A growing number of California hospitals are discontinuing clinical rotations for nursing students amid the coronavirus outbreak, and nursing schools say that will delay student graduations at a time when additional nurses are sorely needed.

The schools say students won’t graduate on time because state regulations require 75 percent of a nursing student’s clinical education be done during hospital rotations with the remaining 25% conducted via simulated training.

The schools are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily lift that cap and boost the simulation component to 50% so they are able to graduate on time.

Robyn Nelson, dean of the College of Nursing at West Coast University with local campuses in Los Angeles, Anaheim and Ontario, expressed her concerns in a letter sent Thursday to Newsom.

The loss of clinical rotations at hospitals is dire, she said, adding that some students could be at risk of losing financial aid or VA funds if they don’t meet certain graduation timelines.

“With swift and temporary action, we can keep California’s nursing students on track and prevent a decline in the overall number of registered nurses in our state,” Nelson wrote. “With COVID-19 expected to continue putting significant strain on our hospitals and healthcare system, nurses and the care they provide are more necessary than ever.”

Dianne Van Hook, chancellor of College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, sent a similar letter to Loretta Melby, acting executive officer and nursing education consultant to the state Board of Registered Nursing.

“The effects of lost clinical hours will be devastating to the students that we serve,” Van Hook said. “Our desire is that students will complete their programs of study successfully and on time so that they can transition into the workforce immediately.”

Van Hook’s March 10 letter was co-signed by officials from community colleges throughout California.

A severe nursing shortage predicted

Experts predict the state could be short nearly 200,000 nurses by 2030, with rural areas taking the biggest hit.

Scott Casanover, general counsel and senior vice president of governmental affairs for West Coast University and American Career College, said raising the cap on simulation training would allow students to graduate on time while expanding California’s pool of much-needed nurses to help address the Golden State’s exploding coronavirus crisis.

The benefit of simulation training

“It seems to be a very easy decision — a non-political ask,” he said. “I don’t see any downside to it. We’re not asking for a permanent regulatory change, just something to help students complete their clinical hours and hopefully contribute to solving this problem.”

Casanover stressed that nursing education wouldn’t suffer by increasing the amount of simulation training students receive.