Penn Medicine aims to increase the pipeline of future nurses in Philadelphia through a new program that offers education and employment opportunities for high school and college students interested in nursing, the organization said Jan. 3.
The health system launched the Aspire Program at Philadelphia-based Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in partnership with the Howley Foundation and La Salle University, also in Philadelphia.
Each year, the program will select up to 25 high school students to participate in an enrichment program that offers interactive and hands-on sessions at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania led by nurses and hospital staff.
After graduation, students can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at La Salle University with financial support from federal grants, the university and the Aspire program. The Howley Foundation, based in Cleveland, has pledged up to $7.5 million to support the effort.
The Howley Foundation developed the model for the Aspire Program at Cleveland Clinic in 2017.
Learn more here.