New Hampshire-based Dartmouth Health and Colby-Sawyer College expanded their longtime partnership by launching a new accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program.
"[It is] the latest evolution of [our] partnership — a new source of students for Colby-Sawyer and a pipeline for new nurses into Dartmouth Health," Susan Reeves, EdD, RN, chief nursing executive at Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth Health and executive vice president at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, told Becker's.
The first cohort of the ABSN program graduated in December. "It was a small class — 20 students — but of that group, more than half accepted positions at DHMC right after graduation," Dr. Reeves said. "As the program continues to grow, and with two cohorts graduating each year in the spring and fall, we'll continue to see this program grow as a reliable pipeline of skillfully trained nurses into our health system."
Kevin Finn, EdD, dean of Colby-Sawyer College's School of Nursing & Health Sciences in New London, N.H., said not only does the new ABSN program create a much-needed pipeline of nurses in the region, but it has also led to increasing enrollments in the school's nursing programs. "The first ABSN cohort had a 100 percent NCLEX pass rate, which speaks to the high quality that students will experience in both the classroom and in clinicals," he said.
The nursing shortage in the U.S. has reached critical levels, and New Hampshire hospitals are feeling the pinch, she said, noting there are 4.4 million registered nurses nationwide but only 3 million are currently working in the profession. "This could well speak to pandemic-related burnout, but in truth, the healthcare workforce shortage began looming before the pandemic arrived," Dr. Reeves said.
All regions of the country should help alleviate healthcare workforce issues by making sure institutions of higher education and healthcare systems work together to develop programs to meet nursing demands, Dr. Finn said.
Dartmouth Health and Colby-Sawyer have been partnering to grow New Hampshire's nursing workforce since 1981. In the last 40-plus years, the two entities have launched myriad collaborative nursing programs.
"New Hampshire is one of the fastest-aging states in the country, making the need for a robust, high-quality nursing workforce essential," Dr. Reeves said.
The Colby-Sawyer ABSN offers a path to a bachelor's in nursing for motivated, hardworking students who have already completed a bachelor'’s degree in a different field and want to pursue a nursing career.
However, Dr. Reeves said, this program "isn't for the faint of heart. Students have to really have what it takes to be a nurse."
To earn an ABSN Colby-Sawyer, nursing students enroll in a 16-month — no breaks — intensive education program. "This is a huge time commitment. But for those who are ready to 'run the marathon,' so to speak, it's an excellent option for career professionals to begin a nursing career."
It i's also a more cost-effective route than pursuing a traditional four-year bachelor of science in nursing program.
Dr. Finn said the ABSN degree collaboration with Dartmouth Health provides two significant benefits for Colby-Sawyer. "Our students receive premier clinical placements at an academic level 1 trauma center. Plus, once the students graduate, they are guaranteed job offers from Dartmouth Health."
Any time an institution of higher learning with a nursing program can partner with an academic medical system, it i's a tremendous boon to both parties, Dr. Reeves said.
"Dartmouth Health has long valued the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth as an academic medicine partner, but having Colby-Sawyer as our nursing partner is truly as valuable," she said. "Colby-Sawyer is really part of the DNA in Dartmouth Health nursing now. Student nurses benefit from the best training and education available, and health systems benefit by becoming the employer of choice for newly -trained, highly -motivated nurses."