Mercy hospital board makes donation to help boost nursing program
BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
The nursing program at Crowder College Cassville Campus received a $60,000 boost in funding in January, given by the South Barry County Hospital District Board.
Sandra Wilson, Crowder’s director of nursing, said the college is happy to have such a strong partnership with the local board “Partnerships with clinical sites are significant to our nursing programs,” Wilson said. “Our faculty, staff, and students are grateful for the support and opportunities Mercy Cassville has provided through this donation as well as clinical experiences and employment of our students.”
Amy Boxx, president of the South Barry County Hospital District Board, said a national shortage of nurses was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Board’s donation aims to assist in bringing qualified nurses to local hospitals.
‘Crowder College has established this nursing program in Cassville, and it has given our residents the opportunity to enter this critical profession,’ Boxx said. ‘The Crowder program has given our hospital access to a larger pool of highly quality Registered Nurses, and since the Crowder program has been in Cassville, a number of nursing students from Crowder have worked in the hospital as part of their training.’
One of those nurses was Jessica Banks, RN, infection prevention and education coordinator at Mercy Cassville. She is 2014 graduate of Crowder Cassville’s nursing program, saying the decision to pursue the degree in her 30s was a life-changing decision.
‘I was not a traditional student, and it was imperative for me to get my RN,’ she said. ‘Working full-time and with three kids, to be able to do my clinicals locally between Mercy Cassville and Mercy Aurora, with a few in Springfield, was amazing. I can’t brag about the staff at Crowder enough. Without them, I could not have been a single mom and work full-time while going to nursing school.’
Though she did not start the nursing program until age 32, Banks did have previous experience in hospitals as young as 16, leading her to the decision to obtain the degree.
‘I used to candy stripe (volunteer) at Mercy, sometimes going in with nurses to help remove stitches or help in other patient care,’ she said. ‘In fact, some of the nurses that were over me then I worked with after getting my degree, so it really came full circle.’
Banks began her career at hospitals in 2005, hired in emergency room admissions at Mercy cassville.
‘I slowly worked my way through jobs,’ she said. ‘I was in materials management for five years, and when I was doing that, the nurses I worked with said there was no reason I shouldn’t have an RN. That was the point that really pushed me.
‘I didn’t think I could do it, but between Mercy and Crowder, it worked great. I got on as a medical assistant at the clinic, and they worked around my school hours.’
With Mercy helping, Crowder pitched in, as well, at times embracing the non-traditional.
‘One time, I had a test and had my younger son with me,’ Banks said. ‘I went to say couldn’t take the test, and one of the support services staff offered to watch my son in her office for as long as it took me to take the test. That was the point I realized they really want you to succeed.’
Wilson said Banks is a great nurse who has thrived at Mercy after graduation, and non-traditional students are common at the college.
‘Since educational programs are offered within the rural community, many community members can receive their education locally that likely may not have been in a position to travel to another location for their education,’ Wilson said. ‘Any graduate from Crowder Nursing has the opportunity to not only change their life but change the lives of their entire family. The profession offers a secure career path with a good income. Nearly 100 percent of our graduate nurses go to work within the community in which they lived before starting nursing school. This not only benefits the nursing graduate and their family, but also aids healthcare employers to serve the needs of our community.’
Banks said getting her degree provided a stability for her and her children that she will never take for granted.
‘I couldn’t have achieved what I have in my career without the help of Mercy and Crowder,’ Banks said.
Stories like Banks’ are ones Boxx and the Board hope will continue being written in Barry County.
‘In the past the South Barry County Hospital District has incentivized physicians to help them locate in our community,’ Boxx said. ‘This is the first time the District has directly participated in the enhanced training of nurses for our community.’
The grant’s origin is rooted in the Hospital Board’s effort to strengthen its relationship with the Crowder Nursing Program.
‘[The Board] reached out to Crowder to see what our hospital could do to support its nursing program and to make the students’ education better,’ Boxx said. ‘In response to the Hospital Board’s request, Crowder College made presentations of what the critical needs of the nursing program were and what was needed to make our nurses better qualified upon graduation. After review of the proposals, the Board unanimously decided that this grant would both help Mercy Cassville obtain and retain Registered Nurses and would also strengthen the educational opportunities for students in the Hospital District.’
Wilson said the funding will be used to improve simulation experiences for Cassville students, split between two projects at the Cassville campus.
‘We have purchased a high-fidelity simulator to use with student experiences in the simulation lab,’ she said. ‘We already have ordered that and received it and are utilizing the new simulator. We can place students in high pressure clinical experiences or focused clinical experiences in a safe environment where greater learning can take place. With high fidelity simulation, we can control the patient response to choices made by the student and the patient’s condition can change for better or worse, creating an opportunity for students to hone in on the most important information and make appropriate decisions for the patient.
‘The second part of this project is audio/visual installation to record simulation experiences for evaluation (by the participants or by others). This portion is scheduled for installation in March and will expand the capabilities of our simulation lab at Crowder Cassville. Crowder College Nursing is appreciative of Mercy’s support as we offer high quality simulation experiences to our nursing student groups.’
Banks said the chosen uses for the funds are good ones.
‘With the simulation lab, Crowder and Mercy always had a good relationship with one another to update equipment,’ she said. ‘To have something new and high-tech now will help train students on that care and in that environment.’
Wilson said Mercy has always supported Crowder, giving a helping hand when the nursing program was initially established.
‘Mercy has long been a supporter of the Crowder Cassville Nursing program,’ Wilson said. ‘As a matter of fact, Mercy was one of the key players that worked with Campus Director at that time, Angela Seymour, to advocate for a nursing program to be offered at Cassville. I was the first Program Coordinator at the Cassville program and was able to work with the program from inception through the first several years.
‘Not only has Mercy been a financial supporter, but they have also been a partner with Crowder College for clinical experiences for students and have hired many nursing graduates like Jessica Banks, RN.’
The next crop of nurses is on the way, as December graduates have just completed board testing.
‘Crowder Cassville December nursing graduates have just completed their NCLEX-RN board testing this week and had a 100 percent pass rate on the board exams,’ Wilson said. ‘Way to go Cassville students! Nursing applications for Crowder Cassville Nursing will open May 1 and remain open through Aug. 1 for nursing classes starting in January 2026, but there are prerequisite courses needed prior to the Jan. 26 date.’
Crowder College provides nursing programs at its Cassville, Neosho, McDonald County and Nevada locations. The four-semester Registered Nurse program is highly competitive, admitting up to 150 students at these locations throughout the year.
For more information, please visit Crowder’s website at: https://www.crowder. edu/academics/departments/ nursing/.
