Thanks to an ageing workforce and widespread burnout, HCPs are leaving the profession in droves. As a direct result, the industry is directly facing an unprecedented level of burnout and turnover. Left unchecked, facilities will end up woefully understaffed for the foreseeable future. Rural facilities in particular will be affected greatly, as they already have fewer HCPs on average. In response, several institutions have begun their own HCP initiatives. Whether it is through education or professional development, the healthcare industry has banded together to tackle the ongoing challenges head-on.
Early Introduction to the Nursing Profession Program
The University of Connecticut offers this program to high school students in the area. Under this initiative, students can acquire hands-on HCP experience at an extremely young age. They are taught skills and earn certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Stop the Bleed, and more. Students are also taught about the current state of the healthcare industry, and how you can apply for an HCP university. The intent of this program is to foster a burgeoning interest in health and healthcare among young people, at an early stage of their development.
ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program
Healthcare education sadly remains a costly investment. This makes it prohibitive for students from working-class backgrounds to break in unless they take costly student loans. Scholarship programs like ASPIRE seek to empower promising young students who do not have the financial resources to pursue HCP work, otherwise. Offered by the Cleveland Clinic, ASPIRE Scholars can enter college programs with the financial backing of wealthy sponsors. As a scholarship, there is no need to remunerate the costs. Students also get to enjoy direct work experience with the program’s partners, like Ursuline College.
Florida Nursing Scholarships
Multiple government bodies have directly invested in nursing education, in recent times. Last year, the Florida Governor provided a $125 million grant towards scholarships and educational infrastructure. On top of scholarships, $100 million will be devoted to rewarding exceptional universities and colleges with positive student outcomes. Meanwhile, $25 million was invested in the new Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) program, which was instituted to increase the number of nursing educators in Florida. In the future, there are hopes that these investments will lead to more quality HCPs and jobs in the healthcare workforce.
YNHHS Partnerships
More than a year ago, Yale New Haven Health announced a partnership with multiple universities, such as Fairfield University, and Southern Connecticut State University. Under this collaboration, Yale New Health seeks to provide scholarships, learning resources, and opportunities to underprivileged students in the Connecticut area. Over the next four years, they plan to graduate at least 557 nursing students, while committing to over $1.7 million in scholarships. With this collaboration, the intent is to work around the ongoing shortage of HCP instructors.
What We Can Learn
This scratches the surface of all the nursing development initiatives, nationwide. There is a greater acknowledgement of the importance of nursing education, and development. Facilities know that if they want to secure their futures, they need to put money into nursing instructors. The financial barrier will always be there, but scholarships are offered to close the gap somewhat. Though the approach for some of these institutions is different, their vision and mission remain aligned.
