Nursing shortage

Nursing shortage

Professor goes the distance for nurses

Patrick Hickey is set to follow in the boot steps of Mount Everest pioneer George Leigh Mallory. But unlike Mallory, he isn’t climbing the mountain “because it’s there.” He’s doing it to let people know about the nation’s nursing shortage and to raise money to train new nurses.

Hickey aims to raise $29,035 — a dollar for each foot of altitude of Mount Everest. The money will go to the Summit Scholarship, for students who want to enter USC’s College of Nursing.

“I hope this scholarship will encourage them to join the nursing program,” said Hickey, an assistant professor at the school.

Each year, colleges around the country turn away many qualified applicants because of money and teaching staff shortages. So as veteran nurses retire, there are few new nurses to take their place. At the same time, the need for nursing care continues to grow as the population ages.

Hickey’s efforts tie in with those of the South Carolina Hospital Association. It is working with schools to increase scholarships and stipends for nursing education, recruit more faculty and encourage nurses to earn advanced degrees, said Jim Walker, the association’s vice president.

As part of his preparation for tackling Mount Everest in March, Hickey has been climbing the stairs of Williams-Brice Stadium. Everest is the last of the “Seven Summits” — the highest peaks on each continent — left for him to scale in his seven-year quest.

He also plans to go back to his home town of Altamonte, in Ontario, Canada, to talk with high school students about the nursing profession. He already has talked with Boy Scouts about his career.

“I hope more guys will see what I’m doing and what a great career nursing is,” he said.

Hickey plans to write a book and share his story of climbing the Seven Summits.

“I can draw parallels,” he said. “Everyone has their own mountains, and I want to show them how to surmount those obstacles.”

— From staff reports

LEARN MORE

To find out more about the Summit Scholarship, go to www.sc.edu/nursing/SummitScholarship.html or Hickey’s site at www.amercan.us.

HOW TO HELP

• Donate or pledge online at giftsonline.sc.edu/contribute.asp

• Make checks payable to USC Educational Foundation, write “Gift to the Summit Scholarship” in the memo section, and mail to: University Development, c/o Gift Processing, 1600 Hampton St., 7th floor Columbia, SC 29208. Questions? (803) 777-7190.