All of Nevada’s fun isn’t found in Vegas — you can have a great time in
Reno, which is known as the “Biggest Little City in the World.”
Photo courtesy of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

Las Vegas will celebrate its 100th birthday on May 15. Mormons settled in the area in the 1850s, but they didn’t stick around. Miners passed through on their way to Nevada’s legendary silver and gold mines. And ranchers drove their cattle north, where less arid conditions provided adequate grazing.

But it was the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad that gave the now world-famous city its start by auctioning off 110 acres of land in what was known as Clark’s Las Vegas Townsite. Needless to say, the land went to the highest bidders. Six years later, the city was incorporated.

In 1940, the year before El Rancho Vegas opened on what was to become the world-famous Strip, the population of Las Vegas was a modest 8,422. Today, Las Vegas has a population of approximately half a million. The greater metropolitan area, which includes a small portion of Arizona, boasts a population of 1.4 million. The total population of the state of Nevada is 1,998,257.

Not surprisingly, images of Las Vegas tend to dominate our view of the Silver State. A closer look, however, will reveal a wealth of natural beauty, rugged charm, and open spaces.

On duty

Some of those open spaces are in immediate need of filling. “We are desperately short of nurses in Nevada,” says Carolyn Yucha, RN, PhD, dean of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Nursing. As evidence, she points to the fact that Nevada has the lowest nurse-to-population ratio in the country. According to 2001 statistics provided by the Nevada Nurses Association, Nevada has approximately 520 nurses per 100,000 residents, a figure far below the national average of 780 nurses per 100,000 people.

“It’s a major difference,” Yucha says, adding that the nurse-to-population ratio problem is just the tip of the iceberg. On top of the fact that the state already has a serious nursing shortage, Nevada is one of the fastest-growing states in the union. In addition, many of its newcomers are retirees. “It’s very scary,” Yucha admits.

State officials took action in 2001. At a time when funding and space limitations prevented the state’s nursing programs from accepting nearly half of all qualified applicants, the legislature provided funding under a bill designed to double the capacity of Nevada’s nursing schools.

At UNLV, the five-semester curriculum required for the baccalaureate nursing program was recently condensed into four semesters in an effort to prepare more nurses. “We’ve doubled our undergraduate numbers,” Yucha says. “We’re admitting 48 students three times a year and we’re running our program year round.” In addition to the traditional bachelor of science degree, the school offers RN-to-BS and RN-to-MS programs.

Of course, as Yucha points out, it’s hard to increase student enrollment if you don’t have enough faculty to teach them. The shortage of qualified instructors, she says, is just as desperate as the overall nursing shortage in the state.

UNLV administrators have been taking steps to alleviate the problem. Faculty salaries at the school have been increased and are now comparable to what master’s-prepared nurses would make in a clinical setting. It’s a mixed blessing for Yucha. She says good instructors are worth every penny of the increase, but she finds herself reluctant to use salary levels as a recruitment tool. “We don’t want to attract people who are in it just for the money,” she says. “Teaching can be tough. We need people who want to teach.”

Yucha displays no such reluctance when it comes to discussing the online graduate programs that the UNLV School of Nursing has recently introduced. In August 2004, the school launched a PhD program focused on nursing education. According to Yucha, the program is designed for students to complete in three years of online study. One week a year is spent on campus in what Yucha refers to as an “immersion experience.” Toward the end of their studies, doctoral candidates will spend an entire semester on campus, and Yucha says graduate assistantships are available.

UNLV also offers an online MSN. There are currently two tracks available in this web-based program, the family nurse practitioner track and the nurse educator track. Postmaster’s certificates are also offered in both areas.

Yucha says the online component of the new graduate programs is essential. “It has to do with providing accessibility to working nurses and to rural Nevada,” she says.

In addition to UNLV, there are six other nursing programs in Nevada, the majority of which are located near Las Vegas or Reno. These schools include the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Reno; Nevada State College (Henderson); Truckee Meadows Community College (Reno); and the Community College of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas). Western Nevada Community College in Carson City and Great Basin College in Elko, the heart of Nevada’s cattle country, are the exceptions.

Despite the fact that the state’s population grew by more than 66% during the 1990s, Nevada remains a largely rural state, which presents a challenge for educators and health care providers.

Nevada’s urban areas, particularly Las Vegas, offer what can only be described as unique opportunities for nurses. In addition to innovative educational programs, Las Vegas is home to quality hospitals, such as University Medical Center (UMC). The state’s only burn care center and level I trauma center, UMC is affiliated with the University of Nevada School of Medicine and ranks among the top 50 hospitals in the country for neurology and neurosurgery, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Some of the best games in Vegas aren’t in the casinos, they’re on the links.
Photo courtesy of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

If water sports float your boat, Lake Mead is just a short trip from Las Vegas.
Photo courtesy of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

Off duty

Without a doubt, life in the Garden of Neon has its advantages. “Las Vegas is a 24-hour town,” Yucha says. “That can be very freeing.” As an example, she points to the existence of 24-hour day care centers. Although she admits that such establishments were most likely designed to serve the needs of the service employees who work in the hotels and casinos, Yucha says nurses can take advantage of them, too.

The same goes for the world-class entertainment that helps attract more than 35 million visitors a year to the city. From Elvis impersonators and glitzy showgirls to the magic of Cirque du Soleil, Las Vegas continues to dazzle as it maintains a firm grip on its title as the entertainment capital of the world.

The elaborate resorts and casinos are the primary tourist attractions but, as AAA points out, “There are whole other sides to this city that the average visitor never sees while shuttling between the airport and his or her hotel.” Dining and shopping are plentiful. Cultural opportunities range from the big-name casino entertainment, to UNLV theater productions, to special exhibits at the 7,660 square-foot Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum housed at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino. Plus, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and even Arizona’s Grand Canyon are all easily accessible.

Several communities within the shadow of Las Vegas offer the advantage of a less hectic pace while keeping gaming, entertainment, and recreational opportunities within easy reach. Laughlin, which is located 90 miles southeast of Las Vegas, overlooks the Colorado River. Mesquite can be found 80 miles north of the neon lights. From there, you can explore the desert landscape on horseback, tee off at a world-class golf course, indulge in fine dining, or pamper yourself at a luxury spa.

Reno, the only other good-sized city in the state, sits a long and often lonely 447-mile drive away. Your route could take you through the scenic Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest or down “The Extraterrestrial Highway,” as State Route 375, which runs between Warm Springs and Crystal Springs in the vicinity of Area 51, is known.

The beautiful Ruby Mountains near Elko will
remind you that all of Nevada isn’t desert.
Photo courtesy of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

Lake Tahoe offers some of the most majestic skiing around.
Photo courtesy of the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

You could also pass Carson City, one of the smallest state capitals in the country, or Virginia City, where the spirit of the Old West is alive and well. Lake Tahoe, on the nearby California border, is a popular destination for skiers, snowboarders, and mountain bikers. Most of the state is desert, but the Sierra Nevada mountain range near Reno and the Ruby Mountains near Elko wear a mantle of snow for half the year.

Beyond the bright lights of Las Vegas, Nevada offers plenty of opportunities for nurses to strike it rich. For those who seek the unique satisfaction of providing care to an underserved population, the state’s wide-open spaces and dramatic landscapes hold a wealth of possibilities.