LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Channel 13 held its inaugural locals advocacy fair in October on the campus of the College of Southern Nevada.
We met many locals who had stories to share, including CSN student Victoria Ornelas, who is studying to get her degree in respiratory therapy and is encountering barriers to her education.
She told us that students in CSN health sciences programs are unable to do clinical rotations at hospitals run by HCA Healthcare, which is the largest health system in the United States.
In the valley, their facilities include Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Southern Hills Hospital, and MountainView Hospital.
Ornelas told me that she had tried to get answers on her own, reaching out to the hospitals, CSN officials, and even spoke at a meeting of the Nevada System of Higher Education, along with fellow CSN student Derek Hovda.
"As students, our priority should be advancing our education," Ornelas said during the December meeting. "Yet, here I am pleading amongst you because the students and faculty at CSN continue to be swept to the wayside."
WATCH: CSN students share concerns about clinical rotations with NSHE officials
When she wasn't able to get any information, she came to our advocacy fair looking for answers.
What's the deal?
We looked into the matter and learned that contract negotiations are underway between HCA and CSN. That is what is preventing CSN students from being able to do clinical rotations at HCA hospitals.
It's particularly frustrating for students like Hovda. He says he was accepted as an intern at Sunrise but can't do clinical rotations there as a student.
"I'll talk to people in the RT department and my boss will be like hey, when are you guys doing clinicals here," Hovda told me. "We have to just say 'Gee. Sorry. We don't have the contract.' Nobody, none of them know what's going on either."
Clinical rotations are a crucial component of medical education where students gain hands-on experience working directly with patients under the supervision of licensed healthcare professionals.
So you might be wondering.
Why don't the students go to another health care facility to train?
For now, they do.
CSN officials tell us they have 300 active agreements with health care providers so students can get the clinical rotations they need to complete their programs.
However, students say the other options don't measure up.
"For example, Sunrise Hospital is a huge, huge hospital where the acute care is just top notch and on a different level. The speed that they go through. Their ER is constantly busy and they help so many people," Ornelas said. "Granted, yes. Other hospitals do that as well but the influx of patients that they have there is beyond what some of these other hospitals see."
"As a future respiratory therapist, I'm dealing with critical patients and critical scenarios and you see more of that at these hospitals than you really do anywhere else in the valley," Hovda said. "So not having the opportunity to be able to go to these sites and really get that experience can severely limit, basically, my experience. I've been stuck in more like long-term care facilities and that kind of stuff instead of being in critical areas in the hospitals."
HCA Healthcare is the largest health system in the United States, provides access to more specialized programs like working in the NICU and ER, and they have historically taken in more CSN students for clinical rotations compared to other facilities in the valley.
"Some of these students here, myself and my peers, are interested in progressing our education farther than just respiratory therapy — by becoming physicians," Ornelas explained. "But when you don't give us a platform to feel supported, we might seek these options outside of Nevada when physicians are desperately needed here in the state."
We reached out to HCA, CSN, and NSHE to learn more about contract negotiations.
You can see the full statements from HCA, CSN, and NSHE below.
"We are currently working with CSN to finalize an agreement that meets both our standard requirements and the CSN requested requirements so that we can move forward with clinical rotations for their students. We are very close to finalizing this agreement and are very excited to welcome CSN students into our hospitals for clinical rotations in the near future."
"We understand that students are concerned. We want to make it clear that all of our students who require clinical rotations to complete their programs will get that opportunity. We're in the middle of contract negotiations right now, and we're optimistic we'll get them done soon. In the meantime, we don't think it's appropriate to comment on the specifics of that contract until it's been completed. Our goal, as always, is to ensure that every single student at CSN receives the best education possible."
"This matter is being actively worked on and discussions are taking place with partners to explore solutions. While this happens, students' educational needs continue to be met and they have opportunities to gain necessary clinical experience at hospitals and other clinical sites throughout the Valley. Ensuring students receive the education and experience they need is a top priority, and we are committed to supporting their ongoing success."
Neither CSN nor HCA would tell us why things changed in their contract and what still needs to be ironed out.
They also wouldn't give us a timeline but both say they're close to finalizing a new agreement.
Some of our sources tell us that offers little hope because they've been hearing that for over a year.
