaching out to alumni is another way in which the Foundation and CSM Nursing have collaborated. Together, SMCCCF and the program have worked on several successful events to connect with alumni and honor retiring faculty. The latest event was a flute concert paying tribute to nurses for their work during the pandemic. Alumni were an important part of this moving event and were invited to participate. Moving forward, the Foundation will continue to support the program by applying for grants and connecting with alumni. “I appreciate the foundation as a partner,” exclaimed Janis. “I hope we have many more opportunities to work together.”