Submitted Testimony
Date: 1/28/25
Name: April Myler, OEA Member, Lane Community College Education Association
Committee: House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care
Bill: HB 3220
Position: Oppose
Dear Chair Nosse, Vice-Chair Nelson, and Vice-Chair Javadi,
I write today in opposition of House Bill 2330 and the written amendments. My name is April Myler, and I have been a Registered Nurse (RN) in the State of Oregon since 2008, and have worked in nursing education since 2010.
I oppose House Bill 2330 due to the risk it poses to patient safety, increased workload for nursing educators, a decrease in 1:1 time an instructor can spend with each student, as well as the dangerous precedent that this bill sets regarding who gets to decide how and when a student-to-faculty ratio should be changed or increased.
As a current clinical instructor that oversees a smaller ratio of students than is currently being proposed, I express concern that increasing the number of students per faculty will result in poor outcomes for student learning which directly impacts the safety of the patients in our care. Nurse Educators are not arguing the need for additional instructors or the need for more nursing graduates each year, but this is not a wise method for remedying this situation.
Passing this bill will make it difficult to attract and maintain Nursing Educators, and could result in the loss of many Nurse Educators across the state. Rather, consider implementing methods to support Nursing Educators such as:
- Loan forgiveness for earning the additional required degrees for role of Nursing Education
- Pay parity that supports Nurse Educator salaries to align with hospital salaries and industry standards
- Provide pay incentives for RNs to precept nursing students during regular clinical shifts as well as longer assignments, including Integrative Practicums
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to provide written testimony in opposition of House Bill 3220.
Sincerely,
April M. Myler, MSN, RN
