Karen Haidemenos never imagined her job could be so challenging, and so much fun.

The registered nurse, who has a masters of science and nursing degree and is working on her PhD, teaches at the New England Institute of Technology.

But she is doing a lot more than studying and teaching. Haidemenos, who came to NEIT from URI where she was a nurse teacher, is also designing the first new nursing program in the state in almost 40 years.

She envisions students in the program getting “a lot of hands-on training.” There will be the training that goes with accompanying a nurse as they perform their duties, in a hospital or nursing home. This clinical experience is part of all nursing programs. But students will also work with “high fidelity simulators.” These are life-like mannequins that breathe, talk and even sweat.

“How often do you have a person who has a heart attack?” Haidemenos asks. NEIT nursing students will be training to respond to heart attacks and other life-threatening situations on an almost daily basis.

“It’s a very exciting time. A lot of development is going on at the state level,” says Haidemenos.

She explained that there is a focus on core competencies and integrating those into the field to close the gap between what is taught in class and what is needed in the field.

Specifically, she notes, an increasing use of technology in health records, documentation and medication administration.

“Those were the gaps we were having,” she said.

She said that the NEIT program would have small classes and tutoring if students need it. There will also be help with career placement.

Approved by the Board of Nursing at the state Department of Health, the program is aimed at giving associates degrees in nursing will debut March 10 with 50 students on two tracks. The standard track will be comprised of 25 students fresh from high school, seeking a new career or with limited college experience. They will be enrolled in a 7-quarter, 21-month program with liberal arts as well as nursing courses. Tuition for the standard program is $5,725 per quarter. There will also be a fast track program of five quarters for 15 months at $5,925 per quarter for students who have completed their liberal arts prerequisite courses and only need nursing to complete their degree.

The program will operate out of allied health services classrooms at the Post Road campus until NEIT makes its move to East Greenwich. NEIT bought what was going to be Brooks drug corporate office in February of 2008 and has been going through the various board approvals to convert the property into its main campus, including classrooms and dormitories.

The first stage in the move is planned for October of 2010, according to Steven Kitchin, vice president of corporate education and training.

Haidemenos expects no lack of applicants for the new program or, more importantly, jobs they have earned with associate degrees. Interest in the program has run high since it was announced more than a month ago. With a projected 500 people waiting to get into nursing, she believes both tracks of the program to be filled rapidly. Applicants need to take the Kaplan Registered Nurse Entrance Exam to qualify.

The lack of space for nursing school applicants is not unique to Rhode Island, according to a survey performed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. In a report issued earlier this month, almost 40,000 qualified applicants were turned away from 550 entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs in 2009. The report found applicants were being rejected because of a shortage of faculty and an insufficient number of clinical placement sites.

Haidemenos said she is in the process of recruiting faculty. She expects to start with three full time faculty, plus adjuncts.

The state already has five nursing programs with CCRI’s the largest. Other programs are at URI, RIC, Salve and St. Joseph Hospital. Overall, about 700 students complete Rhode Island nursing programs a year with more than 500 going to get their state license.

According to the state’s Bureau of Labor Statistics 11,360 registered nurses are employed in the state.

Nurses just out of school earn about $48,000 a year with the median income being $67,000. Some nurses are making $120,000 to $150,000 said Haidemenos, which helps explain why there is a shortage of nurse faculty. They can make more practicing than teaching.

Nonetheless, Haidemenos said projections of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island say by 2016 the state will need 5,000 new nurses, or twice the current levels of those being licensed for the field. Two factors are at work. With the economic downturn, many nurses that would have retired or planning to retire soon are staying in their jobs to ensure health coverage and a paycheck, especially if another family member has lost their job. Secondly, with an aging population, the demand is projected to increase with more people turning to assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

“It’s the way we operate,” says Kitchin of NEIT’s practice of training students so that they can fill existing jobs. “The course offering that are needed will be there,” he assured.

To remain operational, 80 percent of the program’s students will need to pass the National Council Licensing Examination or NCLEX test.

But while there is a lot of emphasis on testing and grades, Haidemenos says, “grades are not the only thing that make a good nurse.”

In addition to the skills, she cites caring compassion and listening. Those are attributes Haidemenos will be looking for in applicants and in graduates as NEIT embarks on its first nursing program.